Boutersem TGV (Oligocene of Belgium)

Where: Brabant, Belgium (50.8° N, 4.8° E: paleocoordinates 50.2° N, 1.2° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Boutersem Member (Borgloon Formation), Rupelian (33.9 - 28.1 Ma)

• "at the base of" the member in a bed that "thickens up to 30 cm and consists of four layers"

•"MP 21"

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial-lacustrine; shelly/skeletal, green, argillaceous sandstone

• the member is "a fluvio-lacustrine complex" and the avifauna indicates "an aquatic paleoenvironment" with an "absence of forests in the close vicinity"
• the four layers are "a pinkish shell-bed, often indurated (5 to 10 cm), greenish clayey sands with crushed, partially decalcified shells (5 to 10 cm), a dark-green clay without shells (2 to 3 cm) and greenish shelly sands with reddish discontinuous bands (10 to 15 cm)"

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collected in 1999

Collection methods: bulk, salvage, sieve,

• "screen washed"

•material is in the Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Bruxelles, Belgium (IRScNB)

Primary reference: G. Mayr and R. Smith. 2001. Ducks, rails, and limicoline waders (Aves: Anseriformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes) from the lowermost Oligocene of Belgium. Geobios 34(5):547-561 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 75867: authorized by Lars van den Hoek Ostende, entered by Lars van den Hoek Ostende on 03.11.2007, edited by John Alroy, Terri Cleary, Philip Mannion and Patricia Holroyd

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Mammalia
 Theriamorpha -
Amphidozotherium cayluxi3 Filhol 1877 placental
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Heterosoricinae indet.3 Viret and Zapfe 1951 shrew
IRSNB
 Theriamorpha - Plesiosoricidae
Butselia biveri3 Quinet and Misonne 1965 placental
IRSNB
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Eotalpa belgica n. sp.5 Smith 2007 mole
 Theriamorpha - Nyctitheriidae
Oligonyctia hoffmani n. gen. n. sp.7 Ziegler 2007 placental
cf. Saturninia "n. sp."3 Stehlin 1940 placental
IRSNB
Saturninia gracilis3 Stehlin 1940 placental
IRSNB
Sigenyctia oligocaena n. gen. n. sp.7 Smith 2006 placental
cf. Euronyctia "n. sp."3 Sigé 1997 placental
IRSNB
Euronyctia belgica n. sp.4 Smith 2006 placental
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Myotis belgicus n. sp.2 Gunnell et al. 2017 vesper bat
Reptilia
 Squamata - Boidae
Falseryx neervelpensis n. sp.6 Szyndlar et al. 2008 boa
IRSNB R 240 (holotype), one trunk vertebra. Additional specimens: IRSNB R 237-239, 241 (four trunk vertebrae), unnumbered 78 trunk vertebrae, collection R. Smith; IRSNB R 233 (one cloacal vertebrae); IRSNB R 234-236 (three caudal vertebrae), unnumbered 16 caudal vertebrae, collection R. Smith.
 Squamata - Aniliidae
Aniliidae indet.6 Fitzinger 1826 pipe snake
"perhaps Eoanilius"
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacerta filholi1 Augé 1988 squamates
IRSNB R242 (previously BOU-AR-27-RS), incomplete left dentary; BOU-AR-29, incomplete left maxilla
 Squamata -
Scincoidea indet.1 Oppel 1811 squamates
IRSNB R244 (previously BOU-AR-37-RS), incomplete left dentary lacking anterior part
Foliesaurus boutersemensis n. gen. n. sp.1 Auge and Smith 2009 squamates
IRSNB R245 (previously BOU-AR-40-RS) (holotype); incomplete right dentary lacking anterior part
 Squamata - Anguidae
"Dopasia roqueprunensis" = Ophisaurus roqueprunensis1
"Dopasia roqueprunensis" = Ophisaurus roqueprunensis1 Auge 1992 glass lizard
IRSNB R 246 (previously BOU-AR-26-RS), incomplete left dentary; incomplete left maxilla; seven left dentary fragments; three right dentary fragments; two right maxillary fragments; one left maxillary fragment; IRSNB R247, one incomplete parietal; numerous osteoderms; dorsal and caudal vertebrae
 Squamata - Necrosauridae
Necrosaurus sp.1 Filhol 1876 squamates
Nearly complete dentary; incomplete left dentary; BOU-AR-36-RS, incomplete left maxilla; IRSNB R248 (prev. BOU-AR-33-RS), fragment of maxilla; fragment of right dentary; IRSNB R249 (prev. BOU-AR-42-RS), complete frontal; IRSNB R250 (prev. BOU-AR-28-RS), numerous osteoderms; dorsal and caudal vertebrae
Aves
 Charadriiformes - Glareolidae
cf. Boutersemia sp. Mayr and Smith 2001 shorebird
Boutersemia parvula n. sp. Mayr and Smith 2001 shorebird
Boutersemia belgica n. gen. n. sp. Mayr and Smith 2001 shorebird
 Charadriiformes -
? Scolopaci indet. Strauch 1978 shorebird
 Piciformes -
Pici indet. Linnaeus 1758 bird
 Gruiformes - Rallidae
cf. Belgirallus sp. Mayr and Smith 2001 rail
Belgirallus minutus n. sp. Mayr and Smith 2001 rail
Belgirallus oligocaenus n. gen. n. sp. Mayr and Smith 2001 rail
 Anseriformes - Anatidae
cf. Paracygnopterus sp. Harrison and Walker 1979 waterfowl
 Anseriformes -
cf. Romainvillia sp. Lebedinsky 1927 waterfowl