PBDB Collection

Fălciu (Miocene of Moldova)

Also known as FP 1

Where: Moldova (46.3° N, 28.1° E)

• Paleocoordinates: 44.9° N, 28.6° E (Wright 2013)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Turolian (8.7 - 5.3 Ma)

• The age of the vertebrate assemblage is supported also by the presence of small mammals like “Proochotona” cf. eximia Khomenko, 1914. The genus Proochotona has been referred by Čermák (2016) to the genus Ochotona with its oldest European occurrence, represented by O. kalfense, from the early late Miocene (MN 10) of Kalfa (Republic of Moldova) (Delinschi, 2014; Čermák, 2016). The type locality of Ochotona (= Proochotona) eximia is Tarakliya, Republic of Moldova (MN 12) (Khomenko, 1914), while its range (as O. eximia or O. cf. eximia) is restricted to the middle Turolian (MN 11-12) (Delinschi, 2014).

Environment/lithology: lacustrine; marl

• The outcrop yielding vertebrate fossils represents a lacustrine deposit that is about 1 m thick (Figure 1B). The accumulation of this deposit may be associated with the continental phase of the so called “Intra-Maeotian Event” (Palcu et al., 2018), followed by a late Maeotian transgression, while the lacustrine sedimentation resumed (Krézsek and Olariu, 2021).

• The vertebrate yielding sediments are represented by brackish-lacustrine clayish-marls that overlay yellow sands (Trif et al., 2021). The top of this succession is represented by a 20-50 cm thick layer of Upper Pleistocene terrace pebble deposit, followed by a 7m loess cover (Figure 1B).

Size class: mesofossils

Collected by VAC, MB in 2018–2020

• samples were obtained from about 4.3 tons of clayish marl sediment, collected by two of the authors (VAC and MB) in four field missions (2018–2020)

Primary reference: V. A. Codrea, M. Bordeianu, and M. Venczel. 2022. Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late Miocene of Fălciu (Eastern Romania). Palaeontologica Electronica 25(2):a19 [J. Head/G. Varnham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 230516: authorized by Jason Head, entered by Grace Varnham on 29.06.2023

Creative Commons license: CC0 (CC0)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

Amphibia
Caudata - Urodela	Triturus sp., Chelotriton sp. Triturus sp. Rafinesque 1815 newt . UBB V 941 one fragmentary atlas; UBB V 942/1-3 two fragmentary presacral vertebrae, one caudal vertebra; UBB V 943/1-2 one proximal part of a femur, one fragmentary distal femur Chelotriton sp. Pomel 1853 newt UBB V 940/1-2 one fragmentary frontal, one fragmentary dentary; UBB V 939 one left oticooccipital; UBB V 938/1-4 three fragmentary presacral vertebrae, one fragmentary rib
Salientia - Discoglossidae	Latonia sp. Latonia sp. von Meyer 1843 painted frog UBB V 944/1-2 two fragmentary ilia
Salientia - Bufonidae	Bufotes cf. viridis Bufotes cf. viridis Laurenti 1768 toad UBB V 948 one squamosal; UBB V 949/ 1-2 two fragmentary presacral vertebrae; UBB V 950/1-3 two fragmentary sacral vertebrae, one fragmentary urostyle; UBB V 951/1-10 ten humeri; UBB V 952/1-6 six ilia.
Salientia - Ranidae	Pelophylax sp. Pelophylax sp. Fitzinger 1843 frog UBB V 953/1-2 two fragmentary frontoparietals; UBB V 954/1-2 one premaxilla, oneangulosplenial; UBB V 955/1-2 two humeri; UBB V 956 one fragmentary ilium.
Salientia - Pelobatidae	Pelobates sp. Pelobates sp. Wagler 1830 spadefoot toad UBB V 945/1-2 one premaxilla, one frontoparietal fragment; UBB V 946/1-2 two fragmentary maxillae; UBB V 947 one fragmentary presacral vertebra.
Reptilia
Squamata -	Scolecophidia indet. Scolecophidia indet. snake UBB V 965/1-2 two fragmentary vertebrae.
Squamata - Elapidae	Naja cf. romani Naja cf. romani Hoffstetter 1939 cobra UBB V 969 one venom fang; UBB V 970/ 1-5 four presacral vertebrae, one caudal vertebra.
Squamata - Colubridae	Colubridae indet. Colubridae indet. Oppel 1811 colubrid snake UBB V 968/1-3 three fragmentary vertebrae.
Squamata - Natricidae	Natrix sp. Natrix sp. Laurenti 1768 water snake UBB V 966/1-25 25 vertebrae, UBB V 967/1-5 five vertebrae.
Squamata - Lacertidae	Lacertidae "indet. 1", Lacertidae "indet. 2" Lacertidae "indet. 1" Bonaparte 1831 squamates UBB V 957/1-4 one fragmentary maxilla, three fragmentary dentaries; UBB V 958 one dentary Lacertidae "indet. 2" Bonaparte 1831 squamates UBB V 959/1-4 one fragmentary frontal, one fragmentary postorbital, two fragmentary dentaries.
Squamata - Anguidae	Anguinae "indet. 1", Anguinae "indet. 2" Anguinae "indet. 1" Gray 1825 squamates UBB V 964/1-3 one vertebra, two osteoderms. Anguinae "indet. 2" Gray 1825 squamates UBB V 960/1-4 one fragmentary maxilla, three fragmentary dentaries; UBB V 961/1-10 eight fragmentary presacral vertebrae, two fragmentary caudal vertebrae; UBB V 962/1-4 two vertebrae; two osteoderms; UBB V 963, 200 osteoderms.