Grube Messel Pit (Museum Darmstadt Collection) (Eocene of Germany)

Where: Hessen, Germany (49.9° N, 8.8° E: paleocoordinates 46.9° N, 4.8° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Messel Formation, MP 11 (48.6 - 40.4 Ma)

• "lower Middle Eocene, lower-most Geiseltalian, Mammal Paleogene level 11… .575 to .77 m above local stratigraphic marker Alpha."

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: crater lake; lithified claystone

• "A drilling project conducted in 2001 showed that the former Lake Messel was a maar lake, which is a small deep lake that had its origin in an explosive volcanic eruption. The former lake basin had an original diameter of about 1.5 km, and a depth of about 300–400 m (Harms, 2002; Felder & Harms, 2004)."
• "The fossils are embedded in darkly coloured, finely laminated claystone sediments rich in organic substances (‘oil shale’), which were deposited in a meromictic lake (e.g. Goth, 1990)."

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: adpression, soft parts

Collection methods: quarrying,

Primary reference: F. Meunier. 1921. Die Insektenreste aus dem Lutetien von Messel bei Darmstadt. Abhandlungen der Hessischen geologischen Landesanstalt zu Darmstadt 7:2-15 [M. Clapham/J. Karr]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 120036: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Jered Karr on 06.11.2011, edited by Matthew Carrano and Matthew Clapham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Reptilia
 Loricata -
Bergisuchus dietrichbergi n. gen. n. sp.10
Bergisuchus dietrichbergi n. gen. n. sp.10 Kuhn 1968 crocodilian
HLMD-Me 7003 - holotype (anterior part of a left lower jaw and a snout fragment, both from one individual)
 Crocodylia -
Hassiacosuchus haupti n. gen. n. sp.14
Hassiacosuchus haupti n. gen. n. sp.14 Weitzel 1935 crocodilian
Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Nr. 4415
 Crocodylia - Alligatoridae
Alligator darwini n. sp.1 Ludwig 1877 alligator
HLMD-Me 7492 - holotype (complete skeleton)
 Crocodylia -
"Baryphracta deponiae" = Diplocynodon deponiae3
"Baryphracta deponiae" = Diplocynodon deponiae3 Frey et al. 1987 crocodilian
HLMD Me 7496 (exposing the dorsal side); HLMD Me 8080 (exposing the right lateral [slightly] and ventral sides);
 Crocodylia - Gavialidae
"Tomistomidae indet." = Tomistominae12
"Tomistomidae indet." = Tomistominae12 Eastman 1902 crocodilian
HLMD-Me 5589 (fragment of right mandible), 5591+5592 (partial left mandible) & 5593 (fragment of right mandible)
 Loricata -
Pristichampsus rollinatii11 crocodilian
HLMD-Me 5671
Aves
 Apodiformes - Jungornithidae
Parargornis messelensis n. gen. n. sp.8
Parargornis messelensis n. gen. n. sp.8 Mayr 2003 swift
from "Messel": HLMD collection
 Neornithes -
Perplexicervix microcephalon9 Mayr 2010 bird
referred specimen in the HLMD
Reptilia
 Testudines -
"Ocadia kehreri" = Euroemys kehreri5, "Ocadia messeliana n. sp." = Francellia messeliana5
"Ocadia kehreri" = Euroemys kehreri5 Staesche 1928 turtle
coll. HLD-Me : 15033, 148, 7229, 8877, 8051, Be-139, Be-142, 15562, 14749, Be-157; HLD-Me-1452 originally referred to Ocadia messeliana by Staesche 1928
"Ocadia messeliana n. sp." = Francellia messeliana5 Staesche 1928 turtle
Type HLD-Me-1444. Additional material HLD-Me 10477, 7960, 15011
 Testudines - Testudinidae
? Juvemys sp.5 Hervet 2003 turtle
HLD Me 7448
 Testudines - Carettochelyidae
"Anosteira crassesculpta n. sp." = Allaeochelys crassesculpta4
"Anosteira crassesculpta n. sp." = Allaeochelys crassesculpta4 Harrassowitz 1922 turtle
HLMD 1461
Insecta
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
"Formicium giganteum" = Titanomyrma gigantea7, "Formicium simillimum" = Titanomyrma simillima7
"Formicium giganteum" = Titanomyrma gigantea7 Lutz 1986 ant
Me 7194
"Formicium simillimum" = Titanomyrma simillima7 Lutz 1986 ant
Me 590
 Coleoptera - Elateridae
"Ancylochira minuta n. sp." = Macropunctum minutum, "Ancylochira prompta n. sp." = Macropunctum promptum
"Ancylochira minuta n. sp." = Macropunctum minutum Meunier 1921 click beetle
HLMD Me 1206, 1276, 1124
"Ancylochira prompta n. sp." = Macropunctum promptum Meunier 1921 click beetle
 Coleoptera - Buprestidae
Ancylochira eocaenica n. sp. Meunier 1921 jewel beetle
HLMD Me 1082, 937, 1225, 1338, 593, 1182, 4090, 1393, 925, 927
Ancylochira agilis n. sp. Meunier 1921 jewel beetle
Eurythyrea sp. Dejean 1833 jewel beetle
Sphenoptera eocaenica n. sp. Meunier 1921 metallic wood-boring beetle
Sphenoptera metallica n. sp. Meunier 1921 metallic wood-boring beetle
Perotis messelensis n. sp. Meunier 1921 jewel beetle
 Coleoptera - Trogossitidae
Trogossita eocaenica n. sp. Meunier 1921 bark gnawing beetle
 Coleoptera - Chrysomelidae
"Lina titana n. sp." = Chrysomela titana
"Lina titana n. sp." = Chrysomela titana Meunier 1921 leaf beetle
 Coleoptera - Geotrupidae
Geotrupes messelensis n. sp. Meunier 1921 earth-boring dung beetle
 Coleoptera - Hydrophilidae
Hydrophilus sp.2 Geoffroy 1762 water scavenger beetle
HLMD Me 11596
Hydrobiomorpha eopalpalis2 Fikáček et al. 2010 water scavenger beetle
HLMD Me 14729
 Blattodea - Blattidae
Blattidae indet. Latreille 1810 cockroach
Periplaneta eocaenica n. sp. Meunier 1921 cockroach
Periplaneta relicta n. sp. Meunier 1921 cockroach
 Hemiptera - Reduviidae
Amphibolus disponsi n. sp.6 Kinzelbach 1970 assassin bug
HLMD Me 7424
 Hemiptera - Cydnidae
Cydnopsis meunieri n. sp.6 Kinzelbach 1970 burrowing bug
Cydnopsis nana n. sp.6 Kinzelbach 1970 burrowing bug
 Hemiptera - Lygaeidae
Lygaeidae indet.6 Schilling 1829 milkweed bug
HLMD Me 7425, 7410
 Hemiptera -
Fulgoroidea indet.13 Latreille 1807 planthopper
HLMD-Me-13412
 Hemiptera - Lophopidae
Baninus thuringiorum n. gen. n. sp.13
Baninus thuringiorum n. gen. n. sp.13 Szwedo and Wappler 2006 planthopper
HLMD-Me-13162
 Hemiptera - Eurybrachidae
Amalaberga ostrogothiorum n. gen. n. sp.13
Amalaberga ostrogothiorum n. gen. n. sp.13 Szwedo and Wappler 2006 planthopper
HLMD-Me-13193
  -
Gymnopleurus eocaenicus n. sp. Meunier 1921 insect