Merkur-North (Miocene of Czech Republic)
Also known as Ahníkov I; Ahnikov I
Where: Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic (50.4° N, 13.4° E: paleocoordinates 50.6° N, 11.6° E)
• coordinate stated in text
• outcrop-level geographic resolution
When: Most Formation, Orleanian (20.0 - 16.0 Ma)
• from the "Main Brown Coal Seam," Eggenburgian, early Orleanium, zone MN3a
• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution
Environment/lithology: fluvial-lacustrine; gray, calcareous marl and brown coal
• The locality is situated in the Most Basin which, in turn, is part of the Krušné Hory Graben (Ohře Graben, German: Eger-Graben) belonging to the European Cenozoic Rift System (for further details see, e.g., Kvaček et al., 2004, J. Czech Geol. Soc. 49/1-2, 1-40).
• “The fossiliferous grey calcareous marls were found underlying and at the base of the so called ‘Main Brown Coal Seam’. This seam was recorded about 1890 in the under-ground brown coal mines Marianna and Prokopi at Skyrice. Grey marls in the Merkur-North, thought to be reworked volcanic ash, produced a rich fauna of limnic and terrestrial molluscs, plants, mammals (Fejfar and Kvacek 1993; Fejfar, Engesser, and Tomida, 1997; Fejfar, Heizmann, and Major 1997; Fejfar, Rummel, and Tomida 1998), amphibians and reptiles (Vejvalka 1997; Ivanov 1997a). The fossiliferous layer was first recovered in boreholes in the outlying area of Chomutov (Ctyroky, Fejfar, and Holy 1962). Since 1980s the layer was found in several different sections in the opencast mine Merkur-North. In the roof of the grey calcareous marls, layers with a rich fauna of cyprinid fishes was recorded in the Most area (Obrhelová 1970, 1971). (pg. 513)”
Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils
Collected by Z. Dvořák, O. Fejfar in the 1980s-1990s
Collection methods: quarrying, surface (in situ), chemical, mechanical, sieve,
Primary reference: M. Ivanov. 2002. The oldest known Miocene snake fauna from Central Europe: Merkur-North locality, Czech Republic. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 47(3):513-534 [J. Head/J. Head/J. Head]more details
Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis
PaleoDB collection 48173: authorized by Jason Head, entered by Jason Head on 15.03.2005, edited by Torsten Liebrecht, Lars van den Hoek Ostende, Terri Cleary, Matthew Carrano and Philip Mannion
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list
Show authors, comments, and common names
| Amphibia | |
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Albanerpeton inexpectatum8 Estes and Hoffstetter 1976 tetrapod Ah-983 SGDB, Ah-984 SGDB, Ah-495 SGDB, Ah-986 SGDB, Ah-987 SGDB, Ah-982 SGDB
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| Mammalia | |
Megapeomys lavocati n. gen. n. sp.7
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"Talpini indet." = Talpidae13, Talpa tenuidentata13, "Myxomygale minor" = Percymygale minor13, Mygalea magna13, Desmanella gudrunae n. sp.13
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| Reptilia | |
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Diplocynodon cf. ratelii5 Pomel 1847 crocodilian NMP Pv 11603-11605, 11607-11615, 11619, 11650-11657 (previously mentioned as Diplocynodon sp. and Diplocynodon cf. darwini)
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Lazarussuchus dvoraki n. gen. n. sp.6
Lazarussuchus dvoraki n. gen. n. sp.6 Evans and Klembara 2005 choristodere Ah 856 SGDB, Ah 950 SGDB, Ah 960-962 SGDB, Ah 975-977 SGDB, Ah 981 SGDB, Ah 996 SGDB, Ah 1004 SGDB, Ah 1006-1009 SGDB, Ah 1060-1069 SGDB, Pb 1779-1781
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Blanus thomaskelleri4 Cernansky et al. 2015 worm lizard Ah 771 SGDB, a left dentary (identified as Blanus sp. by Cernansky & Venczel, 2011 S. 75 fig. 2)
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Chamaeleo caroliquarti1 Moody and Roček 1980 chameleon right dentaries (Ah-772 SGDB, 773 SGDB, 845 SGDB, 857 SGDB, 859 SGDB, 860 SGDB, 861 SGDB), left dentaries (Ah- 774 SGDB, 844 SGDB, 846 SGDB, 847 SGDB, 858 SGDB, 862 SGDB, 863 SGDB)
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Colubrinae indet., Coluber caspioides, Coluber dolnicensis, Coluber suevicus, cf. Elaphe sp., Natricinae indet.
Colubrinae indet. Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
Coluber caspioides Szyndlar and Schleich 1993 racer
Coluber dolnicensis Szyndlar 1987 racer
Coluber suevicus Fraas 1870 racer
cf. Elaphe sp. Wagler 1833 colubrid snake
Natricinae indet. Bonaparte 1838 colubrid snake | |
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Natrix sansaniensis Lartet 1851 water snake
Natrix merkurensis n. sp. Ivanov 2002 water snake | |
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Bavarioboa sp. Szyndlar and Schleich 1993 boa | |
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Vipera sp. Laurenti 1768 pit viper | |
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Elapidae indet. Boié 1827 snake | |
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Euleptes gallica3 Müller 2001 gecko Ah-875 SGDB, right dentary; Ah-931 SGDB, 932 SGDB, 933 SGDB, left maxillae
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Merkurosaurus ornatus n. gen. n. sp.9
Merkurosaurus ornatus n. gen. n. sp.9 Klembara 2008 squamates holotype: NMP Pb 02045, a parietal; referred specimens: 4 premaxillae (NMP Pb 01852, Pb 02018; Ah 843 SGDB, 930 SGDB), 19 frontals (NMP Pb 01813, Pb 01820, Pb 01874; Ah 790–815 SGDB), 42 parietals (NMP Pb 01814–01815, Pb 01817–01819, Pb 01867, Pb 02019; Ah 775–789 SGDB, 816–819 SGDB, 823–838 SGDB), 24 maxillae (NMP Pb 01833, Pb 01854, Pb 01919, Pb 01921, Pb 02020; Ah 720–725 SGDB, 989 SGDB, 991–994 SGDB, 1015–1016 SGDB, 1018 SGDB, 1020 SGDB, 1022–1025 SGDB), 11 jugals (NMP Pb 01859; Ah 820–822 SGDB, 1026–1032 SGDB), 6 pterygoids (NMP Pb 02021–02022; Ah 839–842 SGDB). 49 dentaries (NMP Pb 01796, Pb 01823, Pb 01844, Pb 01847, Pb 01850–01851, Pb 01860–01861, Pb 01897, Pb 02023; Ah 747–770 SGDB, 934–938 SGDB, 978–980 SGDB, 995 SGDB, 997–999 SGDB, 1001–1002 SGDB, 1014 SGDB), 4 osteoderms (Ah 716–719 SGDB); several of these specimens have been mentioned as cf. Shinisaurus by Vejvalka (1997, unpubl. PhD-Thesis)
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Anguinae "morphotype 1"11, Anguinae "morphotype 2"11, Anguinae "morphotype 3"11, Anguinae "morphotype 4"11, Anguinae "morphotype 5"11, Anguinae "morphotype 6"11, Pseudopus confertus n. sp.12, Pseudopus ahnikoviensis n. sp.10, Ophisaurus "sp. 1"11, Ophisaurus "sp. 2"11, Ophisaurus holeci n. sp.11, Ophisaurus spinari11
Anguinae "morphotype 1"11 Gray 1825 squamates NMP Pb 01856, Pb 01871, Pb 02036, NMP Pv 10206–10208, maxillae; NMP Pb 02048, NMP Pv 10087–10100, dentaries
Anguinae "morphotype 3"11 Gray 1825 squamates NMP Pb 02035, NMP Pv 10044–10045, premaxillae; NMP Pb 02031–02034, NMP Pb 02037, MP Pv 10031–10042, maxillae; NMP Pb 02038–02040, NMP Pb 02047, NMP Pv 10046–10055, NMP Pv 10056–10064, NMP Pv 10066, dentaries
Anguinae "morphotype 4"11 Gray 1825 squamates NMP Pb 02043, NMP Pv 10067–10070, DP FNSP 4700, pterygoids
Anguinae "morphotype 5"11 Gray 1825 squamates NMP Pb 02041, fused articular, prearticular and surangular
Anguinae "morphotype 6"11 Gray 1825 squamates NMP Pb 02042, fused articular, prearticular, surangular and angular
Pseudopus confertus n. sp.12 Klembara and Rummel 2018 legless lizard NMP Pv 10028 (holotype), frontal; NMP Pv 10006, parietal
Pseudopus ahnikoviensis n. sp.10 Klembara 2012 legless lizard holotype: NMP Pb 02026, a parietal; paratypes: Ah 665–666, two frontals; NMP Pb 02025, Pb 02029, Ah 637–641 SGDB, 643 SGDB, eight parietals; Ah 744–746 SGDB, three palatines; NMP Pb 02044, Ah 709–714 SGDB, seven pterygoids; NMP Pb 02046, Ah 703 SGBD, DP FNSP 1030–1031, four dentaries; several of these specimens have been mentioned as Pseudopus cf. moguntinus by Vejvalka (1997, unpubl. PhD-Thesis)
Ophisaurus holeci n. sp.11 Klembara 2015 glass lizard NMP Pb 02027 (holotype), parietal; NMP Pb 02030, NMP Pv 10020–10023, frontals; NMP Pb 02028, NMP Pv 10008–10018, DP FNSP 1026, parietals. Specimen 1026 was prev. ref'd to O. spinari
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