Merkur-North: Orleanian, Czech Republic
collected by Z. Dvořák, O. Fejfar 1980-1990

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Mammalia - Rodentia - Eomyidae
Megapeomys lavocati n. gen., n. sp. Fejfar et al. 1998
Fejfar et al. 1998
Mammalia - Erinaceidae
Galerix aurelianensis Ziegler 1990
van den Hoek Ostende and Fejfar 2006
Mammalia - Talpidae
Talpini indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817
van den Hoek Ostende and Fejfar 2006
spelled with current rank as Talpidae
Mygalea magna Ziegler 1990
van den Hoek Ostende and Fejfar 2006
Desmanella gudrunae n. sp. van den Hoek Ostende and Fejfar 2006
van den Hoek Ostende and Fejfar 2006
Talpa tenuidentata Ziegler 1990
van den Hoek Ostende and Fejfar 2006
Myxomygale minor Ziegler 1990
van den Hoek Ostende and Fejfar 2006
recombined as Percymygale minor
Reptilia - Boidae
14 specimens
Reptilia - Elapidae
Elapidae indet. Boié 1827
9 specimens
Reptilia - Crotalidae
Vipera sp. Laurenti 1768
3 specimens
Reptilia - Colubridae
Natricinae indet. Bonaparte 1838
83 specimens
Colubrinae indet. Oppel 1811
11 specimens
Coluber caspioides Szyndlar and Schleich 1993
140 specimens
Coluber suevicus (Fraas 1870)
22 specimens
Coluber dolnicensis Szyndlar 1987
52 specimens
cf. Elaphe sp. Wagler 1833
51 specimens
Natrix sansaniensis
26 specimens
Natrix merkurensis n. sp. Ivanov 2002
229 specimens
Reptilia
Blanus thomaskelleri Cernansky et al. 2015
Cernansky et al. 2015 1 element
Ah 771 SGDB, a left dentary (identified as Blanus sp. by Cernansky & Venczel, 2011 S. 75 fig. 2)
Reptilia - Cordylidae
? Cordylidae indet. Gray 1837
Čerňanský 2012 1 specimen
Ah-939 SGDB, left maxilla
aff. Palaeocordylus bohemicus Roček 1984
Čerňanský 2012 1 specimen
Ah-1088 SGDB, right dentary
Reptilia
Merkurosaurus ornatus n. gen., n. sp. Klembara 2008
Klembara 2008 159 elements
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)
Reptilia - Anguidae
Anguinae informal morphotype 1
Klembara 2015 21 specimens
NMP Pb 01856, Pb 01871, Pb 02036, NMP Pv 10206–10208, maxillae; NMP Pb 02048, NMP Pv 10087–10100, dentaries
Anguinae informal morphotype 2
Klembara 2015 2 specimens
NMP Pv 10043, maxilla; NMP Pb 02049, dentary
Anguinae informal morphotype 3
Klembara 2015 44 specimens
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 informal morphotype 4
Klembara 2015 6 specimens
NMP Pb 02043, NMP Pv 10067–10070, DP FNSP 4700, pterygoids
Anguinae informal morphotype 5
Klembara 2015 1 specimen
NMP Pb 02041, fused articular, prearticular and surangular
Anguinae informal morphotype 6
Klembara 2015 1 specimen
NMP Pb 02042, fused articular, prearticular, surangular and angular
Ophisaurus informal sp. 1 Daudin 1803
Klembara 2015 4 specimens
NMP Pv 10024–10027, frontals
Ophisaurus informal sp. 2 Daudin 1803
Klembara 2015 1 specimen
NMP Pb 01872, frontal
Ophisaurus holeci n. sp. Klembara 2015
Klembara 2015 19 specimens
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
Ophisaurus spinari Klembara 1979
Klembara 2015 1 specimen
NMP Pv 10019, parietal
Pseudopus ahnikoviensis n. sp. Klembara 2012
Klembara 2012 25 elements
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)
Pseudopus rugosus n. sp. Klembara 2015
Klembara 2015 2 specimens
NMP Pv 10028 (holotype), frontal; NMP Pv 10006, parietal
    = Pseudopus confertus n. sp. Klembara and Rummel 2018
Klembara and Rummel 2018
Same specimens as above; new name
Reptilia - Chamaeleonidae
Chamaeleo caroliquarti Moody and Roček 1980
Čerňanský 2010 14 specimens
nomen dubium belonging to Chamaeleo
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)
Reptilia - Gekkonidae
Euleptes gallica Müller 2001
Čerňanský and Bauer 2010 4 specimens
Ah-875 SGDB, right dentary; Ah-931 SGDB, 932 SGDB, 933 SGDB, left maxillae
Reptilia
Lazarussuchus dvoraki n. gen., n. sp. Evans and Klembara 2005
Evans and Klembara 2005 28 specimens
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
Diplocynodon cf. ratelii Pomel 1847
Chroust et al. 2021
NMP Pv 11603-11605, 11607-11615, 11619, 11650-11657 (previously mentioned as Diplocynodon sp. and Diplocynodon cf. darwini)
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Albanerpetontidae
Albanerpeton cf. inexpectatum Estes and Hoffstetter 1976
Cernansky 2010 6 specimens
Ah-983 SGDB, Ah-984 SGDB, Ah-495 SGDB, Ah-986 SGDB, Ah-987 SGDB, Ah-982 SGDB
    = Albanerpeton inexpectatum Estes and Hoffstetter 1976
Gardner and Böhme 2008
see common names

Geography
Country:Czech Republic State/province:Ústí nad Labem County:Chomutov
Coordinates: 50.4° North, 13.4° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:50.6° North, 11.6° East
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period:Neogene Epoch:Miocene
Stage:Burdigalian 10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 5
Key time interval:Orleanian
Age range of interval:20.00000 - 15.98000 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Most
Stratigraphic resolution:group of beds
Stratigraphy comments: from the "Main Brown Coal Seam," Eggenburgian, early Orleanium, zone MN3a
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:gray calcareous marl
Secondary lithology:brown coal
Includes fossils?Y
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: “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)”
Environment:fluvial-lacustrine indet. Tectonic setting:rift
Geology comments: 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).
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Degree of concentration:concentrated
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Preservation of anatomical detail:good
Disassociated major elements:all
Spatial resolution:parautochthonous
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:selective quarrying,surface (in situ),chemical,mechanical,sieve,field collection,survey of museum collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collectors:Z. Dvořák, O. Fejfar Collection dates:1980s-1990s
Metadata
Also known as:Ahníkov I; Ahnikov I
Database number:48173
Authorizer:J. Head, J. Mueller, P. Barrett, P. Mannion, T. Cleary, M. Carrano, L. van den Hoek Ostende Enterer:J. Head, T. Liebrecht, P. Mannion, M. Carrano, L. van den Hoek Ostende, T. Cleary
Modifier:M. Carrano Research group:vertebrate
Created:2005-03-15 13:38:31 Last modified:2021-07-14 11:13:06
Access level:the public Released:2005-03-15 13:38:31
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
12904. 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]

Secondary references:

47095 A. Cernansky. 2010. Albanerpetontid amphibian (Lissamphibia: Albanerpetontidae) from the Early Miocene of the locality Merkur-North (north-west of the Czech Republic): data and a description of a new material. Acta Geologica Slovaca 2(2):113-116 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
67866 A. Čerňanský. 2010. A revision of chamaeleonids from the Lower Miocene of the Czech Republic with description of a new species of Chamaeleo (Squamata, Chamaeleonidae). Geobios 43:605-613 [T. Cleary/T. Cleary]
67876 A. Čerňanský. 2012. The oldest known European Neogene girdled lizard fauna (Squamata, Cordylidae), with comments on Early Miocene immigration of African taxa. Geodiversitas 34(4):837-848 [T. Cleary/T. Cleary]
67883 A. Čerňanský and A. M. Bauer. 2010. Euleptes gallica Müller (Squamata: Gekkota: Sphaerodactylidae) from the Lower Miocene of North-West Bohemia, Czech Republic. Folia Zoologica 59(4):323-328 [T. Cleary/T. Cleary]
54643 A. Cernansky, J. C. Rage, and J. Klembara. 2015. The Early Miocene squamates of Amöneburg (Germany): the first stages of modern squamates in Europe. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 13(2):97-128 [J. Mueller/T. Liebrecht]
75563 M. Chroust, M. Mazuch, M. Ivanov, B. Ekrt, and A. H. Luján. 2021. First remains of Diplocynodon cf. ratelii from the early Miocene sites of Ahníkov (Most Basin, Czech Republic). Bulletin of Geosciences 96(2):123-138 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
59595 J. D. Daza, A. M. Bauer, and E. D. Snively. 2014. On the fossil record of the Gekkota. The Anatomical Record 297:433-462 [P. Barrett/T. Cleary]
66115 S. E. Evans and J. Klembara. 2005. A choristoderan reptile (Reptilia: Diapsida) from the Lower Miocene of Northwest Bohemia (Czech Republic). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25(1):171-184 [G. Lloyd/G. Lloyd]
19825 O. Fejfar, M. Rummel, and Y. Tomida. 1998. New eomyid genus and species from the Early Miocene (MN-zones 3-4) of Europe and Japan related to Apeomys (Eomyidae, Rodentia, Mammalia). National Science Museum Monographs 14:123-143 [L. van den Hoek Ostende/L. van den Hoek Ostende]
52039 J. D. Gardner and M. Böhme. 2008. Review of the Albanerpetontidae (Lissamphibia), with comments on the paleoecological preferences of European Tertiary albanerpetontids. In J. T. Sankey & S. Baszio (ed.), Vertebrate Microfossil Assemblages: Their Role in Paleoecology and Paleobiogeography 178-218 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
77386 J. D. Gardner, A. Villa, S. Colombero, M. Venczel, and M. Delfino. 2021. A Messinian (latest Miocene) occurrence for Albanerpeton Estes & Hoffstetter, 1976 (Lissamphibia: Albanerpetontidae) at Moncucco Torinese, Piedmont Basin, northwestern Italy, and a review of the European Cenozoic record for albanerpetontids. Geodiversitas 43(14):391-404 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
46988 J. Klembara. 2008. A New Anguimorph Lizard from the Lower Miocene of North-West Bohemia (Czech Republic). Palaeontology 51(1):81-94 [J. Mueller/T. Liebrecht]
54648 J. Klembara. 2012. A new species of Pseudopus (Squamata, Anguidae) from the early Miocene of Northwest Bohemia (Czech Republic). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32(4):854-866 [J. Mueller/T. Liebrecht]
67885 J. Klembara. 2015. New finds of anguines (Squamata, Anguidae) from the Early Miocene of Northwest Bohemia (Czech Republic). Palaeontologische Zeitschrift 89:171-195 [T. Cleary/T. Cleary]
69175 J. Klembara and M. Rummel. 2018. New material of Ophisaurus, Anguis and Pseudopus (Squamata, Anguidae, Anguinae) from the Miocene of the Czech Republic and Germany and systematic revision and palaeobiogeography of the Cenozoic Anguinae. Geological Magazine 155(1):20-44 [T. Cleary/T. Cleary]
19970 L. W. van den Hoek Ostende and O. Fejfar. 2006. Erinaceidae and Talpidae (Erinaceomorpha, Soricomorpha, Mammalia) from the Lower Miocene of Merkur-Nord (Czech Republic, MN 3). Beiträge zur Paläontologie 30:175-203 [L. van den Hoek Ostende/L. van den Hoek Ostende/M. Uhen]