PBDB Collection

Grube Messel pit (Karlsruhe 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

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

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

• lower Middle Eocene, lower-most Geiseltalian, Mammal Paleogene level 11

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: crater lake; lithified, carbonaceous claystone

• Oil shale

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: adpression, soft parts

Collection methods: surface (in situ),

• Repository: LNK (Landessammlungen fur Naturkunde Karlsruhe)

Primary reference: H. Lutz. 1986. Eine neue Unterfamilie der Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) aus dem mittel-eozänen Ölschiefer der "Grube Messel" bei Darmstadt (Deutschland, S-Hessen). Senckenbergiana Lethaea 67:177-218 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 138656: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 24.01.2013, edited by Matthew Carrano

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

Insecta
Hymenoptera - Formicidae	"Formicium simillimum" = Titanomyrma simillima, "Formicium giganteum" = Titanomyrma gigantea "Formicium simillimum" = Titanomyrma simillima Lutz 1986 ant "Formicium giganteum" = Titanomyrma gigantea Lutz 1986 ant
Dicondylia -	Phasmatodea indet.² Phasmatodea indet.² Jacobson and Bianchi 1902 stick insect
Reptilia
Testudines -	Borkenia aff. oschkinisi¹, "Ocadia kehreri" = Euroemys kehreri¹ Borkenia aff. oschkinisi¹ Schleich 1994 turtle LNK-395 "Ocadia kehreri" = Euroemys kehreri¹ Staesche 1928 turtle LNK-Me-sans numéro (Pl. 3, Fig. G)
Aves
Neornithes - Gracilitarsidae	Gracilitarsus mirabilis n. gen. n. sp.⁵ Gracilitarsus mirabilis n. gen. n. sp.⁵ Mayr 1998 bird type (SMNK-Me 1085) and referred specimens from "Messel"
Coliiformes - Coliidae	Selmes absurdipes⁸ Selmes absurdipes⁸ Peters 1999 mousebird Landessammlungen fur Naturkunde Karlsruhe, ME 313
Coraciiformes -	Eocoracias brachyptera n. gen. n. sp.⁶, Primobucco perneri n. sp.⁷ Eocoracias brachyptera n. gen. n. sp.⁶ Mayr and Mourer-Chauviré 2000 bird from "Messel": type in the SMNK collection Primobucco perneri n. sp.⁷ Mayr and Mourer-Chauviré 2004 bird from "Messel": type in the SMNK collection
Upupiformes - Messelirrisoridae	Messelirrisor grandis n. sp.⁴ Messelirrisor grandis n. sp.⁴ Mayr 2000 bird from "Messel": type in the SMNK collection
Strisores
Podargiformes -	Masillapodargus longipes n. gen. n. sp.³ Masillapodargus longipes n. gen. n. sp.³ Mayr 1999 SMNK.PAL.1083

¹Hervet 2004; ²Lutz 1990; ³Mayr 1999; ⁴Mayr 2000; ⁵Mayr 2001; ⁶Mayr and Mourer-Chauviré 2000; ⁷Mayr and Mourer-Chauviré 2004; ⁸Peters 1999