Also known as Sandelzhausen 1, Kiesgrube Bachmaier-Karber; Sandelshausen
Where: Bavaria, Germany (48.6° N, 11.8° E: paleocoordinates 48.9° N, 10.4° E)
• coordinate stated in text
• outcrop-level geographic resolution
When: OSM C mammal zone, Upper Freshwater Molasse Formation (Molasse Group), Langhian (16.0 - 13.8 Ma)
• The fossiliferous bed, which has a mean thickness of about 2.5 m, belongs to the Upper Freshwater Molasse (OSM) informal formation. Its age assigment has slightly changed several times over the past decades. Currently it is regarded as belonging to the OSM unit C (i.e. sedimentary cycle OSM 3), corresponding to the lower part of the Middle Miocene. Studies on several mammal groups have revealed that the locality biochronologically now is unequivocally referrable to the deeper part of MN 5 and not, as earlier thought, to MN6. The absolute age of the locality is about 16 Ma (see Fahlbusch, 2003 and references therein).
•The fossiliferous bed itself is subdivided into 6 (sub)layers (A to F from base to top). However, in almost all cases no particular horizon is specified for a particular fossil or taxon in the paleontological literature.
• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution
Environment/lithology: fluvial-lacustrine; shelly/skeletal, black, brown, gray, green, sandy, conglomeratic marl and unlithified, silty mudstone
•The (sub)layers A to D are composed of greenish-gray to brownish-black, marly conglomerates ("Geröllmergel") with decrease in quantity and size of pebbles from max. 10 cm in the lower part to few mm in the upper part of the fossiliferous bed. (Sub)layer A is partially well cemented by carbonate minerals. The pebbles mainly consist of quartz but also of various crystalline rock and hornfels, and some are flattened limestone pebbles. (Sub)layer C contains a thin lignite lens which, together with its lateral equivalents, served as guide bed dividing the "Untere Geröllmergel" below from the "Obere Geröllmergel" above.
•The (sub)layers A to D are roughly distinguishable from one another throughout the whole gravel pit, however, on a smaller scale rapid (often within few meters) facies changes occur.
•(Sub)layer E is a montmorillonite-rich bed of silty clay.
•The (sub)layers A to E all contain fossils: predominantly vertebrates and gastropod shell debris. (Sub)layer F is devoid of fossils.
•(Sub)layer B partially is characterized by structures which indicate synsedimentary movements such as slumps, but it cannot be ruled out that they may result from bioturbation.
•Almost all (sub)horizons of the fossiliferous bed are characterized by the presence of light grey to yellowish-white limestone concretions of various shape and size. These are the result of different diagenetic phenomena (e.g. subrecent precipitation from descendent meteoric water or early diagenetic processes related to fossil formation) (all informations on geology are from Fahlbusch 2003 and Böhme, 2010).
Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils
• Most body parts found are fragments, such as parts of longbones (mainly the epiphyses) or jaw fragments. More massively built elements such as bones of the carpus and tarsus and isolated teeth are more completely preserved. Complete longbones or jaws of mammals are less common and articulated partial or whole skeletons are practically absent.
Collected by BSPG in 1969-1975, 1994-2001; reposited in the BSP
Collection methods: bulk, surface (float), mechanical, acetic, sieve,
• The fossil locality was discovered in 1959 by Richard Dehm (director of the BSPG at the time). After getting positive results from samples taken in 1962 systematic excavations including screenwashing took place from 1969 to 1975 (several weeks per year). In 1994 a second excavation period started which ended in 2001. During both periods a total of 1500 m3 has been quarried, accompanied by 150 t of screenwashed sediment (Fahlbusch, 2003). It should be noted, that amount of screenwashed samples varies between the (sub)layers and cannot be reconstructed (Böhme, 2010).
•Almost all of the material is housed in the BSPG, bearing the catalogue signature BSPG 1959 II.
Primary reference: N. Schmidt-Kittler. 1972. Die obermiozäne Fossil-Lagerstätte Sandelzhausen. 6. Proboscidea (Mammalia). Mitteilungen der Bayerischen Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Histor. Geologie 12:83-95 [J. Hunter/M. Hall/T. Liebrecht]more details
Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis
PaleoDB collection 34615: authorized by John Hunter, entered by Meg Hall on 12.09.2003, edited by Torsten Liebrecht, David Nicholson, Philip Mannion, Patricia Holroyd, Evangelos Vlachos, Terri Cleary and Matthew Clapham
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list
•Note: Occurence of Eumyarion bifidus reported by Heißig (1989) has been removed from the list due to duplicate (alternative combination of Cotimus bifidus). (TL)
| Mammalia | |
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Zygolophodon turicensis Schintz 1824 mastodon | |
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Democricetodon aff. schaubi3, Democricetodon affinis3, Democricetodon minor3, "Cotimus bifidus n. sp." = Eumyarion bifidus3
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| Reptilia | |
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"Diplocynodon styriacus" = Diplocynodon ungeri2 Prangner 1845 crocodilian 1 fragment of dentary ("Dentale-Fragment 1" BSPG 1959 II 417)
"Diplocynodon styriacus" = Diplocynodon ungeri2 Prangner 1845 crocodilian 2 fragmentary dentaries ("Dentale-Fragment 2" BSPG 1959 II 418, "Dentale-Fragment 3" BSPG 1959 II 419) and 96 isolated teeth (BSPG 1959 II 427 to 435)
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| Aves | |
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| Reptilia | |
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Bavaricordylus cf. molassicus2 Böhme 2010 spinytail lizard 2 maxillary fragments, 2 dentary fragments, 2 isolated dentary teeth
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Tropidophorus bavaricus n. sp.2 Böhme 2010 skink 1 dentary with 12 tooth positions (= holotype, BSPG 1959 II 16395), 3 dentary fragments
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Anguidae "indet. sp. nov."2, Pseudopus laurillardi2, Ophisaurus sp.2, Ophisaurus "sp. I sensu Roček, 1984"2, cf. Ophisaurus cf. spinari2
Pseudopus laurillardi2 Lartet 1851 legless lizard 5 skull bones, 4 dentaries/fragments, 7 vertebrae, 1 isolated tooth, several osteoderms
Ophisaurus sp.2 Daudin 1803 glass lizard 13 skull bones/bone fragments, 10 dentaries/fragments + 2 further jaw fragments, 4 vertebrae, several osteoderms
Ophisaurus "sp. I sensu Roček, 1984"2 Daudin 1803 glass lizard 4(?) dentary fragments, 6 maxilla fragments
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Edlartetia sansaniensis2, Lacerta "sp. 1"2, Lacerta "sp. 2"2, Lacerta "sp. 3"2, cf. Miolacerta tenuis2
Lacerta "sp. 2"2 Linnaeus 1758 squamates "Lacerta sensu lato", 1 dentary + 7 fragments, 1 maxilla + 1 fragment
Lacerta "sp. 3"2 Linnaeus 1758 squamates "Lacerta sensu lato", 1 dentary + 14 fragments + 2 jaw fragments, 1 maxilla + 3 fragments
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Chamaeleo bavaricus n. sp.13 Schleich 1983 chameleon 1 dentary fragment (=holotype, BSPG 1959 II 2066), 3 maxilla fragments (reported by Böhme, 2010)
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Vipera sp.15 Laurenti 1768 pit viper "Oriental viper" (contrastingly, Szyndlar & Rage, 2002, ref no. 43793, list the Vipera sp. from Sandelzhausen as a member of the "aspis complex"), 19 vertebrae and >50 isolated venom fangs
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"Colubrinae" indet.15, ? Telescopus sp.15, "Coluber" sp.15, Natrix sp.15, cf. Natrix sp.15, "Natricinae" indet.15, cf. Neonatrix sp.15
"Colubrinae" indet.15 Oppel 1811 colubrid snake 10 trunk vertebrae and 2 maxillary fragments, "tiny"
"Coluber" sp.15 Linnaeus 1758 racer 65 trunk vertebrae + 1 maxillary fragment; the quotation marks are due to the fact that the author consciously uses the somewhat older concept of the genus (extant "colubrine" snakes by now assigned to the genera Hemorrhois, Hierophis, and Platyceps)
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| Amphibia | |
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Latonia gigantea2 Lartet 1851 frog 42 maxillae and several other skull bones, 12 ilia and several further postcrania
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Bufo cf. viridis2 Laurenti 1768 European green toad 1 braincase, 6 ilia, 3 sacral vertebrae + 1 urostyle
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Ranidae "indet. nov. gen. et sp."2 Rafinesque 1814 frog 1 maxilla fragment, 1 ilium, 9 terminal phalanges
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Pelobates fahlbuschi n. sp.2 Böhme 2010 spadefoot toad >1026 skull bones/bone fragments, 1 prearticular, 22 ilia, 29 vertebra + 1 urostyle
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Triturus cf. vulgaris2 Linnaeus 1758 smooth newt 285 vertebrae, several cranial and postcranial remains
Triturus cf. marmoratus2 Latreille 1800 marbled newt 3 occipital bones, 198 vertebrae, several cranial and postcranial remains
Chelotriton sp.2 Pomel 1853 newt 11 skull bones/bone fragments, 6 dentaries, 26 vertebrae, several ribs
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Albanerpeton inexpectatum2 Estes and Hoffstetter 1976 tetrapod 4 skull bones, 2 dentaries, 2 vertebrae
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| Actinopteri | |
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Palaeoleuciscus "sp. A"2 Obrhelová 1969 carp-like fish = P. sp. A sensu Böhme (2002, Beitr. Paläont. 27); 9 isolated pharyngeal teeth, 17 fragments of pharyngeal bone with attached teeth, 1 operculum fragment, 6 first vertebrae
Palaeocarassius "sp. A"2 Obrhelová 1970 carp-like fish 1659 isolated pharyngeal teeth, 1 pharyngeal bone, 13 serrated fin spines, 85 first vertebrae
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Channa elliptica2 von Salis 1967 snakehead 68 vertebrae, 5 pharyngobranchial fragments, 1 premaxilla, 1 dentary fragment, >70 isolated teeth
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| Gastropoda | |
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Planorbarius cornu12, Ferrissia deperdita12, "Gyraulus dealbatus" = Gyraulus applanatus12, Gyraulus albertanus12
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Carychium (Carychiella) eumicron11 Bourguignat 1857 snail Carychium eumicron peneckei in Gall (1972); Carychium sp. 3 in Moser et al. (2009)
Carychium (Carychium) galli n. sp.11 Salvador 2015 snail Carychium nouleti nouleti and gibbum in Gall (1972); C. sp. 1 and 2 in Moser et al. (2009)
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"Tropidomphalus cf. incrassatus" = Pseudochloritis incrassata9
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Testacella zellii9 Klein 1853 slug Testacella larteti larteti in Gall (1972); Testacella sp. in Moser et al. (2009)
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Granaria sp.11 Held 1837 slug Napaeus? sp. (in part) in Gall (1972); Granaria sp. 2 and ?Chondrinidae/?Enidae in Moser et al. (2009)
Granaria cf. grossecostata11 Gottschick and Wenz 1919 slug Napaeus? sp. (in part) in Gall (1972); Granaria sp. 1 in Moser et al. (2009)
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Strobilops sp.11 Pilsbry 1893 slug Discus (Discus) pleuradra in Gall (1972); Strobilops (Strobilops) and S. (Discostrobilops) sp. in Moser et al. (2009)
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| Bivalvia | |
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