Oppenheim/Nierstein quarry (Miocene of Germany)

Where: Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (49.9° N, 8.3° E: paleocoordinates 49.9° N, 6.1° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Rüssingen Formation, Aquitanian (23.0 - 20.4 Ma)

• The snake fangs are said to come from the early Miocene (Aquitanian) inflata-beds. (Kuch et al., 2006). This horizon is called Rüssingen Formation according to Stratigraphische Tabelle von Deutschland 2002.

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - large; marl and limestone

• Berger et al. (2005, Int. J. Earth. Sci. 94(4), 711-731) describe the Rüssingen Formation as brackish-lacustrine marls and limestones.

•The Mainz Basin is part of the Upper Rhine Graben rift basin.

Size class: mesofossils

Primary reference: U. Kuch, J. Müller, C. Mödden and D. Mebs. 2006. Snake fangs from the Lower Miocene of Germany: evolutionary stability of perfect weapons. Naturwissenschaften 93(2):84-87 [J. Mueller/T. Liebrecht]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 135772: authorized by Johannes Mueller, entered by Torsten Liebrecht on 08.11.2012

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• total number of snake fangs: 33
Reptilia
 Squamata - Gekkonidae
Euleptes sp. Fitzinger 1843 gecko
34 dentaries, 14 maxillae, and 4 premaxillae
 Squamata - Viperidae
Viperidae indet. Oppel 1811 viper
fangs
 Squamata - Elapidae
Elapidae indet. Boié 1827 snake
fangs