Where: Burgundy, France (47.0° N, 4.3° E: paleocoordinates 1.0° S, 16.5° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Millery Formation, Gzhelian to Gzhelian (303.7 - 295.5 Ma)

• "Bituminous beds of the ‘Autunian’ series, Autun basin. There was unfortunately no indication of the geographical or stratigraphical provenance on the label found with MNHN.F.AUT 891 or in the registration catalogue when it was originally numbered R-142. However, the preservation state of the specimen, as well as its embedding matrix, are very similar than those of the holotype of Haptodus baylei (MNHN 1884-26-3A and B), therefore suggesting MNHN.F.AUT 891 was collected from the same Millery Formation. Notwithstanding these uncertainties, MNHN.F.AUT 891 can be relatively well dated, thanks to the abundant macro- and microflora produced by the whole ‘Autunian’ series (Moloy to Millery formations) [e.g., Châteauneuf et al., 1992; Broutin et al., 1999]. A similar Autunian flora have indeed been identified in other Peri-Tethyan basins, notably in the Donets basin [Izart, Briand et al., 1998; Broutin in Izart, Vaslet et al., 1998; Stchegolev in Izart, Vaslet et al., 1998] in which the presence of marine interbedding allowed the stratigraphic correlation of the Autunian with the late Gzhelian (= Orenburgian Russian stage) to Asselian interval on the basis of fusulinids and conodonts [Izart, Briand et al., 1998; Izart, Vaslet et al., 1998]. In the Donets basin, the underlying Stephanian ‘C’ is correlated to the early Gzhelian (= Gzhelian sensu stricto Russian stage), but the Stephanian ‘C’/Autunian boundary remains uncertain as long as the Autunian can be defined by either the First Appearance Datum (FAD) or the acme of meso-xerophytic flora [Izart, Vaslet et al., 1998]. In addition, the absence of younger flora precludes the identification of the upper Autunian boundary in the overlying early Sakmarian strata."

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the MNHN

Primary reference: J. Falconnet. 2012. First evidence of a bolosaurid parareptile in France (latest Carboniferous-earliest Permian of the Autun basin) and the spatiotemporal distribution of the Bolosauridae. Bulletin de la Société géologique de France 183(6):495-508 [R. Butler/R. Butler]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 164623: authorized by Richard Butler, entered by Richard Butler on 07.12.2014

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)