Prémontré (Eocene of France)

Also known as Anizy-Le-Château

Where: Picardie, France (49.5° N, 3.4° E: paleocoordinates 45.0° N, 0.7° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: MP 10 (55.8 - 48.6 Ma)

• "La position du niveau à vertébrés dans la série sédimentaire de Prémontré, ainsi que les indications données par quelques mammifères, avaient conduit Dégremont et al. (1985) à proposer un âge Cuisien terminal pour cette faune de Prémontré. Par la suite, Godinot (1987) a placé le gisement dans le niveau-standard MP 10, dont Grauves est la localité de référence, de l'échelle de niveaux de références du Paléogène européen basée sur les mammifères (Schmidt-Kittler, 1987). Ce niveau MP 10 s'accorde avec un âge Cuisien terminal." [The position of the vertebrate-bearing horizon within the sedimentary succession of Prémontré, as well as data provided by some mammal taxa, led Dégremont et al. (1985) to propose a latest Cuisian [i.e. latest Ypresian, Early Eocene; TL] age for this Prémontré fauna. Subsequently, Godinot (1987) placed the site in the standard Paleogene mammal zone MP 10 (Schmidt-Kittler, 1987), of which Grauve is the type locality. The MP 10 interval corresponds to a latest Cuisian age.] (Augé et al., 1997)

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marginal marine; unlithified sandstone

• "Les fossiles proviennent d'un niveau sableux qui a livré des poissons, des amphibiens, des reptiles, des oiseaux et des mammifères. Le niveau fossilifère est surmonté, sans discordance apparente, par des sables glauconieux contenant des mollusques de la transgression lutétienne." [The fossils occur in a sandy horizon that provided fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The fossiliferous horizon is overlain, apparently conformably, by glauconitic sands which contain molluscs of the Lutetian transgression.] (Augé et al., 1997)

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

• The herpetofauna consists entirley of disarticulated material (Augé et al., 1997).

Primary reference: H. Cappetta. 1992. Carcharhiniformes nouveaux (Chondrichthyes, Neoselachii) de l'Ypresien du Bassin de Paris. Geobios 25(2):639-646 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 68440: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Mark Uhen on 22.01.2007, edited by Jason Head, Chris Bell, Torsten Liebrecht, David Nicholson, Terri Cleary and Philip Mannion

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Chondrichthyes
 Carcharhiniformes - Scyliorhinidae
Premontreia degremonti n. gen. n. sp.
Premontreia degremonti n. gen. n. sp. Cappetta 1992 cat shark
Amphibia
 Salientia - Palaeobatrachidae
Palaeobatrachidae indet.3 Cope 1865 frog
 Salientia - Discoglossidae
? Discoglossidae indet.3 Günther 1859 painted frog
 Salientia - Leptodactylidae
? Leptodactylidae indet.3 Stirton 1953 frog
 Salientia - Pelobatidae
Pelobatidae indet.3 Lataste 1879 spadefoot toad
 Caudata - Urodela
Salamandridae indet.3 Gray 1825 newt
cf. Triturus sp.3 Rafinesque 1815 newt
Mammalia
 Primates - Paromomyidae
Arcius lapparenti7 Russell et al. 1967 primate
 Primates - Omomyidae
Nannopithex zuccolae10 Godinot et al. 1992 tarsier
 Artiodactyla - Diacodexeidae
Diacodexis cf. varleti11 Sudre 1983 even-toed ungulate
SLP-29-PE 1503
 Artiodactyla - Dichobunidae
Eurodexeinae indet.11 Erfurt and Sudre 1996 even-toed ungulate
SLP-29-PE 1267, 9, 2122 and SLP-29-PR 1974
Eurodexis russelli n. sp.11 Sudre and Erfurt 1996 even-toed ungulate
SLP-29-PE 1859 - type
 Cimolesta - Pantolestidae
Pantolestidae indet.9 Cope 1884 eutherian
SLP-29-PE-1029
cf. Premontrelestes sp.9 Smith 2001 eutherian
SLP-29-PE-1516, 66, 1233, 1865 and 451
Premontrelestes duchaussoisi n. gen. n. sp.9 Smith 2001 eutherian
PRE-L-746 - holotype
cf. Pantolestes sp.9 Cope 1872 eutherian
SLP-29-PE-1258, 595, 837, 1500 and 114
Pantolestes sabatieri n. sp.9 Smith 2001 eutherian
SLP-Z-PR-206 - type
Palaeosinopa sp.9 Matthew 1901 eutherian
SLP-29-PE-1053
Reptilia
 Testudines -
Testudinoidea indet.5 Gray 1825 turtle
Owenemys sp.5 Hervet 2004 turtle
MNHN PMT 110
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Pelorochelon cf. eocaenica8 Hummel 1935 turtle
 Testudines - Geoemydidae
Palaeochelys sensu lato sp.3 Meyer 1847 turtle
 Testudines - Carettochelyidae
Allaeochelys sp.3 Noulet 1867 turtle
 Testudines - Trionychidae
"Eurycephalochelys (aff. Eurycephalochelys) vittatus" = Axestemys vittata3, Trionyx sp.3
"Eurycephalochelys (aff. Eurycephalochelys) vittatus" = Axestemys vittata3 Pomel 1847 softshell turtle
Trionyx sp.3 Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1809 softshell turtle
 Testudines - Podocnemididae
Neochelys eocaenica6 de Stefano 1902 sideneck turtle
 Squamata - Palaeophiidae
? Palaeophis toliapicus3 Owen 1841 snake
a few, poorly preserved vertebrae, smaller than those attributed to P. typhaeus, but the only anatomical elements which would allow unquestionable identification of P. toliapicus, the prezygapophyses, are damaged in all specimens
Palaeophis typhaeus3 Owen 1850 snake
vertebrae, abundant ("nombreuse")
 Squamata -
Alethinophidia indet.3 snake
vertebreae, reminiscent of both booids and anilioids
 Squamata - Russellophiidae
Russellophiidae indet.3 Rage 1978 snake
two vertebrae, possibly belonging to two different taxa but not to R. tenuis
Russellophis tenuis3 Rage 1975 snake
a single vertebra
 Squamata - Tropidophiidae
cf. Dunnophis sp.3 Hecht 1959 dwarf boa
vertebrae, larger and more robust than those of D. matronensis
Dunnophis matronensis3 Rage 1973 dwarf boa
vertebae, quite abundant ("assez fréquent")
 Squamata - Boidae
Boidae indet.3 Gray 1825 boa
vertebrae and cranial elements of non-Erycine boids, differentiation of Boines and Pythonines (or perhaps members of a third, yet unnamed subfamily) is not possible with certainty
Calamagras gallicus3 Rage 1977 dwarf boa
a few dorsal vertebrae
 Squamata -
Colubroidea indet.3 Oppel 1811 snake
some vertebrae of an "archaic" colubroid
Coniophis sp.3 Marsh 1892 snake
a single vertebra
Lacertoidea indet.1 Camp 1923 squamates
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacertidae indet.2 Bonaparte 1831 squamates
MNHN PMT 36, maxilla; plus another anterior portion of maxilla from second individual
Dormaalisaurus girardoti1 squamates
[entered as Dormalisaurus girardoti]; MNHN PMT 17, right dentary; PMT 79-81, six left and three right incomplete dentaries; PMT 34, incomplete left maxilla
Dormaalisaurus rossmanni1 squamates
[entered as Dormalisaurus rossmanni]; MNHN PMT 33, left dentary; PMT 82-83, two right dentaries; PMT 18, part of posterior of right dentary
Dormaalisaurus sp.1 Augé and Smith 2002 squamates
[entered as Dormalisaurus sp.]; MNHN PMT 84-86, two right and one left incomplete dentaries; PMT 35, incomplete left maxilla; PMT 13, incomplete right maxilla; PMT 87-89, five left and two right incomplete maxillae; PMT 15-16, two dorsal vertebrae
 Squamata - Eolacertidae
Eolacerta cf. robusta1 Nöth 1940 squamates
MNHN PMT 8, part of posterior right dentary; PMT 9, incomplete left maxilla; PMT 10, incomplete left dentary; PMT 11, dorsal vertebra; PMT 19-25, 19 left and 11 right incomplete dentaries, incomplete maxillae (8 left, 10 right), four premaxillae, three parietals, two postfrontals, 42 dorsal vertebrae, 18 caudal vertebrae
 Squamata - Scincidae
Axonoscincus sabatieri n. gen. n. sp.1
Axonoscincus sabatieri n. gen. n. sp.1 Augé 2003 skink
MNHN PMT 37 (holotype), right dentary; PMT 90-94, six left and four right dentaries; PMT 95-96, two posterior parts of maxillae, one anterior part of maxilla; PMT 38-39, one plus ?one premaxillae
 Squamata - Cordylidae
? Cordylidae indet.1 Gray 1837 spinytail lizard
Cordylidae sp.2 Gray 1837 spinytail lizard
MNHN PMT 40, three incomplete left dentaries, one incomplete right dentary
 Squamata - Gekkonidae
Laonogekko lefevrei n. gen. n. sp.1
Laonogekko lefevrei n. gen. n. sp.1 Augé 2003 gecko
MNHN PMT 5 (holotype), right maxilla; PMT 6, right dentary; PMT 70-74, five right dentaries and four left dentaries; PMT 75, incomplete left and right maxillae; PMT 32, frontal; PMT 7, incomplete frontal; PMT 76-78, four dorsal vertebrae, one caudal
 Squamata - Blanidae
Blanosaurus primeocaenus4 Folie et al. 2013 worm lizard
 Squamata - Agamidae
Tinosaurus europeocaenus2 Auge and Smith 1997 squamates
 Squamata - Iguanidae
Geiseltaliellus cf. longicaudus1 Kuhn 1944 squamates
MNHN PMT1, left dentary; PMT 26-27, two right dentaries; PMT 28, left dentary with portion of splenial; PMT 56-60, forty one left dentaries, thirty nine right dentaries; PMT 3, incomplete left maxilla; PMT 4, incomplete right maxilla; PMT 29, incomplete left maxilla; PMT 60-65, about thirty maxillae; PMT 30, 103, a few premaxillae; PMT 2, frontal; PMT 31, incomplete parietal; PMT 68-69, a few dorsal and caudal vertebrae
 Squamata -
Platynota indet.1 Baur 1890 squamates
 Squamata - Helodermatidae
? Helodermatidae indet.1 Gray 1837 squamates
Helodermatidae indet.2 Gray 1837 squamates
?one dorsal vertebra
 Squamata - Anguidae
Anguidae indet.1 Gray 1825 squamates
Anguinae indet.1 Gray 1825 squamates
cf. Anguis sp.1 Linnaeus 1758 slow worm
Anguini indet.2 Augé 2005 squamates
Placosauriops indet.1 Kuhn 1940 squamates
 Crocodylia -
 Crocodylia - Alligatoridae
Allognathosuchus sp.3 Mook 1921 crocodilian
 Crocodylia -
Diplocynodon sp.3 Pomel 1847 crocodilian
 Loricata -