Durfort, Gard, Southern France: Middle Pleistocene, France

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Bufonidae
Bufo bufo (Linnaeus 1758)
Holman 1998
original and current combination Rana bufo
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus meridionalis (Nesti 1825)
3 individuals
3 skeletons.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
Canidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817
1 individual
MNI = 1.
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equidae indet. Gray 1821
1 individual
MNI = 1.
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Dicerorhinus etruscus (Falconer 1868)
1 individual
MNI = 1. Dicerorhinus etruscus brachycephalus.
    = Stephanorhinus etruscus Falconer 1868
O'Regan 2003
Mammalia - Hippopotamidae
Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus 1758
4 individuals
MNI = 4. Hippopotamus amphibius major.
Mammalia - Cervidae
Cervidae indet. Gray 1821
4 individuals
MNI = 4.
Mammalia - Bovidae
Bison schoetensacki
115 specimens
MNI = 5. largely postcranial, with 2 young adult horncores.
Angiospermae - Rosales - Ulmaceae
Zelkova ultima
Zelkova ungeri Kovats 1865
Angiospermae - Fagales - Fagaceae
Quercus farnetto
Quercus lusitanica
Quercus pseudosuber
Fagus microphylla
Angiospermae - Fagales - Juglandaceae
Pterocarya sp. Kunth 1824
Carya sp. Nuttall 1818
Angiospermae - Saxifragales - Hamamelidaceae
Parrotia pristina
Pinopsida - Pinales - Pinaceae
Tsuga sp. Carrière 1855
Pinus sp. Linnaeus 1753
see common names

Geography
Country:France
Coordinates: 43.9° North, 4.0° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:43.9° North, 4.0° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Time
Period:Quaternary Epoch:Pleistocene
Stage:Chibanian 10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Middle Pleistocene
Age range of interval:0.77400 - 0.12900 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy comments: Early Middle Pleistocene, interglacial (climatic temperate episode). Probably Zone 20 in Guerin's scheme.
Lithology and environment
Lithology description: 'couches limoneuses'. There are some lignite levels intercalated in the clays.
Environment:lacustrine indet.
Geology comments: 'un ancien lac ou marecage.'
Taphonomy
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils,microfossils
Articulated whole bodies:some
Collection methods and comments
Reason for describing collection:biostratigraphic analysis
Collection method comments: Site discovered in 1869. Macrofauna and plant macro and microfossils have also been found here. The lignite levels contain amphibians, fish, molluscs and more plant remains including tree trunks, fruits and leaf imprints, as well as 6 extra mammal species.
Metadata
Database number:42673
Authorizer:A. Turner, E. Vlachos Enterer:H. O'Regan, E. Vlachos
Modifier:H. O'Regan Research group:PACED
Created:2004-08-04 06:48:23 Last modified:2004-08-04 10:00:35
Access level:the public Released:2004-08-04 06:48:23
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
11350.PACED J.-P. Brugal. 1994. Le bison (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) de Pleistocene moyen ancien de Durfort (Gard, France). Bulletin Musee Nationale de Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 4th Series, Section C 16(2-4):349-381 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]

Secondary references:

66368 J. A. Holman. 1998. Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles in Britain and Europe. Oxford Monographs on Geology and Geophysics 1-265 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos]
9580PACED H. J. O'Regan. 2003. Reidentifications and synonomies of European mammals. [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/M. Uhen]