Le Quesnoy (QNY2) (Eocene of France)

Where: Oise, France (49.3° N, 2.7° E: paleocoordinates 44.8° N, 0.0° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Argiles d'lignite du Soissonnais Formation, Ypresian (56.0 - 47.8 Ma)

• MP7

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fine channel fill; lenticular, gray sandstone

• Strata deposited at bottom of two channels cutting into underlying Thanetian marine green sands. The channels prograde toward the northeast and were discovered under Oise River Quaternary deposits.
• a succession of lenticular bodies showing two main facies: 1) clayey sands rich in frequently pyritised lignite, together with amber; 2) grey clayey sands with less lignite (1 to 12 % of the sediment), with continental vertebrate fauna. These facies, the rarity of mollusc shells and charophytes, probably due to decarbonatation and the presence of pyrrhotite (FeS4), reflect a hypoxic environment.

Size classes: macrofossils, microfossils

Preservation: soft parts, amber

Collected in 1997 and 1998; reposited in the MNHN

Collection methods: bulk,

• Screen-washing noted by Gheerbrant et al. 2005

Primary reference: A. Nel, G. de Plöeg, J. Dejax, D. Duthiel, D. Franceschi, E. Gheerbrant, M. Godinot, S. Hervet, J.-J. Menier, M. Augé, G. Bignot, C. Cavagnetto, S. Duffaud, J. Gaudant, S. Hua, A. Jossang, F. Lapparent Broin, J.-P. Pozzi, J.-C. Paicheler, F. Beuchet, and J.-C. Rage. 1999. Un gisement sparnacien exceptionnel à plantes, arthropodes et vertébrés (Éocène basal, MP7): Le Quesnoy (Oise, France). Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences - Series IIA - Earth and Planetary Science 329(1):65-72 [P. Holroyd/P. Holroyd]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 68174: authorized by Patricia Holroyd, entered by Patricia Holroyd on 06.01.2007, edited by Terri Cleary, Philip Mannion, John Alroy and Matthew Clapham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Original faunal list only notes vertebrates; other organisms mentioned in text.
unclassified
  -
Mallophaga indet.
present on mammalian hairs
Plantae indet. Haeckel 1866
"dicotyledon" wood
Angiospermae
 Laurales - Lauraceae
Lauraceae indet. Jussieu 1789 laurel
leaf
 Gentianales - Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae indet. de Jussieu 1789 dogbane
pollen; Apocynaceae and/or Tiliaceae
 Mesangiosperms - Arecaceae
Arecaceae indet. von Berchtold and Presl 1820 palm
wood
 Fagales - Myricaceae
Myricaceae indet. Martinov 1817
pollen: Myricaceae and/or Symplocaceae
 Fagales - Juglandaceae
Juglandaceae indet. Perleb 1818
pollen
 Celastrales - Celastraceae
Celastraceae indet. Brown 1814 bittersweet
pollen
 Rosales -
unclassified
  -
"Gymnospermae indet." = Pinophyta
"Gymnospermae indet." = Pinophyta Reveal 1996
wood
 Charales - Feistiellaceae
Nitellopsis sp. Hy 1889
Nitellopsis (Tectochara)
unclassified
  -
Arthropoda indet. Latreille 1829
300 arthropod species; hexapods, mites, spiders, and a pseudoscorpion
Hexapoda
 Hexapoda -
Hexapoda indet. Latreille 1825
nearly all recent orders of Hexapoda have been found
Insecta
 Odonata -
Libelluloidea indet. true dragonfly
 Coleoptera - Cantharidae
Bupestridae indet. Kiesenwetter 1852 soldier beetle
 Coleoptera - Cerambycidae
Cerambycidae indet. Latreille 1802 longhorned beetle
 Dicondylia -
Hymenoptera indet. Linnaeus 1758 winged insect
parasitoid Hymenoptera with their host present
 Hymenoptera - Scolebythidae
Scolebythidae indet. Evans 1963 wasp
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
Ponerinae indet.2 Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau 1835 ant
nearly all modern subfamilies of Formicidae present
 Dicondylia -
Dermaptera indet. De Geer 1773 earwig
new family
Mantodea indet. Burmeister 1838 mantis
Mantodea with several 'blattoid' characters
 Blattodea -
"Blattoidea indet." = Blattodea
"Blattoidea indet." = Blattodea Latreille 1810 cockroach
 Blattodea - Mastotermitidae
"Mastotermitidae indet." = Mastotermitinae
"Mastotermitidae indet." = Mastotermitinae Desneux 1904 termite
 Blattodea - Kalotermitidae
Kalotermitidae indet. Froggatt 1897 termite
 Diptera -
Diptera indet. Linnaeus 1758 fly
mating Diptera present
 Diptera - Bibionidae
Plecia sp. Wiedemann 1823 love bug
Collembola
 Collembola -
Arachnida
 Acarina -
"Acarina indet." = Acari
"Acarina indet." = Acari Leach 1817 mite
present on mammalian hairs
Aves
  -
Aves indet. Linnaeus 1758 bird
Oiseaux Fam. indet.: gen., sp. indet.
Reptilia
 Crocodylia -
Asiatosuchus sp. Mook 1940 crocodilian
MNHN QNY 1C5 & QNY 2C4
Diplocynodon sp. Pomel 1847 crocodilian
MNHN QNY 1C4
aff. Diplocynodon sp. Pomel 1847 crocodilian
MNHN QNY 2C1
 Crocodylia - Alligatoridae
Allognathosuchus sp. Mook 1921 crocodilian
MNHN QNY 1C7
 Testudines -
Cryptodira indet. Cope 1868 turtle
'chelydroide' gen, sp. indet.
 Testudines - Geoemydidae
Merovemys ploegi n. gen. n. sp.6
Merovemys ploegi n. gen. n. sp.6 Hervet 2006 turtle
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionychidae indet.1 Gray 1825 softshell turtle
Trionyx s.l. sp. 1 and sp. 2
Paleotrionyx cf. vittatus softshell turtle
erroneously spelled Palaeotrionyx
 Squamata -
Saniwa cf. orsmaelensis Dollo 1923 squamates
 Squamata - Anguidae
? Anguinae indet. Gray 1825 squamates
Placosaurus sp. Gervais 1852 squamates
 Squamata - Necrosauridae
? Necrosaurus indet. Filhol 1876 squamates
 Squamata - Cordylidae
? Cordylidae indet. Gray 1837 spinytail lizard
 Squamata - Gekkonidae
Gekkonidae indet. Gray 1825 gecko
 Squamata - Boidae
Boidae indet. Gray 1825 boa
Groupe Paleryx-Palaeopythori; gen., sp. indet
 Squamata - Tropidophiidae
Dunnophis matronensis Rage 1973 dwarf boa
 Squamata - Iguanidae
? Iguanidae indet. Oppel 1811 squamates
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacertidae indet. Bonaparte 1831 squamates
Plesiolacerta sp. Hoffstetter 1942 squamates
 Squamata - Eolacertidae
Eolacerta sp.3 Nöth 1940 squamates
incomplete right maxilla, two dorsal vertebrae
Mammalia
 Eutheria -
 Cimolesta - Esthonychidae
Esthonyx sp. Cope 1874 tillodont
 Cimolesta - Pantolestidae
Palaeosinopa sp. Matthew 1901 eutherian
 Pantodonta -
 Macroscelidea - Amphilemuridae
cf. Macrocranion sp. Weitzel 1949 elephant shrew
 Condylarthra - Hyopsodontidae
Hyopsodus sp. Leidy 1870 condylarth
 Theriamorpha - Metacheiromyidae
Palaeanodon sp.5 Matthew 1918 placental
 Creodonta - Oxyaenidae
Oxyaena woutersi7 Lange-Badré and Godinot 1982 creodont
MNHN QNY2-2568, 2527, 2569, 2561, 2603, 2584, 2586, 2598, 2551, 2571, 2574, 2590, 2572, 2573, 2600, 2503, 2549, 2622, 2565, 2595, 2579, 2524, 2526, 2636, 2633, 2635 and 2638
Palaeonictis gigantea7 de Blainville 1842 creodont
 Creodonta - Hyaenodontidae
Arfia gingerichi8 Smith and Smith 2001 creodont
MNHN QNY2- 2504, 2508, 2514, 2570, 2617, 2623 and 2625
Prototomus minimus8 Smith and Smith 2001 creodont
MNHN QNY2-2501, 2512, 2516 and 2519
Prototomus girardoti8 Smith and Smith 2001 creodont
gen., sp. indet. 1 and 2
 Theriamorpha -
Vassacyon taxidiotis n. sp.9 Solé et al. 2013 placental
MNHN QNY2-2548 - type; referred specimens: MNHN QNY2-2547, 2505, 2532, 2535, 2502 and 2507
Gracilocyon solei9 Smith and Smith 2010 placental
MNHN QNY2- 2520, 2517, 2546, 2510, 2618, 2522, 2528 and 2533
"Miacis latouri" = Dormaalocyon latouri9 Quinet 1966 placental
 Perissodactyla - Palaeotheriidae
cf. Pachynolophus sp. Pomel 1847 odd-toed ungulate
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Pliolophus quesnoyensis n. sp.4 Bronnert et al. 2017 horse
MNHN QNY2-2696 - type
 Artiodactyla - Diacodexeidae
Diacodexis sp. Cope 1882 even-toed ungulate
 Procreodi - Arctocyonidae
cf. Landenodon sp. Quinet 1968 condylarth
 Theriamorpha - Nyctitheriidae
Leptacodon sp. Matthew and Granger 1921 placental
Wyonycteris sp. Gingerich 1987 placental
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
Ischyromyidae indet. Alston 1876 rodent
gen., sp. indet. 1 and 2
 Primates - Plesiadapidae
Platychoerops sp. Charlesworth 1855 primate
new species
 Primates - Omomyidae
Teilhardina aff. belgica Teilhard de Chardin 1927 tarsier
 Primates - Notharctidae
Cantius sp. Simons 1962 primate
 Theriamorpha - Herpetotheriidae
Peratherium sp. Aymard 1850 marsupial
or Amphiperatherium sp.
 Allotheria -
Multituberculata indet. Cope 1884 multituberculate
Amphibia
 Caudata -
Caudata indet. salamander
fam., gen., sp. indet.
 Caudata - Urodela
Salamandroidea indet. Noble 1931 salamander
cf. Koaliella indet. Herre 1950 newt
gen., sp. indet.
 Salientia - Pelobatidae
Pelobatidae indet. Lataste 1879 spadefoot toad
Actinopteri
 Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
 Amiiformes - Amiidae
Cyclurus sp. Agassiz 1839 bowfin
 Perciformes -
Percoidei indet. Bleeker 1859 perch-like fish