Messel (Eocene of Germany)

Also known as ETE Locality 1576, Messel,

Where: Hessen, Germany (49.9° N, 8.7° E: paleocoordinates 46.9° N, 4.8° E)

When: Messel Formation, MP 11 (48.6 - 40.4 Ma)

• ETE dating method: time_unit, ETE age comment: 0.

•Lower Middle-Eocene, Lutetian

•JA: MP 11

Environment/lithology: lacustrine; shale

• ETE sed env 1: lacustrine, ETE sed env 2: . ETE event: flood, ETE env comment: drowning
• ETE rock type adj: 0, ETE lithology comments: .

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: adpression

Collection methods: ETE Size: .; ETE reference list: 666, 664, 645, 493, 638, 983, ; ETE museum list:

Primary reference: E. Wittich. 1898. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Messeler Braunkohle und ihrer Fauna. Abhandlungen der großherzoglich Hessischen geologischen Landesanstalt zu Darmstadt 3(3):79-147 [J. Alroy/S. Kuemmell/S. Kuemmell]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 22701: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Anna Behrensmeyer on 29.05.2001, edited by Philip Mannion, Susanna Kümmell, John Alroy, Emmanuel Fara, Lars van den Hoek Ostende, Mark Uhen, David Nicholson, Terri Cleary and Patricia Holroyd

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Angiospermae
 Rosales - Rosaceae
? Prunus sp. Linnaeus 1753 plum
Dombeyopsis
  -
Dombeyopsis sp. Unger 1850
Aves
 Cariamiformes - Cariamidae
"Dynamopterus cf. itardiensis" = Idiornis itardiensis15
"Dynamopterus cf. itardiensis" = Idiornis itardiensis15 Mourer-Chauvire 1983 seriema
 Suliformes - Sulidae
Masillastega rectirostris n. gen. n. sp.13
Masillastega rectirostris n. gen. n. sp.13 Mayr 2002 booby
IPB 140a+b
 Pelecaniformes - Threskiornithidae
Rhynchaeites messelensis n. gen. n. sp.
Rhynchaeites messelensis n. gen. n. sp. Wittich 1898 ibis
 Strigiformes - Strigidae
Strigogyps sapea15 true owl
 Neornithes - Zygodactylidae
? Pseudastur sp.11 Mayr 1998 bird
Pseudastur macrocephalus n. gen. n. sp.11 Mayr 1998 bird
 Coraciiformes -
Eocoracias brachyptera17 Mayr and Mourer-Chauviré 2000 bird
referred specimens in the SMF and HLMD collections
 Psittaciformes - Messelasturidae
Messelastur gratulator n. gen. n. sp.18
Messelastur gratulator n. gen. n. sp.18 Peters 1994 parrot
type from "L13 (Grabungsstelle 32), 26-43 cm unter Leithorizont M"; referred specimen of Mayr 2011 is in the SMF
 Psittaciformes - Halcyornithidae
"Pseudasturidae indet." = Halcyornithidae11
"Pseudasturidae indet." = Halcyornithidae11 Harrison and Walker 1972 parrot
 Gruiformes - Idiornithidae
Dynamopterus tuberculatus15 Peters 1995 bird
 Neornithes - Lithornithidae
Lithornithidae indet.14 Houde 1988 bird
from "Messel": SGPIMH specimen
  - Psittacopedidae
Eofringillirostrum parvulum n. sp.10 Ksepka et al. 2019 bird
Reptilia
 Crocodylia - Crocodylidae
"Crocodilus ebertsi" = Crocodylus
"Crocodilus ebertsi" = Crocodylus crocodile
 Crocodylia -
"Baryphracta deponiae" = Diplocynodon deponiae6
"Baryphracta deponiae" = Diplocynodon deponiae6 Frey et al. 1987 crocodilian
IRSNB R 261 (near complete skeleton); IRSNB R 262 (IG 26467; exposing the ventral side)
 Crocodylia - Alligatoridae
Alligator darwini Ludwig 1877 alligator
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudinidae indet.1 Batsch 1788 turtle
originally entered as "Testudo indet."
? Juvemys sp.8 Hervet 2003 turtle
BMNH R 10869
 Testudines -
"Ocadia messeliana" = Francellia messeliana8, "Ocadia kehreri" = Euroemys kehreri8, Borkenia aff. oschkinisi8
"Ocadia messeliana" = Francellia messeliana8 Staesche 1928 turtle
IRSNB-121
"Ocadia kehreri" = Euroemys kehreri8 Staesche 1928 turtle
coll. IRSNB : 117 (Pl. 3, Fig. F), 289 (Pl. 3, Fig. C), 1-535, 26802 ; MNSD 580/77B18 (Groessens Van Dyck, 1978 : Fig. 2)
Borkenia aff. oschkinisi8 Schleich 1994 turtle
SMNS 54849, IRSBN IG28502
 Testudines - Carettochelyidae
"Anosteira gracilis n. sp." = Allaeochelys crassesculpta7
"Anosteira gracilis n. sp." = Allaeochelys crassesculpta7 Harrassowitz 1922 turtle
 Testudines - Trionychidae
"Palaeoamyda messeliana n. gen. n. sp." = Rafetoides messelianus3
"Palaeoamyda messeliana n. gen. n. sp." = Rafetoides messelianus3 Reinach 1900 softshell turtle
 Squamata - Anguidae
Placosauriops weigelti2 Kuhn 1940 squamates
some more or less complete skeletons
Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Pseudorhyncocyonidae
Leptictidium tobieni n. sp.9 Koenigswald and Storch 1987 eutherian
Leptictidium auderiense n. gen. n. sp.9 Tobien 1962 eutherian
Leptictidium nasutum n. sp.9 Storch and Lister 1985 eutherian
 Chiroptera - Emballonuridae
Tachypteron franzeni n. gen. n. sp.19
Tachypteron franzeni n. gen. n. sp.19 Storch et al. 2002 sac-winged bat
type in IRSNB collection
 Chiroptera - Archaeonycteridae
 Perissodactyla - Palaeotheriidae
Propalaeotherium sp.4 Gervais odd-toed ungulate
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
Plesiarctomys sp.7 Bravard 1848 rodent
 Primates -
Darwinius masillae n. gen. n. sp.5
Darwinius masillae n. gen. n. sp.5 Franzen et al. 2009 primate
 Didelphimorphia - Didelphidae
Didelphidae indet.20 opossum
probably Peratherium or Amphiperatherium
Actinopteri
 Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
 Amiiformes - Amiidae
"Amia kehreri" = Cyclurus kehreri
"Amia kehreri" = Cyclurus kehreri Andreae 1893 bowfin
 Strisores -
Paraprefica major n. sp.12 Mayr 1999