Oberdorf lignite mine, horizon O4 (Miocene of Austria)

Also known as Oberdorf 4

Where: Styria, Austria (47.1° N, 15.2° E: paleocoordinates 46.4° N, 14.7° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: MN 4 (16.9 - 16.0 Ma)

• The fossiliferous bed belongs to the hanging wall succession ("Hangendabfolge") of the Ottnangian (late Early Miocene) Oberdorf section. Apparently, no formational name exists for these beds.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: mire or swamp; carbonaceous claystone

• The particular environment of bed O4 ist given as "back swamp". The clays in the "Hangendabfolge" are interpreted as gley soils that developed under anoxic conditions. Forming of iron concretions with concentric structure and presence of dolomitic precipitate indicates a tropical to subtropical climate with temporary drier periods (Daxner-Höck et al., 1998b, Ann. Nat. Hist. Mus. Wien 99A, 195-224).
• "The fossiliferous bed (lignitic clays containing bones as well as wood, seeds and gastropods) are interpreted as palaeosol." (de Bruijn, 1998). According to Daxner-Höck et al. (1998a), the bed in question forms the clayey base of a thin lignite seam and belongs to a sequence of distal floodplain deposits. (TL)

Size class: mesofossils

Collected by H. de Bruijn, G. Daxner-Höck, et al. in 1990-1993; reposited in the NHMW

Collection methods: bulk, mechanical, sieve,

• From Daxner-Höck et al. (1998a, p. 4): The sampling was conducted within an interval of 2 to 10 cm and within a lateral section of about 15 m. The samples have been dried on-site and, in part, were left exposed to frost splitting over winter. After that they have been pre-washed on-site by means of a transportable washing plant (mesh sizes: 5 mm, 2.5 mm and 0.5 mm) and thus were reduced in volume by 50%. Due to the high clay content, further treatment in a lab was necessary before the fossil remains could be picked out.

Primary reference: H. de Bruijn. 1998. Vertebrates from the Early Miocene lignite deposits of the opencast mine Oberdorf (Western Styrian Basin, Austria): 6. Rodentia 1 (Mammalia). Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Serie A: Mineralogie, Petrologie, Geologie, Paläontologie, Archäozoologie, Anthropologie, Prähistorie 99:99-137 [L. van den Hoek Ostende/L. van den Hoek Ostende/T. Liebrecht]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 74539: authorized by Lars van den Hoek Ostende, entered by Lars van den Hoek Ostende on 10.08.2007, edited by Torsten Liebrecht, Matthew Carrano, Philip Mannion, Terri Cleary and Matthew Clapham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Gastropoda
 Cycloneritida - Helicinidae
Tropidomphalus rotundus1 Binder 2004 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Pomatiidae
Pomatias sp.1 Stimpson 1860 periwinkle
 Heterostropha - Planorbidae
Planorbarius cornu1 Brongniart 1810 snail
 Heterostropha - Lymnaeidae
Galba sp.1 Schrank 1803 snail
 Heterostropha - Carychiidae
Carychium nouleti1 Bourguignat 1857 snail
 Stylommatophora - Filholiidae
Triptychia ederae1 Binder 2004 slug
 Stylommatophora - Helicidae
Megalotachea cf. turonensis1 Deshayes 1831 slug
 Neritoidea - Neritidae
Agapilia cf. picta1 Férussac 1825 snail
Amphibia
 Temnospondyli - Albanerpetontidae
Albanerpeton inexpectatum4 Estes and Hoffstetter 1976 tetrapod
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Peridyromys murinus Pomel 1853 dormouse
Bransatoglis cf. astaracensis Baudelot 1970 dormouse
Bransatoglis fugax Hugueney 1967 dormouse
Microdyromys cf. legidensis Daams 1981 dormouse
Seorsumuscardinus alpinus n. gen. n. sp. de Bruijn 1998 dormouse
Glis minor Kowalski 1963 dormouse
complicatus n. ssp.
Glirudinus minutus Wu 1993 dormouse
Glirulus (Paraglirulus) sp. Thomas 1906 Japanese dormouse
Glirulus (Glirulus) lissiensis Hugueney and Mein 1965 Japanese dormouse
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Palaeosciurus sutteri Ziegler and Fahlbusch 1986 squirrel
Spermophilinus besanus Cuenca 1988 squirrel
Hylopetes hoeckarum de Bruijn 1998 squirrel
Ratufa sp. Gray 1867 Asian giant squirrel
Miopetaurista dehmi de Bruijn et al. 1980 squirrel
Blackia miocaenica Mein 1970 squirrel
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Myxomygale hutchisoni5 Ziegler 1985 mole
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Squamata "indet. 2"2 squamates
NHMW 2016/0028/0038-40, three osteoderms, paper says "Oberdorf 3 and 4" but doesn't specify which specimen is from where, so they are entered in both
Serpentes indet.6 Linnaeus 1758 snake
31 vetrebrae (NHMW 1997z0188/0002)
 Squamata - Boidae
cf. Bavarioboa sp.6 Szyndlar and Schleich 1993 boa
3 vetrebrae (NHMW 1997z0180/0002)
 Squamata -
Colubroidea indet.6 Oppel 1811 snake
"Natricinae or Elapidae indet.", 3 vetrebrae (NHMW 1997z0186/0002)
 Squamata - Crotalidae
Vipera sp.6 Laurenti 1768 pit viper
"Vipera aspis complex", 4 vetrebrae (NHMW 1997z0187/0002)
 Squamata - Colubridae
Colubridae "indet. A"6 Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
2 vetrebrae (NHMW 1997z0184/0002)
Colubridae "indet. B"6 Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
13 vetrebrae (NHMW 1997z0185/0002)
Coluber cf. caspioides6 Szyndlar and Schleich 1993 racer
63 vetrebrae (NHMW 1997z0181/0002)
Palaeonatrix sp.6 Szyndlar 1982 colubrid snake
1 vetrebra (NHMW 1997z0182/0002)
cf. Neonatrix sp.6 Holman 1973 colubrid snake
1 vetrebra (NHMW 1997z0183/0002)
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacertidae indet.2 Bonaparte 1831 squamates
NHMW 2016/0028/0007, right frontal
Lacerta sp.2 Linnaeus 1758 squamates
NHMW 2016/0028/0006, left dentary
 Squamata -
? Cordyliformes indet.2 Fitzinger 1826 squamates
NHMW 2016/0028/0016, osteoderm
 Squamata - Scincidae
? Scincidae indet.2 Gray 1825 skink
NHMW 2016/0028/0011, right postfrontal; NHMW 2016/0028/0012, left postfrontal; NHMW 2016/0028/0013, parietal
Chalcides augei3 Čerňanský et al. 2019 skink
NHMW 2016/0028/0017, right maxilla; NHMW 2016/0028/0018, anterior region of the left dentary
Chalcides augei3 Čerňanský et al. 2019 skink
NHMW 2016/0028/0033, right nasal; NHMW 2016/0028/0034-35, two left frontals
 Squamata - Cordylidae
Cordylidae indet.2 Gray 1837 spinytail lizard
NHMW 2016/0028/0014, posterior portion of right dentary
 Squamata - Anguidae
Anguidae indet.2 Gray 1825 squamates
NHMW 2016/0028/0030-32, three osteoderms, paper says "Oberdorf 3 and 4" but doesn't specify which specimen is from where, so they are entered in both
Ophisaurus sp.2 Daudin 1803 glass lizard
NHMW 2016/0028/0022, frontal; NHMW 2016/0028/0023, dentary; NHMW 2016/0028/0024-29, six dorsal vertebrae
Ophisaurus cf. spinari2 Klembara 1979 glass lizard
NHMW 2016/0028/0020 and -21, two parietal fragments