Balaruc II, Herault (Pliocene of France)

Where: France (43.5° N, 3.7° E: paleocoordinates 43.5° N, 3.4° E)

When: Late/Upper Pliocene (3.6 - 2.6 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial

Size class: mesofossils

Primary reference: J.-Y. Crochet. 1986. Insectivores pliocènes du sud de la France (Languedoc-Roussillon) et du nord-est de l'Espagne. Palaeovertebrata 16(3):145-171 [L. van den Hoek Ostende/L. van den Hoek Ostende]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 49096: authorized by Jason Head, entered by Jason Head on 08.04.2005, edited by Lars van den Hoek Ostende and Chris Bell

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Amphibia
 Salientia - Ranidae
cf. Rana sp.2 Linnaeus 1758 frog
partial distal humerus
 Caudata - Urodela
Triturus marmoratus2 Latreille 1800 marbled newt
two trunk vertebrae
Chelotriton pliocenicus n. sp.2 newt
Holotype one dorsal vertebra (USTL BAC II 901)
Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Deinsdorfia hibbardi red-toothed shrew
Episoriculus gibberodon Petenyi 1864 red-toothed shrew
Paenelimnoecus pannonicus red-toothed shrew
Myosorex meini white-toothed shrew
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Desmanella gardiolensis n. sp. Crochet 1986 mole
"Dibolia cf. brailloni" = Archaeodesmana brailloni Rümke 1985 mole
Talpa fossilis Petenyi 1864 mole
Talpa minor Freudenberg 1914 mole
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Michauxophis occitanus n. gen. n. sp.1
Michauxophis occitanus n. gen. n. sp.1 Bailon 1988 snake
 Squamata - Boidae
Erycinae indet.2 Bonaparte 1825 sand boa
"...représentés... par und trentaine de vertébres (dorsales et caudales)
 Squamata - Elapidae
cf. Naja sp.2 Laurenti 1768 cobra
one trunk vertebra
 Squamata - Crotalidae
cf. Vipera sp.2 Laurenti 1768 pit viper
one posterior trunk vertebra
 Squamata - Colubridae
Malpolon sp.2 Fitzinger 1826 colubrid snake
"Quelques vertèbres de petite taille sont attribuées au genre Malpolon"
Colubrinae indet.2 Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
"Deux petites vertèbres dorsales et plusiers vert¡ebres caudales..."
Elaphe (cf. Elaphe) longissima2 Laurenti 1768 colubrid snake
one trunk vertebra
 Squamata - Lacertidae
cf. Lacerta sensu lato sp.2 Linnaeus 1758 squamates
"un grand nombre de fragments de dentaires et maxillaires..." (p. 14)
 Squamata - Gekkonidae
Gekkonidae indet.2 Gray 1825 gecko
one right dentary fragment
 Squamata - Amphisbaenidae
cf. Blanus sp.2 Wagler 1830 worm lizard
left dentary fragment, one trunk vertebra
 Squamata - Agamidae
cf. Agama sp.2 Daudin 1802 squamates
2 maxilla fragments, one trunk vertebra
 Squamata - Anguidae
"Ophisaurus" sp.2 Daudin 1803 glass lizard
one right dentary, six trunk vertebrae, caudal, about 40 osteoderms