PBDB Collection

Steinheim am Albuch (Miocene of Germany)

Also known as Steinheim crater lake, Steinheimer Becken, Steinheim Basin

Where: Baden-Württemberg, Germany (48.7° N, 10.1° E: paleocoordinates 49.0° N, 8.9° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: MN 7 + 8 (12.8 - 11.1 Ma)

• The age of the Steinheim basin deposits is generelly regarded MN 7 + 8.

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - small; poorly lithified, fine, medium, calcareous siliciclastic sediments and lithified limestone

• The Steinheim basin is an impact crater (about 3.5 km in diameter) in Jurassic rocks of the Swabian Jura ("Schwäbische Alb") in which a lake formed that existed for about several 100 ka to 1 Ma after the impact (see Nützel & Bandel, 1993).

• The Steinheim basin infill consists of poorly lithified calcareous arenites and siltstones and well lithified freshwater limestones both bearing abundant shells of gastropods and ostracodes (see, e.g., Nützel & Bandel, 1993, Scripta Geol. spec. issue 2, 313-357).

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: K. Heißig. 1989. The faunal succession of the Bavarian Molasse reconsidered - correlation of the MN5 and MN6 faunas. Lindsay, E. H., Fahlbusch, V. & Mein, P.: European Neogene Mammal Chronology. Nato ASI-series, Plenum Press; New York 181-192 [J. Alroy/S. Kuemmell/S. Kuemmell]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 49520: authorized by John Alroy, entered by Susanna Kümmell on 19.04.2005, edited by Torsten Liebrecht, Philip Mannion, Evangelos Vlachos and Graham Slater

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

Mammalia
Artiodactyla - Moschidae	Micromeryx eiselei n. sp.¹, Micromeryx flourensianus¹ Micromeryx eiselei n. sp.¹ Aiglstorfer et al. 2017 musk deer Micromeryx flourensianus¹ Lartet 1851 musk deer
Rodentia - Cricetidae	Democricetodon freisingensis², Democricetodon mutilus², Eumyarion latior², Megacricetodon minor², Megacricetodon gregarius Democricetodon freisingensis² Fahlbusch 1964 mouse Democricetodon mutilus² Fahlbusch 1964 mouse Eumyarion latior² Schaub and Zapfe 1953 mouse Megacricetodon minor² Lartet 1851 mouse Megacricetodon gregarius Schaub 1925 mouse
Rodentia - Anomalomyidae	Anomalomys gaudryi² Anomalomys gaudryi² Mein and Freudenthal 1971 rodent
Aves
Suliformes - Sulidae	Empheresula sp.⁴ Empheresula sp.⁴ Harrison 1975 booby
Reptilia
Squamata - Colubridae	"Naja suevica n. sp." = Coluber suevicus³, Natricinae indet.⁸ "Naja suevica n. sp." = Coluber suevicus³ Fraas 1870 racer parts of lower jaw and more than 40 vertebrae, partially articulated Natricinae indet.⁸ Bonaparte 1838 colubrid snake a single vertebra (SMNS 51027a = lectoholotype, designated by Rage, 1984, Handb. Paläoherpetol. 11)
Squamata - Boidae	? Falseryx sp.¹⁰ ? Falseryx sp.¹⁰ Szyndlar and Rage 2003 boa Based on number of specimens, this may be the taxon mentioned as Bransateryx by Szyndlar & Schleich (1993, Stuttg. Beitr. Naturk. B 192) and Szyndlar & Böhme (1993). If so, all specimens are vertebrae, belong to the original type material of "Coluber" steinheimensis and their catalogue no. is SMNS 51152
Squamata - Crotalidae	Vipera "subtaxon "Vipera aspis complex""⁸, Vipera "subtaxon "Oriental vipers complex""⁹ Vipera "subtaxon "Vipera aspis complex""⁸ Laurenti 1768 pit viper 7 vertebrae (SMNS 51153), part of the original type material of "Coluber" steinheimensis Vipera "subtaxon "Oriental vipers complex""⁹ Laurenti 1768 pit viper 2 vertebrae (SMNS 53264/1/1 + 2)
Testudines - Testudinidae	Testudo steinheimensis n. sp.⁷ Testudo steinheimensis n. sp.⁷ Staesche 1931 turtle
Testudines - Geoemydidae	"Clemmys steinheimensis n. sp." = Clemmydopsis steinheimensis⁷ "Clemmys steinheimensis n. sp." = Clemmydopsis steinheimensis⁷ Staesche 1931 turtle
Testudines - Chelydridae	"Chelydropsis murchisoni" = Chelydropsis murchisoni⁵, "Chelydropsis staeschei n. sp." = Chelydropsis murchisoni⁶ "Chelydropsis murchisoni" = Chelydropsis murchisoni⁵ Bell 1836 turtle Fraas (1870) referred this to Chelydropsis decheni; however, Ml⁄ynarski (1980b) transferred this material to Chelydropsis murchisoni "Chelydropsis staeschei n. sp." = Chelydropsis murchisoni⁶ Bell 1836 turtle

¹Aiglstorfer et al. 2017; ²Bollinger 1994; ³Fraas 1870; ⁴Gohlich 2003; ⁵Joyce 2016; ⁶Mlynarski 1980; ⁷Staesche 1931; ⁸Szyndlar and Böhme 1993; ⁹Szyndlar and Rage 1999; ¹⁰Szyndlar and Rage 2003