Pasalar (Miocene of Turkey)

Also known as Paşalar

Where: Bursa, Turkey (40.0° N, 28.3° E: paleocoordinates 40.1° N, 28.7° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: MN 5 (16.0 - 13.7 Ma)

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial; concretionary, gray, green, calcareous siltstone and fine-grained, pebbly, gray, white, sandy sandstone

• "fluviatile, with rapid sedimentation in high energy conditions in the main fossiliferous bed followed by quieter conditions, but with occasional high energy episodes, later on" that probably represents "initial molasse-like fill of a tectonic basin near the lower slopes of a mountain range"
• "The fossiliferous sediments consist of 2.2 m of silts and sandstones, often quite coarse"; there are two fossiliferous levels, the upper a "0.8 m grey-green silt, unbedded, with many small calcareous concretions" and the lower a "1.0 m whitish to light grey sand, fine grained, unbedded, with frequent lenses of coarser sands and gravels... badly sorted, non calcified"; the list pertains only to the lower bed

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: "discovered in 1969 during a lignite exploration... Some of these localities [including Pasalar] were subsequently investigated by a German research team"

Primary reference: P. Andrews and H. Tobien. 1977. New Miocene locality in Turkey with evidence of the origin of Ramapithecus and Sivapithecus. Nature 268:699-701 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 68547: authorized by Lars van den Hoek Ostende, entered by Lars van den Hoek Ostende on 25.01.2007, edited by John Alroy, Evangelos Vlachos and Grace Varnham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Ctenodactylidae
Ctenodactylidae indet. Gervais 1853 gundi
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Pseudodryomys sp. de Bruijn 1966 dormouse
Peridyromys lavocati n. sp.3 Pelaez-Campomanes and Daams 2002 dormouse
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
cf. Spermophilinus bredai von Meyer 1848 squirrel
 Rodentia - Dipodidae
Dipodidae indet. Waterhouse 1842 rodent
 Rodentia - Spalacidae
cf. Rhizomys sp. Gray 1831 greater bamboo rat
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Democricetodon sp. Fahlbusch 1964 mouse
Megacricetodon andrewsi n. sp.3 Pelaez-Campomanes and Daams 2002 mouse
Cricetodon sp. Lartet 1851 mouse
"Cricedoton ('Palaeocricetus') sp."
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Alloptox sp. Dawson 1961 pika
"Alloptox n.sp. 1"
Prolagus cf. oeningensis König 1825 pika
 Primates - Hominidae
"Sivapithecus darwini" = Sivapithecus, "Ramapithecus wickeri" = Sivapithecus
"Sivapithecus darwini" = Sivapithecus ape
"Ramapithecus wickeri" = Sivapithecus ape
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Schizogalerix pasalarensis1 Engesser 1980 hedgehog
Erinaceinae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 hedgehog
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Soricidae indet. Fischer 1814 shrew
Soricidae sp. (small form)
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Desmanodon cf. minor1 Engesser 1980 mole
"Talpidae sp. 1"
 Placentalia -
Chiroptera indet. Blumenbach 1779 bat
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
"Beliajevina tekkayai" = Procoelodonta (Pasalarhinus) tekkayai
"Beliajevina tekkayai" = Procoelodonta (Pasalarhinus) tekkayai Heissig 1974 rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Tapiridae
Tapirus sp. Brisson 1762 tapir
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Anchitherium sp. von Meyer 1844 anchitheriine horse
 Artiodactyla -
Schizochoerus sp. Crusafont-Pairo and Lavocat 1954 even-toed ungulate
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Conohyus sp. Pilgrim 1926 pig
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Cervidae indet. Gray 1821 deer
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bovidae indet. Gray 1821 antelope
Protoryx cf. carolinae Major 1891 antelope
 Carnivora - Felidae
Pseudaelurus larteti cat
"Pseudailurus (Schizailurus) larteti"
Pseudaelurus cf. quadridentatus de Blainville 1843 cat
"Pseudailurus cr. quadridentatus"
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Protictitherium sp. Kretzoi 1938 hyaena
"Protictitherium sp. I"
Protictitherium aff. gaillardi Forsyth Major 1903 hyaena
"Protictitherium intermedium" = Protoviverrops intermedium Schmidt-Kittler 1976 hyaena
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Amphicyon cf. major De Blainville 1841 bear-dog
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Trochictis sp. von Meyer 1842 mustelid carnivore
Plesiogulo sp. Zdansky 1934 mustelid carnivore
said to be new
Lutrinae indet. Baird 1857 otter
"Lutrinae sp. I"
 Carnivora -
Proputorius sp. Filhol 1890 carnivoran
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursavus cf. primaevus Gaillard 1899 bear
Ursavus aff. intermedius von Koenigswald 1925 bear
Plithocyon sp. Ginsburg 1955 bear
Hemicyon sansaniensis Lartet 1851 bear
 Tubulidentata - Orycteropodidae
Orycteropus sp. Geoffroy 1791 aardvark
 Proboscidea - Deinotheriidae
Deinotherium giganteum Kaup 1829 deinothere
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Gomphotherium angustidens Burmeister 1837 gomphothere
Reptilia
 Testudines - Geoemydidae
Mauremys cf. caspica4 Gmelin 1774 Caspian turtle
 Squamata - Chamaeleonidae
Chamaeleonidae "indet. 3"2 Gray 1825 chameleon
A fragment of a left dentary (BP 2019-181)