Bèni Mellal (Miocene of Morocco)

Where: Tadla-Azilal, Morocco (32.3° N, 6.3° W: paleocoordinates 32.1° N, 7.0° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Astaracian (16.0 - 11.6 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: mechanical,

Primary reference: J.-C. Rage. 1976. Les Squamates du Miocène de Bèni Mellal, Maroc. Géologie Méditerranéenne 3(2):57-70 [J. Head/J. Head/J. Head]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 48630: authorized by Jason Head, entered by Jason Head on 24.03.2005, edited by Mark Uhen, Torsten Liebrecht and Terri Cleary

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Taxa Palaeonaja sp. and Ophisaurus sp. (entered as "Ophiosaurus sp."), originally included in the taxonomic list, have been removed since they are not reported by Rage (1976, ref no. 12976) from Bèni Mellal. Instead, according to Rage (1976, ref no. 12977), these taxa occur in Çalta (Turkey) and are already present in the taxonomic list of that collection (see PBDB coll. no. 34370). (TL)
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetodon sp.1 Lartet 1851 mouse
 Carnivora - Felidae
Felis sp.3 Linnaeus 1758 cat
new species
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Hyaenictis graeca3 Gaudry 1861 hyaena
 Carnivora - Viverridae
Genetta sp.3 Cuvier 1816 civet
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Agnotherium cf. antiquum3 Kaup 1833 bear-dog
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Martes khelifensis n. sp.3 Ginsburg 1977 marten
Mellalictis mellalensis n. gen. n. sp.3 Ginsburg 1977 mustelid carnivore
 Placentalia -
Hyracoidea indet.1 Huxley 1869 hyrax
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Scolecophidia indet. Duméril and Bibron 1844 snake
 Squamata - Boidae
Python maurus n. sp. Rage 1976 boa
Erycinae indet. Bonaparte 1825 sand boa
"either Eryx sp. or Gongylophis sp."
 Squamata - Elapidae
Naja antiqua n. sp.
Naja antiqua n. sp. Rage 1976 cobra
 Squamata - Crotalidae
Vipera maghrebiana n. sp. Rage 1976 pit viper
 Squamata - Colubridae
Colubridae "indet. 1" Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
Colubridae "indet. 2" Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
 Squamata - Lacertidae
cf. Eremias sp. Wiegmann 1834 squamates
 Squamata - Scincidae
Eumeces sp. Wiegmann 1834 skink
 Squamata - Gekkonidae
Gekkonidae "indet. 1" Gray 1825 gecko
Gekkonidae "indet. 2" Gray 1825 gecko
Tarentola sp.2 Gray 1825 wall gecko
Large form known from BML 915, frontal; BML 914, a dentary; fragments of maxilla and some vertebrae are also present. A dentary and vertebrae represent the smallest form.
 Squamata - Amphisbaenidae
 Squamata - Anguidae
Anguidae indet. Gray 1825 squamates