| Angeac-Charente bonebed | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
 | |
| Type | Bed |
| Underlies | Unconformity with Pleistocene deposits |
| Thickness | 2 metres |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Clay |
| Location | |
| Extent | Aquitaine Basin |
The Angeac-Charentebonebed is a fossil deposit located near Angeac-Charente in western France. It dates to the Berriasian stage of the Early Cretaceous, and is coeval with the Purbeck Group of Southern England. It has amongst the most diverse assemblages of earliest Cretaceous vertebrates known from Europe.
Dinosaur bones were first found at the site in 2008. The fossils were exposed during quarrying for overlying Pleistocene aged sand and gravel. After more bones were discovered in 2010, a team was set up composed of people from Musée d’Angoulême, Rennes University and the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle to excavate the site. Due the promising finds, since 2011 excavations have been conducted at the site annually. [1]
The site was previously considered Hauterivian-Barremian in age, [2] but is now considered likely middle-late Berriasian in age. The paleoenvironment is considered to have been a freshwater floodplain, dominated by cheirolepidacean conifers, with a tropical or subtropical climate. The lithology of the site is predominantly clay. [1]
| Fish of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Parvodus | P. celsucuspus | Teeth | Hybodont shark | |||
| Cf. Micropycnodon | Indeterminate | Teeth | Mesturid pycnodontiform fish | |||
| Pycnodontidae | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
| Ginglymodi | Indeterminate | Teeth and ganoid scales | ||||
| Amiiformes | Indeterminate | "teeth, jaw remains and vertebrae" | ||||
| Ionoscopiformes | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
| Amphibians of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Albanerpetontidae | Indeterminate | "dentaries, premaxillae, maxillae, vertebrae and forelimb bones" | ||||
| Anura | Indeterminate | Fragmentary bones | ||||
| ?Caudata | Indeterminate | Vertebra | An assignment to Squamata cannot be excluded | |||
| Turtles of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Pleurosternon | P. bullockii | At least 12 individuals as well as one complete shell | Pleurosternid paracryptodire | |||
| Hylaeochelys | H. belli? | "many isolated plates and one incomplete specimen discovered in 2018, consisting of parts of the plastron, some peripherals and both humeri" | Thalassochelydian, represented by juveniles | |||
| Helochelydridae | Indeterminate | "incomplete isolated shell elements covered by typical tubercles, pustules and crests" | ||||
| Lepidosaurs of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| cf. Opisthias | Indeterminate | "posterior dentary fragment bearing two preserved acrodont teeth in addition to seven broken teeth" | Sphenodontian | |||
| Paramacellodus | Indeterminate | "jaw fragment bearing two closely spaced teeth" | Paramacellodid lizard | |||
| Choristoderes of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| cf. Cteniogenys | Indeterminate | "A characteristic robust vertebra, as well as a smaller vertebra that probably belongs to a juvenile individual" | ||||
| Pterosaurs of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Pterosauria | Indeterminate | Teeth of three distinct morphotypes, at least some of which belong to pterodactyloids | ||||
| Crocodyliforms of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Goniopholis | Indeterminate | "skull, mandibles, vertebrae, limb, girdle bones and osteoderms" belonging to a single individual, along with other isolated remains | Goniopholidid | |||
| Pholidosaurus | Teeth | Pholidosaurid | ||||
| Theriosuchus | Teeth | Atoposaurid | ||||
| Bernissartiidae | Teeth | |||||
| Ornithischians of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| cf. Echinodon | Indeterminate | Two premaxillary teeth | Heterodontosaurid | |||
| Dacentrurus sensu lato | 84 skeletal elements, including vertebrae, ribs, several phalanges and elements of the braincase, likely belonging to a single individual | Dacentrurine stegosaur | ||||
| Hypsilophodontidae | Premaxillary tooth, maxillary tooth and dentary tooth | Similar to Hypsilophodon | ||||
| Camptosauridae | Dentary tooth, femur | |||||
| Ankylosauria | Tooth and osteoderm | |||||
| Sauropods of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Turiasauria (="Francoposeidon") | Indeterminate | "braincase, some skull bones, teeth, cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, chevrons, pelvic girdle and all the limb bones" alongside isolated teeth, belonging to at least 7 individuals | All belongs to a single taxon |  | ||
| Macronaria | Indeterminate | Two teeth | Probably closely related to Camarasaurus | |||
| Theropods of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| cf. Nuthetes | Indeterminate | Several teeth | Dromaeosaurid | |||
| Ornithomimosauria | Undescribed | Isolated remains of at least 70 individuals representing almost all of the skeleton | Most abundant fossil at the site | |||
| ?Megalosauridae | Indeterminate | large (> 3 cm) blade–like teeth | Likely assignable to a single taxon, possibly assignable to other groups of basal tetanurans | |||
| Tyrannosauroidea | Indeterminate | 8 teeth | ||||
| Archaeopterygidae | Indeterminate | 5 teeth | ||||
| Mammals of the Angeac bed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Thereuodon | T. cf. taraktes | Isolated tooth crown | Symmetrodont | |||
| ? Gobiconodon | Indeterminate | Gobiconodontid | ||||
| ? Triconodon | Almost complete tooth | Triconodontid | ||||
| Sunnyodon | Indeterminate | Premolar | ?Paulchoffatiid Multituberculate | |||
| Spalacotherium | S. evansae | Three teeth | Spalacotheriid | |||
| Peramus | Indeterminate | Peramurid | ||||
| Dryolestidae | Indeterminate | two fragmentary molars | Closely related to Guimarotodus and Phascolestes | |||
| Pinheirodontidae | Indeterminate | Numerous teeth | Multituberculate | |||
Sunnyodon is a genus of tiny, extinct mammal, probably of the Lower Cretaceous. Found in what is now southern England and Denmark, it was a relatively early member of the extinct order of Multituberculata. It is part of the suborder Plagiaulacida and family Paulchoffatiidae.
Choristodera is an extinct order of semiaquatic diapsid reptiles that ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Triassic, to the Miocene. Choristoderes are morphologically diverse, with the best known members being the crocodile-like neochoristoderes such as Champsosaurus. Other choristoderans had lizard-like or long necked morphologies. Choristoderes appear to have been confined to the Northern Hemisphere, having been found in North America, Asia, and Europe, and possibly also North Africa. Choristoderes are generally thought to be derived neodiapsids that are close relatives or members of Sauria.
Neovenator is a genus of carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur. It is known from several skeletons found in the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, southern England. It is one of the best known theropod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of Europe.
Dacentrurus, originally known as Omosaurus, is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of Europe. Its type species, Omosaurus armatus, was named in 1875, based on a skeleton found in a clay pit in the Kimmeridge Clay in Swindon, England. In 1902 the genus was renamed Dacentrurus because the name Omosaurus had already been used for a crocodylian. After 1875, half a dozen other species would be named but perhaps only Dacentrurus armatus is valid. Finds of this animal have been limited and much of its appearance is uncertain. It was a heavily built quadrupedal herbivore, adorned with plates and spikes, reaching 8–9 metres (26–30 ft) in length and 5 metric tons in body mass.
Echinodon is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur that lived during the earliest Cretaceous of southern England and possibly western France in the Berriasian epoch. The first specimens were jaw bones named Echinodon becklesii by Sir Richard Owen in 1861, and since their original description only additional teeth have been discovered. The specific name honours collector Samuel Beckles who discovered the material of Echinodon and many other taxa from across England, while the genus name translates as "prickly tooth" in reference to the dental anatomy of the taxon.
Goniopholis is an extinct genus of goniopholidid crocodyliform that lived in Europe during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Like other goniopholidids, it resembled living crocodilians, and probably had a similar ecology as semi-aquatic ambush predators.
Nuthetes is the name given to a genus of theropod dinosaur, likely a dromaeosaurid, known only from fossil teeth and jaw fragments found in rocks of the middle Berriasian age in the Cherty Freshwater Member of the Lulworth Formation in England and also the Angeac-Charente bonebed in France. As a dromaeosaurid, Nuthetes would have been a small predator.
Archaeopterygidae is a group of maniraptoran dinosaurs, known from the latest Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous of Europe. In most current classifications, it contains only the genera Archaeopteryx and Wellnhoferia. As its name suggests, Protarchaeopteryx was also once referred to this group, but most paleontologists now consider it an oviraptorosaur. Other referred genera, like Jurapteryx, Wellnhoferia, and "Proornis", are probably synonymous with Archaeopteryx or do not belong into this group. Jinfengopteryx was originally described as an archaeopterygid, though it was later shown to be a troodontid. A few studies have recovered Anchiornis and Xiaotingia to also be members of the Archaeopterygidae, though most subsequent analyses have failed to arrive at the same result. Uncertainties still exist, however, and it may not be possible to confidently state whether archaeopterygids are more closely related to modern birds or to deinonychosaurs barring new and better specimens of relevant species. Teeth attributable to archaeopterygids are known from the earliest Cretaceous (Berriasian) Cherves-de-Cognac locality and the Angeac-Charente bonebed of France.
Turiasauria is an unranked clade of basal sauropod dinosaurs known from Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous deposits in Europe, North America, and Africa.
The Albanerpetontidae are an extinct family of small amphibians, native to the Northern Hemisphere during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The only members of the order Allocaudata, they are thought to be allied with living amphibians belonging to Lissamphibia. Despite a superficially salamander-like bodyform, their anatomy is strongly divergent from modern amphibians in numerous aspects. The fossil record of albanerpetontids spans over 160 million years from the Middle Jurassic to the beginning of the Pleistocene, about 2.13–2 million years ago.
Opisthias is a genus of sphenodont reptile. The type species, Opisthias rarus, is known from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian) Morrison Formation of western North America, present in stratigraphic zones 2 and 4–6.
Cteniogenys is a genus of choristodere, a morphologically diverse group of aquatic reptiles. It is part of the monotypic family Cteniogenidae. The type and only named species, C. antiquus, was named in 1928 by Charles W. Gilmore. The holotype, VP.001088, was collected in the Morrison Formation, Wyoming in 1881 by William H. Reed. More specimens have been discovered since then, including specimens from the Late Jurassic of Portugal and Middle Jurassic of Britain, which have not been assigned to species.
Paramacellodus is an extinct genus of scincomorph lizards from the Early Cretaceous of England and France, and the Late Jurassic of Portugal and the western United States. The type species, Paramacellodus oweni, was named in 1967 from the earliest Cretaceous (Berriasian) Purbeck Group in Dorset, England. Additional material referable to a species of Paramacellodus, possibly P. oweni, has been described from the Morrison Formation, specifically in Como Bluff, Wyoming, and Dinosaur National Monument, Utah. An indeterminate species is known from the Berriasian aged Angeac-Charente bonebed in France. Paramacellodus belongs to an extinct family of scincomorphs called Paramacellodidae, which spanned most of Laurasia during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous and represented one of the earliest evolutionary radiations of lizards.
Albalophosaurus is a genus of ceratopsian ornithischian dinosaur. It was described in 2009 from remains found in 1997 by Yoshinori Kobayashi from the Kuwajima Formation of central Japan, outcropping in Hakusan in the Ishikawa Prefecture. The holotype, SBEI 176, consists of cranial bones from an incomplete, disarticulated skull and left lower jaw thought to belong to a single individual. The type species is named A. yamaguchiorum. The generic name is derived from Latin albus, "white", and Greek λόϕος (lophos), "crest", a reference to the snow-covered crest of Mount Hakusan. The specific name honours Ichio Yamaguchi and Mikiko Yamaguchi, who discovered and prepared many fossils from the site.
Pleurosternon is an extinct genus of freshwater pleurosternid turtle from the latest Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous of Europe. Its type species, P. bullockii was described by the paleontologist Richard Owen in 1853. Since then, and throughout the late 19th century, many fossil turtles were incorrectly assigned to this genus, though only two are currently considered valid.
The Helochelydridae are an extinct family of stem-turtles known from fossils found in North America and Europe spanning the Early to Late Cretaceous.
Stenorhynchosaurus is an extinct genus of pliosaurid plesiosaurs which lived in the Early Cretaceous of South America. The type species and only known is Stenorhynchosaurus munozi. It was a medium-sized pliosaur, reaching an adult body length of 7 m (23 ft).
Spalacotherium is a genus of extinct mammal from the Early Cretaceous of Europe. The type species Spalacotherium tricuspidens was originally named by Richard Owen in 1854, and its material includes maxillary and dentary fragments and many teeth from the Berriasian Lulworth Formation of southern England. Referred species include S. taylori, S. evansae and S. hookeri also from the Lulworth deposits, and S. henkeli from Barremian deposits of Galve, Spain. The Lulworth taxon Peralestes longirostris, named by Owen in 1871, is a junior synonym of the type species S. tricuspidens. Spalacotherium is the namesake taxon of the family Spalacotheriidae, which is an extinct clade within Trechnotheria that may be closely related to the Gondwanan clade Meridiolestida, or united with the family Zhangheotheriidae to form Symmetrodonta.S. evansae is also from the Berriasian aged Angeac-Charente bonebed in western France.
Thereuodon is a genus of extinct mammal known from the Early Cretaceous of southern England, Morocco and France. The type species, named by Denise Sigogneau-Russell in 1989 for teeth from the earliest Cretaceous Ksar Metlili Formation of Morocco, is Thereuodon dahmani, while the referred species named by Sigogneau-Russell and Paul Ensom for teeth from the Lulworth Formation of England is Thereuodon taraktes. The two species are separated by a break in the cingulum in T. dahmani, a more obtuse medial crest in T. taraktes, a duller stylocone in T. taraktes, a "c" cuspule in T. dahmani, and a reduced facet A in T. taraktes. The genus Thereuodon is the only taxon in the symmetrodont family Thereuodontidae, which may be closely related to Spalacotheriidae. A tooth referred to T. cf. taraktes is known from the Berriasian aged Angeac-Charente bonebed of France.