Ville Formation

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Ville Formation
Stratigraphic range: Neogene
20070812 Lackabzug Tagebau Garzweiler Miocene Frimmersdorf Sand Germany.jpg
Frimmersdorf sand and lignite
Type Geological formation
Location
Country Germany

The Ville Formation is a geologic formation in Germany. It preserves fossils dating back to the Neogene period. Lignite of the Ville Formation is excavated in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Contents

Description

The Middle Miocene Hambach 6C site located within the Ville Formation is believed to have been deposited in an estuarine setting in a large fluviatile system with extended coal swamps surrounding it, as supported by sedimentological and palaeobotanical evidence. Many tetrapod remains found in the Ville Formation are associated with tropical elements such as primates, chameleons and carettochelyine turtles, suggesting the age of the fauna to be at approximately 15.5 Ma during the Middle Miocene Climate Transition. The paleoflora of the formation also supports a tropical-like climate at the time of deposition. [1]

The younger late Pliocene (approximately 2.5 Ma) sites of Hambach 11 & 13 are believed to be deposited in oxygenated water and currents in a river channel setting in close vicinity to lakes or oxbows, as supported by sedimentological and palaeobotanical evidence [1]

Fossil content

Mammals

Rodents

Rodents reported from the Ville Formation
GenusSpeciesPresenceAgeMaterialNotesImages
Myoglis M. meiniHambach 6C. [2] Middle Miocene. [2] Numerous teeth. [2] A dormouse.
Steneofiber S. deperetiHambach 6C. [3] Middle Miocene. [3] 6 mandibles and 56 isolated teeth. [3] A castorid.
Steneofiber.jpg

Ungulates

Ungulates reported from the Ville Formation
GenusSpeciesPresenceAgeMaterialNotesImages
Orygotherium O. escheriHambach 6C. [4] Middle Miocene. [4] An isolated molar. [4] A ruminant.

Reptiles

Squamates

Squamates reported from the Ville Formation
GenusSpeciesPresenceAgeMaterialNotesImages
Anguidae Anguidae indet. 1Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 20 osteoderms (IPB-HaH 3700), caudal vertebra (IPB-HaH 3709). [1] An anguid lizard.
Anguidae indet. 2Hambach 11. [1] Upper Pliocene. [1] 2 caudal vertebrae (IPB-HaR 3009). [1] An anguid lizard.
Bavarioboa B. sp.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 5 trunk vertebrae. [1] A boid snake.
Chamaeleo C. aff. andrusoviHambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] Right squamosal (IPB-HaH 3900). [1] A chameleon.
?Chamaeleonidae Tooth morphotype 1.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] Right maxilla (IPB-HaH 3901) & left maxilla (IPB-HaH 3902). [1] A chameleon.
Tooth morphotype 2.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] Right maxilla (IPB-HaH 3903). [1] A chameleon.
"Coluber""C." sp.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 42 trunk vertebrae. [1] A colubrid snake.
"Colubrinae""Colubrinae" indet. 1Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 57 trunk vertebrae. [1] A colubrine snake.
"Colubrinae" indet. 2Hambach 11. [1] Upper Pliocene. [1] A trunk vertebra (IPB-HaR 3001). [1] A colubrine snake.
Colubroidea Colubroidea indet.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 36 caudal vertebrae. [1] A colubroid snake.
Eoanilius E. sp.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 5 trunk vertebrae. [1] An aniliid snake.
cf. Falseryx cf. F. sp.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] A trunk vertebra (HaH-3830). [1] A tropidophiid snake.
Lacertidae Lacertidae indet. 1Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] Left maxilla (IPB-HaH 3701), two left dentaries (IPB-HaH 3702–3703). [1] A lacertid lizard.
Lacertidae indet. 2Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] Premaxilla (IPB-HaH3704), left dentary (IPB-HaH 3705). [1] A lacertid lizard.
cf. Naja cf. N. sp.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 6 trunk vertebrae. [1] A cobra.
"Natricinae"IndeterminateHambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 9 trunk vertebrae. [1] A natricine snake.
Natrix N. sp. 1Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 2 trunk vertebrae (IPB-HaH 3842; 3843). [1] A natricine snake.
N. sp. 2Hambach. [1] Upper Pliocene. [1] 4 trunk vertebrae (IPB-HaR 3010; 3401). [1] A natricine snake.
Pseudopus P. cf. ahnikoviensisHambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] Right dentary (IPB-HaH3706), left dentary (IPB-HaH 3707). [1] A glass lizard, material likely represents a juvenile. [1]
P. cf. pannonicusHambach 11 & 13. [1] Upper Pliocene. [1] Jaw elements. [1] A glass lizard.
P. sp. 1Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] Dorsal vertebra (IPB-HaH 3708). [1] A glass lizard.
P. sp. 2Hambach 11 & 13. [1] Upper Pliocene. [1] Right nasal, vertebrae & osteoderms. [1] A glass lizard.
Telescopus T. sp.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] A trunk vertebra (IPB-HaH 3853). [1] A colubrid snake.
Texasophis T. sp.Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 2 trunk vertebrae (IPB-HaH 3832; 3841). [1] A colubrid snake.
Vipera V. sp. ("Oriental viper")Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 8 trunk vertebrae. [1] A viper.
V. sp. (" aspis complex")Hambach 6C. [1] Middle Miocene. [1] 3 trunk vertebrae. [1] A viper.

Testudines

Testudines reported from the Ville Formation
GenusSpeciesPresenceAgeMaterialNotesImages
Carettochelyidae Hambach 6C. [5] Middle Miocene. [5] A peripheral bone (IPB HaH 3028). [5] A carettochelyid turtle.

Amphibians

Amphibians reported from the Ville Formation
GenusSpeciesPresenceAgeMaterialNotesImages
Euronecturus E. groguHambach 6C. [6] Late Orleanian (early Middle Miocene). [6] Multiple specimens. [6] A proteid salamander.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 Čerňanský, A.; Szyndlar, Z.; Mörs, T. (2016). "Fossil squamate faunas from the Neogene of Hambach (northwestern Germany)". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 97 (2): 329–354. doi:10.1007/s12549-016-0252-1. S2CID   132267739.
  2. 1 2 3 Nemetschek, Antje; Mörs, Thomas (January 2003). "Myoglis meini (de Bruijn, 1965 [1966]) (Mammalia: Gliridae) aus dem Miozän von Hambach 6C (NW-Deutschland)". Paläontologische Zeitschrift (in German). 77 (2): 401–416. doi:10.1007/BF03006950. ISSN   0031-0220. S2CID   131075063.
  3. 1 2 3 Mörs, Thomas; Stefen, Clara (11 January 2010). "The Castorid Steneofiber from NW Germany and Its Implications for the Taxonomy of Miocene Beavers". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 55 (2): 189–198. doi: 10.4202/app.2009.0013 . ISSN   0567-7920.
  4. 1 2 3 Rössner, Gertrud E.; Mörs, Thomas (2001-08-22). "A new record of the enigmatic Eurasian Miocene ruminant artiodactyl Orygotherium" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 21 (3): 591–595. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2001)021[0591:ANROTE]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0272-4634. S2CID   85657626.
  5. 1 2 3 Joyce, Walter G.; Klein, Nicole; Mörs, Thomas (2004). "Carettochelyine Turtle from the Neogene of Europe". Copeia. 2004 (2): 406–411. doi:10.1643/CH-03-172R. ISSN   0045-8511. S2CID   86333324.
  6. 1 2 3 Macaluso, Loredana; Villa, Andrea; Mörs, Thomas (January 2022). Mannion, Philip (ed.). "A new proteid salamander (Urodela, Proteidae) from the middle Miocene of Hambach (Germany) and implications for the evolution of the family". Palaeontology. 65 (1). doi:10.1111/pala.12585. hdl: 2318/1825718 . ISSN   0031-0239. S2CID   245471400.
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