Messel (Eocene of Germany)

Where: Hesse, Germany (49.0° N, 8.0° E)

• Paleocoordinates: 41.5° N, 13.2° E (Wright 2013)

When: Middle Eocene (47.8 - 37.7 Ma)

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - small; lithified shale

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: adpression, charcoalification, original carbon

Collection methods: bulk,

Primary reference: M. E. Collinson, S. R. Manchester, and V. Wilde. 2012. Fossil fruits and seeds of the Middle Eocene Messel biota, Germany. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Gesellschaft Naturforschenden 570:1-249 [H. Wang/H. Wang/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 140304: authorized by Hongshan Wang, entered by Hongshan Wang on 07.03.2013, edited by Mark Uhen

Creative Commons license: CC0 (CC0)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Angiospermae
  -
Carpolithus spp., Carpolithus callosaeoides
Carpolithus spp. Linnaeus 1768
Carpolithus callosaeoides Collinson et al. 2012
Dicotyledoneae
 Myrtales - Lythraceae
Decodon indet.
Decodon indet. Gmelin 1791
 Ericales - Sapotaceae
cf. Sapotispermum sp.
cf. Sapotispermum sp. Reid and Chandler 1933
 Ericales - Pentaphylacaceae
Cleyera sp.
Cleyera sp. Thunberg 1783
 Ericales - Theaceae
Camelliacarpoidea messelensis
Camelliacarpoidea messelensis Collinson et al. 2012 tea
Angiospermae
 Nymphaeales -
? Nymphaeales indet.
? Nymphaeales indet. Salisbury 1820
 Cornales - Cornaceae
Eomastixia cf. rugosa
 Cornales - Nyssaceae
Nyssa disseminata
Nyssa disseminata Kirchheimer 1937 tupelo
 Ranunculales - Menispermaceae
Menispermaceae indet., Palaeosinomenium sp., Palaeosinomenium venablesii, Palaeosinomenium ornamentum, Parabaena cf. europaea, Stephania hootae, Menispermeae indet., Karinschmidtia rotulae, Diploclisia rugulosa, Tinomiscoidea jacquesii, Wardensheppeya sp., Tinosporeae sp., Martinmuellera tuberculata, Cocculus lottii, ? Pericampylus sp.
Menispermaceae indet. de Jussieu 1789
Palaeosinomenium sp. Chandler 1961
Palaeosinomenium ornamentum Collinson et al. 2012
Parabaena cf. europaea Czeczott and Skirgiello 1967
Stephania hootae Collinson et al. 2012
Menispermeae indet. de Candolle 1817
Karinschmidtia rotulae Collinson et al. 2012
Diploclisia rugulosa Collinson et al. 2012
Tinomiscoidea jacquesii Collinson et al. 2012
Wardensheppeya sp. Eyde 1970
Tinosporeae sp. Hooker and Thomson 1855
Martinmuellera tuberculata Collinson et al. 2012
Cocculus lottii Collinson et al. 2012
? Pericampylus sp. Miers 1851
 Vitales - Vitaceae
Vitaceae indet., Parthenocissus britannica, Ampelopsis sp., Crassivitisemen wildei, Cayratia jungii, Palaeovitis sp., Vitis messelensis
Vitaceae indet. Jussieu 1789
Ampelopsis sp. Michaux 1803
Crassivitisemen wildei Collinson et al. 2012
Cayratia jungii Chen and Manchester 2007
Palaeovitis sp. Reid and Chandler 1933
Vitis messelensis Collinson et al. 2012 grapevine
 Rosales - Rhamnaceae
Berchemia mellerae
Berchemia mellerae Collinson et al. 2012 buckthorn
 Rosales - Ulmaceae
Cedrelospermum leptospermum
Cedrelospermum leptospermum Manchester 1987 elm
 Huerteales - Tapisciaceae
Tapiscia pusilla
 Sapindales - Rutaceae
Rutaceae indet., Rutaspermum messelense, Rutaspermum chandleri, cf. Toddalia sp.
Rutaceae indet. de Jussieu 1789 citrus
Rutaspermum messelense Collinson and Gregor 1988 citrus
Rutaspermum chandleri Collinson and Gregor 1988 citrus
cf. Toddalia sp. de Jussieu 1789 citrus
 Sapindales - Simaroubaceae
Ailanthus confucii
Ailanthus confucii Unger 1850
 Magnoliales - Magnoliaceae
Magnolia species
 Magnoliales - Myristicaceae
Myristicacarpum sp.
Myristicacarpum sp. Gregor 1977 magnoliids
  - Mastixiaceae
? Mastixia sp., Mastixioid indet., Beckettia indet., Mastixiopsis nyssoides
? Mastixia sp. von Blume 1826
Mastixioid indet. Collinson et al. 2012
Beckettia indet. Reid and Chandler 1933
Mastixiopsis nyssoides Kirchheimer 1936
Aves
 Gruiformes - Salmilidae
Salmila robusta1
Salmila robusta1 Mayr 2000 bird
 Gruiformes - Ameghinornithidae
Aenigmavis sapea3
Aenigmavis sapea3 Peters 1987 bird
 Coraciiformes -
Quasisyndactylus longibrachis2
Saportaspermum
  -
Saportaspermum kovacsiae
Saportaspermum kovacsiae Kvacek and Wilde 2010
 Strisores - Archaeotrogonidae
Hassiavis laticauda2
1Mayr 2002; 2Mayr 2004; 3Peters 2007