Published in: Witzmann, F. & Aberhan, M. (2012): Centenary Meeting of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft. Programme, Abstracts and Field Guides – Terra Nostra 3/2012: 82-83
Berriasian–Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) vertebrate faunas of northwestern Germany Jahn J. Hornung1, Annina Böhme1,3 & Mike Reich1,2 1
Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Abt. Geobiologie, GoldschmidtStraße 3, D-37077 Göttingen;
[email protected],
[email protected] 2 Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Museum, Sammlungen & Geopark, Goldschmidt-Straße 1-5, D-37077 Göttingen;
[email protected] 3 Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum Hannover, Naturkunde und Vivarium, Willy-Brandt-Allee 5, D-30169 Hannover The predominantly fluvio-lacustrine and subordinated brackish-marine deposits from the Berriasian through early Valanginian yield diverse vertebrate faunas. With the exception of a few specimens, these faunas are generally poorly documented.Here we provide a survey of vertebrate taxa from this area. For a better overview, we subdivide the dataset according to three key geographical areas (1 to 3, with different stratigraphic and facies settings). All records are based on first-hand observations of collection specimens and/or a few selected publications. This information will support further analysis of faunal composition and distribution, palaeoecology and palaeozoogeographical comparison with adjacent areas. [*] = Ichnotaxa and higher clades partially or entirely represented by ichnofossils. 1. South-central Lower Saxony mountainous region: 1a. Münder Fm., Serpulit Mbr., early Berriasian – Lacustrine, oligo- to hyperhaline facies Elasmobranchii: Hybodus spp.; Actinopterygii: Scheenstia spp., Callipurbeckia minor (Agassiz), Pycnodus mantelli Agassiz, Microdon hugii (Agassiz), Eugnathus sp., Pholidophorus splendens Struckmann; Crocodylia: gen. et sp. indet.; Pterosauria: Ctenochasma roemeri von Meyer. 1b. Bückeberg Fm., Obernkirchen Mbr., early to late Berriasian – Fluvio-lacustrine facies Elasmobranchii: Hybodus spp., Palaeoxyris jugleri (von Ettingshausen); Actinopterygii: Indaginilepis rhombifera Schultze, Scheenstia mantellii (Agassiz), Scheenstia sp., Callipurbeckia minor (Agassiz), Elopomorpha indet.; Testudines: Pleurosternon bullockii (Owen); “Emys” menkei Roemer, “Glyptops” typocardium, (Seeley), Chitracephalus sp.; Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria indet., ?Leptocleididae indet. (=Plesiosaurus degenhardti Koken); Crocodylia: Goniopholididae indet., Goniopholis simus Owen, Pholidosaurus schaumburgensis von Meyer, Pholidosaurus sp.; Pterosauria: Purbeckopus cf. pentadactylus Delair [*]; Theropoda: ?Tyrannosauroidea indet. [=Altispinax dunkeri (Dames)], Troodontidae indet. [*], “Bueckeburgichnus” maximus Kuhn [*], “Megalosauripus” isp. [*], div. (ichno)gen. et (ichno)sp. indet. [*]; Sauropoda: Brontopodus isp. (=“Rotundichnus muenchehagensis” Hendricks) [*]; Ornithopoda: ?Dryosauridae indet. [*], Iguanodontia indet. [*]; Ankylosauria: (?) gen. et sp. indet. (=?Hylaeosaurus sp.), Metatetrapous valdensis Nopcsa [*]; ?Ceratopsia: Stenopelix valdensis von Meyer. 2. Sehnde area, Lower-Saxony: Bückeberg Fm., Obernkirchen/Osterwald Mbrs., latest Berriasian to early Valanginian – Fluvio-lacustrine to brackish-marine facies Elasmobranchii: Hybodus spp., ?Egertonodus sp.; Actinopterygii: ?Scheenstia sp., Macrosemiidae indet. ? Leptolepidae indet., ?Ichthyodectidae indet.; Testudines: Pleurosternon sp.; Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria indet.; Crocodylia: ?Goniopholis sp., ?Pholidosaurus sp., ?Hylaeochampsidae indet.; Sauropoda: ? Brachiosauridae indet.; Ornithopoda: ?Owenodon sp. indet. 3. Gronau area, Northrhine-Westfalia: Bückeberg Fm., Osterwald Mbr., early Valanginian –
Lacustrine to brackish-marine facies Elasmobranchii: Hybodus polyprion Agassiz, Lonchidion crenulatum Patterson, Lonchidion cf. inflexum Underwood & Rees, Egertonodus basanus (Egerton), Lissodus sp., Petalorhynchus sp.; Actinopterygii: Microdon muensteri (Agassiz), Sphaerodus semiglobosus Dunker, ?Scheenstia sp., Caturus sp., Ionoscopus sp., Callopterus sp., Pachyrhizodontidae indet.; Testudines: Desmemys bertelsmanni Wegner; Sauropterygia: Brancasaurus brancai Wegner; Crocodylia: ?Goniopholis sp.; Ankylosauria: ? Hylaeosaurus sp.
