Short note on new records of late Turonian (Upper Cretaceous ...

Bulletin ofthe Czech Geological Survey, Vol. 76, No. 2, 101-106, 2001 © Czech Geological Survey, ISSN 1210-3527

Short note on new records of late Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) marine reptile remains from the Úpohlavy quarry (NW Bohemia, Czech Republic) BORIS EKRT - MARTIN KOŠŤÁK' - MARTIN MAZUCH - JAN VALÍČEK2 - SILKE

VOIGT

- FRANK WIESE4

1Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43 Praha 2, Czech Republic 3

2 Brněnská 1776, 434 01 Most, Czech Republic Geological Institute, University of Cologne, Zűlpicherstr. 49a, D-50674 Cologne, Germany 4 Institut fűr Palaontologie, FU Berlin, Maltensestr. 74-100, D-12249 Berlin, Germany

A b s t r a c t: Several pieces of skeletal remains of larger marine reptiles were collected in the Úpohlavy quarry (near Lovosice in NW Bohemia) during fteld trips in 2000. One bone accumulation contained about 5 bones. Typical plesiosaurid teeth came from the same level - the so-called "upper" coprolite bed. Average thickness of this horizon is about 0.5 m. It also contains a rich assemblage of shark and fish teeth, vertebrae and scales. Important ammonite fauna enabled a precise stratigraphic correlation and determination. A b s t r a k t : V průběhu terénních prací v roce 2000 bylo nalezeno několik kosterních pozůstatků mořských plazů v lomu v Úpohlavech u Lovosic. Byl také nalezen shluk čítající okolo pěti kostí. Typické zuby plesiosaurů byly zjištěny ve stejné stratigrafické úrovni - tzv. „svrchní" koprolitové vrstvě. Mocnost této polohy se pohybuje okolo 0.5 m. Obsahuje také bohatou asociaci žraloků a ryb - jejich zubů, obratlů a šupin. Velmi důležitá amonitová fauna umožnila přesné stratigrafické určení nálezu. K e y w o r d s : Upper Cretaceous, Marine reptiles, Bohemian Cretaceous Basin

Introduction Remains of skeletons of Upper Cretaceous marine rep­ tile are rare in the Czech Republic. In the past, remains of only four turtles (Reuss 1856, Laube 1896, Fritsch and Bayer 1905), one pterosaurid fragment (Fric 1880, Fritsch and Bayer 1905), reptile bones, doubtfully referred to Iguanodon by Fritsch (1878), problematic lizzard-like skeleton and several plesiosaurid and/or mosasaurid remains (see below) have been reported from the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (BCB). A. E. Reuss (1856) described isolated plesiosaurid teeth from Bílá Hora (lower Turonian) as Aptychodon cretaceus nov. gen. nov. sp., and, from the same locality, Fritsch (1878) reported the find of reptile teeth and bones, identified as Polyptychodon-interruptus Owen. Other records of this species come from Zámostí near Mladá Boleslav (Bayer 1897). From the abandoned quarries near Hudcov and Lahošť (NW Bohemia), late Turonian plesiosaurid phalangs were described by Fric (1889) and attributed to Plesiosaurus? sp. cf. P. bernardi Owen. Fritsch and Bayer (1905) revised this determination and favoured an open nomenclature but referred them to mosasaurid reptiles rather than to plesiosaurid. Some plesiosaurid bones from Lysá nad Labem were described as Cimoliasaurus (Plesiosaurus) lissaensis (Fritsch and Bayer, 1905), and Fritsch (1906) recorded plesiosaurid remains (described as Cimoliasaurus teplicensis and C. vicinus, respectively) from Hudcov and Chrást near Mladá Boleslav. Additional finds from Hudcov were presented by Fritsch (1910). Bayer (1914) revised all reptile discoveries from the BCB

and synonymised plesiosaurid genera (also including Fritsch's Iserosaurus and Hunosaurus) with Cimolia­ saurus Leidy, an interpretation partly rejected by Augusta and Soukup (1939) due to the incomplete and poorly preserved materiál. The latter authors also reported late Turonian plesiosaurid remains from Třebovice near Česká Třebová. An extraordinarily well preserved mosasaurid jaw was described by Zázvorka (1965) from Dolní Újezd near Litomyšl. In additon to these few records, a sampling campaign in autumn 2000 led to the discovery of ad­ ditional material in the Úpohlavy quarry (Upper Turonian), which will be briefly described here, in context with biostratigraphic data.

Geological setting and fossil-bearing horizon The Úpohlavy active quarry (Fig. 1) is located 70 km NW of Prague. It exposes exclusively Upper Turonian strata (lower parts of the Teplice Formation). While the lowermost exposed strata are characterized by dark marls poor in fossils, the higher and quarried part of the succession is composed of marl/limestone alternations. The facies turnover from the dark marls to the marl/limestone al­ ternations is foreshadowed by a conspicious horizon of the so-called Lower Coprolite Bed (Text fig. 2.), a calcareous intercalation in the dark marls. Only some distance above, a second coprolite horizon, the Upper Coprolite Bed is located, which is probably the fossiliferous horizon of vertebrate remains. This bed marks the finál turnover towards autochťhonous marl/limestone alternations.

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Boris Ekrt - Martin Košťák - Martin Mazuch - Jan Valíček - Silke Voigt - Frank Wiese

Fig. 1. Geographic position of localities with finds of marine reptiles. 1) Hudcov and Lahošť near Teplice, 2) Úpohlavy, 3) Zámostí and Chrást near Mladá Boleslav, 4) Bilá Hora (Prague), 5) Lysá n. Labem and Milovice, 6) Dolní Újezd near Litomyšl, 7) Tfebovice near Česká Třebová.

Both beds are developed in a similar, very characteristic manner. Lithologically, they consist of a silty clayey limestone with nodular intercalations, which can be referred to early diagenetic, cemented Thalassinoides burrows. Fossils (shark teeth, fish bones, gastropods, bivalves and ammonites) are common. The bases of the beds are sharp and undulating. Low accumulation rates are indicated by the common occurrence of phosphatic nodules and coprolites, and well developed bioturbation, which pipes down tens of centimetres into the underlying sediment. The sharp basal contacts, evidence of low accu­ mulation rates and sudden facies change from distal marls to more proximal sediments suggest ťhat these beds result from two short-term shallowing events. From the Upper Coprolite bed upwards, the recent field campaign yielded 10 ammonite species: Lewesiceras mantelli, ?Jimboiceras sp., Subpnonocyclus branneri, Scaphites geinitzii, Yezoites bladenensis, Sciponoceras bohemicum, Eubostrychoceras saxonicum, Hyphantoceras reussianum. In additon, Čech et al. (1996) recorded Allocrioceras sp., Sciponoceras sp. and Subpnonocyclus neptuni. This permits a precise stratigraphic interpretation of the Upper Coprolite Bed and, thus, the vertebrate remains. The assemblage is typical of the so-called "reussianum Fauna", known to occur at a comparable faunal composition from England to Kazakhstan (e. g., Wright 1979, Kaplan 1986, Metzdorf 1992, Marcinowski et al. 1996), and it is of a middle Late Turonian age (up­ per Subpnonocyclus neptuni Zone). Only few metres

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above, Mytiloides scupini was collected,the index taxon of the succeeding scupini inoceramid Zone of a terminal Turonian age. Other nektonic fauna is composed by the following fishes (preliminarily determined to a generic level): Coelodus, Osmeroides, Hoplopteryx, Enchodus and Dercetis (Benthesikyme) elongatus. Rich shark fauna is currently under study. Still, the following 18 taxa were de­ termined: Notidanus simplex, Acrodus affinis, Squalicorax appendiculatus, S. heterodon, S. kaupi, Gompbodus sp., Scapanorhynchus raphiodon, Cretolamna subulata, C. acuminata, Cretodus semiplicatus, C. acuminatus, Squatina lobata, Hybodus cristatus, Ptychodus latissimus, P. mammilaris, Ptychodus sp., Paranomotodon angustidens and Cretoxyrhina mantelli. This is a typical late Turonian shark assemblage.

Palaeontological Account - short descriptions Bones: Plate 1, figs. 3-9. The materiál studied consists of several incomplete fiat bones (kept in the collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Charles University, Prague; items PG Uy 2000/2 and 3, PG Uy 2000/5, 7-10 - Plate 1, figs. 4-5), two smaller vertebrae (Items: PG Uy 2000/1 and 6 - Plate 1, figs. 7-8), indetermined articulation (PG Uy 2000/11 - Plate 1, fig. 9), probably end of a fiat rib

Short note on new records of late Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) marine reptile remains from the Úpohlavy quarry (NW Bohemia, CzechRepublic)

with preserved articulation (PG Uy 2000/4 - Plate 1, fig. 6) and one larger fragment of a strong bone (PG Uy 2000/1 - Plate 1, fig. 3). The last mentioned bone has no preserved acetabulum and could represent a humerus and/or tibia. This fragment is 20 cm long and 5 cm wide. A precise identification is hindered by incomplete preservation of the materiál. Typical fiat bones probably belonged to the pelvic girdle. Longitudinal section of the ar­ ticulation is figured in Plate 1, fig. 9. The rest of the rep­ tile skeleton was not found except for very few, almost dissolved small bones in the vicinity. With respect to the presence of typical fiat bones and plesiosaurid teeth found only a few metres apart, the bones most probably belong to a plesiosaurid reptile. In addition, one crown of a typi­ cal mosasaurid tooth (Plate 1, fig. 1) was collected.

Fig. 3. Comparison of the teeth of the late Cretaceous marine reptiles and pterosaurs. a - plesiosaurid, b - ichthyosaurid, c - masasaurid, d - pterosaurid.

pointed oval with crown diameter of 0.7 cm. This tooth is a part of personál collection of Mr. J. Valíček. The materiál studied contains also some indetermined reptile teeth (Plate 1, figs. 10-13). Some of them slightly resemble the teeth of pterosaurids. However, some of them could belong to larger fish and/or unknown hybodont shark (as spinacles). Thin high conical tooth with two sharp margins (Plate 1, figs. 10-11) is 17 mm long. Very fine striation is well developed in the posterior part of tooth. Specimen figured here belongs to the personál collection of Mr. Jan Valíček. Second, slightly different tooth (Item: GP Uy 2000/12 - not figured here) is 15 mm long. Longitudinal section is more triangular and longitudinal ribs are markedly developed.

Fig. 2. Stratigraphic position of the find of marine reptile remains in the Úpohlavy quarry (NW Bohemia, upper Turonian).

Teeth: Plate 1, figs. 1-2, 10-13. Teeth of two types of marine reptiles were determined two plesiosaurid teeth and a single crown of a typical mosa­ saurid tooth. Both come from the upper coprolite bed and were found several metres from reptile bones in the same bed. One plesiosaurid tooth (Plate 1, fig. 2) is preserved in a longitudinal section with a part of crown and with typi­ cal alveolus. It is 3 cm long. The depth of the alveolus is 1 cm. Internal - dark materiál is phosphatized. Margins are light. Part of the crown is preseved in the most apical part. Very fine, almost invisible longitudinal striation is preserved in this part. The second tooth is very poorly and fragmentarily preserved and is not figured here. These teeth are a part of personál collection of Mr. J. Valíček. The small (0.8 cm long) phosphatic mosasaurid tooth Plate 1, fig. 1 is typically fine to coarse ribbed and curved. The end of crown is broken. Cross section of this tooth is

Two different types of indetermined fiat teeth were recorded, too (Plate 1, figs. 12-13). Specimen figured in Plate 1, fig. 13, is 16 mm long. The apical part is marked­ ly curved. Caudal margin is finely indented. Alveolus is fully developed. The surface of the tooth is covered by very fine striation. This tooth is a part of the priváte col­ lection of Mr. J. Valíček. The second specimen (GP Uy 2000/13 - Plate 1, figs. 12a, b) has no marked flexion de­ veloped. Caudal margin is straight, with visible indentation (see Plate 1, fig. 12b). Frontal margin is slightly incurved towards straight caudal margin. Fiat shallow depressions are developed in the centres of boťh sides. Striation is very fine and almost invisible. R e m a r k s : Plesiosaurid remains prevail in the upper Turonian deposits. They come mainly from former quarries in the vicinity of Hudcov and Lahošť (NW Bohemia). Further plesiosaurid remains were recorded from an al­ most identical stratigraphical level (Xa - see Zahálka 1921 and Krutský et al. 1975) from Třebovice (Augusta and Soukup 1939 - Text-fig. 1). High abundance and diversity of teeth of sharks and rays are marked in this hori­ zon. The body of dead reptile was probably fed on and transported by many predators. The prominent radiation of Neoselachii group (sharks) in the upper Turonian could have accelerated the decline and extinction of plesiosaurids and mosasaurids in the late Cretaceous.

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Fig. 4. A reconstruction of a part of the late Turonian nektonic assemblage recorded from the coprolite beds of the Úpohlavy quarry. Animals are not figured to scale! 1-3) fishes, 4) Cretolamna, 5) Cretoxyrhina, 6) Notidanus, 7-8) hybodont sharks, 9) Squatina, 10) marine reptile, 11-13) heteromorph ammonites, 14) nautiloid cephalopods.

Conclusions The remains of Cretaceous marine reptiles are poorly represented in the BCB (see part Introduction). The research at the Úpohlavy quarry confirmed their coexistence with abundant shark assemblage in the late Turonian deposits. Remains of marine reptiles were found in the socalled "upper coprolite bed", which represents one of the two similar shallowing events. These two short-term shallowing events probably provided suitable living conditions for marine reptiles. In addition, the skeletal remains and teeth belonged to smaller specimens. In špite of their presence, a rich shark assemblage was recorded, too. The largest sharks reached 5 metres in length (based on teeth and phosphatized vertebrae) and represented very dangerous competitors. Larger sharks were probably one of the most important reasons for the failure of marine reptiles. Two different reptile groups were identified - plesiosaurids and mosasaurids - on the basis of the teeth found. Other two or three reptile tooth types were not determined exactly. Some of the indetermined teeth could

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belong to pterosaurids, which is indicated only by their similar morphology. Larger materiál is needed to prove this opinion. The aim of this páper is to present new rare finds of marine reptile remains in the BCB. A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s : We ťhank Lafarge Cement Co. and particularly Mr. Filous for their research support and help at the Úpohlavy quarry. This research was supported by the grant projects of the GAUK 167B/Geo/1998 and DFG WI1656/3-1 and partly by the MSMT - MSM 1113100006.

References Augusta, J. - Soukup, J. (1939): Kritické poznámky k Plesiosauridům z české křídy a nový nález jejich zbytků u Třebovic. - Věst. Král. Čes. Společ. Nauk, Tř. mat.-přírodověd., 6, 1-27. Praha. Bayer, F. (1896): Kritický seznam plazův a ryb českého útvaru křídové­ ho. Spolu stručná zatímní zpráva o nových nálezech. - Věst. Čes. Akad. Vědy Slovesn. Umění, 5, 1-8. Praha. Bayer, F. (1897): Ještěr Polyptychodon Ow. Nový nález. - Věst. Král. Čes. Společ. Nauk, Tř. mat.-přírodověd., 27, 1-12. Praha. Bayer, F. (1905): Katalog českých fosilních obratlovců. (Fossilia vertebrata Bohemiae.) - Čes. Akad. Vědy Slovesn. Umění, pp 102.

Short note on new records oflate Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) marine reptile remains from the Úpohlavy quarry (NW Bohemia, Czech Republic) Bayer, F. (1914): Revise našich ještěrů křídových. - Rozpr. Čes. Akad. Vědy Slovesn. Umění, třída II, 23, 43, 1-7. Praha. Čech, S. - Hradecká, L. - Laurin, J. - Štaffen, Z. - Švábenická, L. Uličný, D. (1996): Record of late Turonian sea-level oscillations and synsedimentary tectonic activity. Stratigraphy and facial development of the Bohemian-Saxonian Cretaceous Basin. Field guide of V. International Cretaceous Symposium and Second Workshop on Inoceramids. Locality 3, Úpohlavy quarry - field trip B l . 32-42. Freiberg.

Theil. Der mittlere und obere Quader. - Cassel, Verlag von Theodor Fischer 1872-1875. pp 245. Kaplan, U. (1986): Ammonite stratigraphy of the Turonian of NW-Germany. - Newsletter on Stratigraphy, 17, 9-20. Krutský, N. - Váně, M. - Holá, A. - Hercogová, J. (1975): Turon a coniak v dolním Poohří. - Sbor. geol. Věd, Geol., 27, 99-142. Praha. Laube, G. C (1896): Pygmaeochelys Michelobana, ein neuer Schildkrótenrest aus dem bóhmischen Turon. - Lotos, XVI, 23-32. Praha.

Fric, A. (1880): Ueber die Entdeckung von Vogelresten in der bóhm. Kreideformation. - Sitz.-Ber. Konig. Bóhm. Gesell. Wiss., 33, 275-276. Praha.

Marcinowski, R. - Walasczyk, I. - Olszewska-Neijbert, D. (1996): Stra­ tigraphy and regional development of the mid-Cretaceous (Upper Albian through Coniacian) of the Mangyshlak Mountains, Western Kazakhstan. - Acta geol. pol., 46, 1-2, 1-60. Warszawa.

Fric, A. (1889): Studie v oboru křídového útvaru v Čechách. Paleontologické prozkoumání jednotlivých vrstev. IV. Teplické vrstvy. In: Archiv pro přírodovědecké prozkoumaní Čech, 7, 2, 1-113. Praha.

Metzdorf, R. (1992): Zur Fauna des Hyphantoceras-Event (Obereš Turonium) von Halle und Bielefeld (Westfalen, NW-Deutschland). Ber. Naturwiss. Ver. Bielefeld und Umgebung, 33, 271-331.

Fritsch, A. (1878): Die Reptilien und Fische der bóhmischen Kreidefor­ mation. - Prag, Verlag des Verfassers in Commission bei Fr. Řivnáč 1878. Praha, pp 44.

Owen, R. (1851-1864): A Monograph on the Fossil Reptilia of the Cre­ taceous Formations. The Palaeontological Society - London, 1851-1864. 118 p. Suppl. I. 1-44. Suppl. II. 1-21. Suppl. III. 1-30. Suppl. II. 28-39. Suppl. IV. 1-2.

Fritsch, A. (1905a): Synopsis der Saurier der bohm. Kreideformation. Sitz.-Ber. Konig. Bohm. Gesell. Wiss., 8, 1-7. Fritsch, A. (1905b): Vorlaufige Notiz uber Miscellanea palaeontologica aus Bóhmen und America. - Sitz.-Ber. Konig. Bohm. Gesell. Wiss., 21, 1-3. Fritsch, A. (1906): Uber neue Saurierfunde in der Kreideformation Bohmens. - Věst. Král. Čes. Společ. Nauk, Tř. mat.-přírodověd., 33, 1-6. Praha. Fritsch, A. (1910): Miscellanea palaeontologica. II. Mesosoica. - Fr. Rivnáč, pp 25. Praha. Fritsch, A. - Bayer, F. (1905): Neue Fische und Reptilien aus der bóh­ mischen Kreideformation. Prag, Selbstverlag in Commission bei Fr. Rivnáč, pp 33. Geinitz, H. B. (1872-1875): Das Elbthalgebirge in Sachsen. Zweiter

Reuss, A. E. (1856): Palaontologische Miscellen. - Wien, Der Kaiserlich. Kóniglichen Hof- und Staatsdruckerei 1856. p 18. Wiese, F. (2000): On some Late Turonian and Early Coniacian (Upper Cretaceous) heteromorph ammonites from Germany. - Acta geol. pol., 50, 4, 407-419. Warszawa. Wright, C. W. (1979): The ammonites of the English Chalk Rock (Up­ per Turonian). - Bull. British Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Geol. series, 31, 281-332. London. Zahálka, Č. (1921): Východočeský útvar křídový. Část severní s Klad­ skem a Slezskem. - Roudnice, Ministerstvo školství a národní osvě­ ty 1921. p 105. Zázvorka, V. (1965): Čelist mosasaurida ze svrchní křídy východních Čech. - Čas. Nár. Muz., Odd. přírodověd, 134, 4, 217-219. Praha.

Handling editor: J. Frýda

Explanation of Plate 1

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Fig. 1. A crown of a mosasaurid tooth. x3.5. Priváte collection of Mr. J. Valíček. Fig. 2. Cross section of a plesiosaurid tooth with a part of the crown pre­ served. Natural size. Priváte collection of Mr. J. Valíček. Fig. 3. A strong bone (x3). Collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/1). Fig. 4. Fiat bones (x3). Collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/5). Fig. 5. Hat bones (x3). Collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/7). Fig. 6. Fiat bones (x3). Collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/4).

Fig. 6. Fiat bones (natural size). Collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/4). Fig. 7. Vertebra (natural size). Collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/1). Fig. 8. Section of articulation (natural size). Collections of the Institute of Geol. and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/11). Fig. 9. A vertebra (natural size). Collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/6). Figs. 10-11. An indetermined tooth (x2) (Fig. 11 in natural size). Priváte collection of Mr. J. Valíček. Figs. 12a-b. An indetermined tooth (x2.5). Collections of the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (PG Uy 2000/13). Fig. 13. An indetermined tooth (x2.5). Priváte collection of Mr. J. Valíček.

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Boris Ekrt-Martin

Košták - Martin Mazuch - Jan

Valíček- Silke

Voigt- Frank

Plate I

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Wiese