Markus Poschmann | Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz Direktion Landesarchäologie (original) (raw)
Papers by Markus Poschmann
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 2024
Deep-time (=pre-Quaternary) maar lakes and certain other, hydrologically deep volcanogenic lakes,... more Deep-time (=pre-Quaternary) maar lakes and certain other, hydrologically deep volcanogenic lakes, are often excellent Konservat-Lagerstätten representing unique windows into past biota and ecosystems. Many deposits from such lakes contain animal and plant remains in extraordinary preservation, often with soft tissues or fine morphological and anatomical details preserved. Such Lagerstätten have the potential to provide in-depth information on a variety of organisms, which
is important for understanding their biology and ecology, their evolution and palaeobiogeography, but also for elucidating entire ecosystems with their numerous biotic and abiotic interactions. The formation of such Lagerstätten is intimately linked to volcanic processes, amongst which phreatomagmatic explosions that formed maar-diatreme volcanoes are probably the most important, but also other volcanic processes can lead to the formation of deep volcanogenic lakes (e.g. in certain calderas).
Maar lakes and other volcanogenic Konservat-Lagerstätten occur in a large number of volcanically active regions worldwide, although older deposits are often difficult to access as they are more likely to be eroded or covered by younger deposits. The accessibility of many of the better-known localities is often connected to the mining of natural resources,
ranging from diamonds, to volcanic rocks such as basalts to the lacustrine sediments that may have filled volcanic craters, including diatomites and ‘oil-shales’. Most or even all of the maar and other volcanogenic lakes presented here in greater detail, can be considered as important geoheritage sites. Although currently some of these deposits have at least some kind of legal protection as monuments of natural heritage, others remain in danger of being exploited commercially for natural
resources and hence, ultimately destroyed. Moreover, many scientific questions related to these ancient lakes and their biota covered here in more detail, as well as those related to lakes only briefly mentioned in passing, have not been posed, let alone answered. This makes maar lakes and other volcanogenic lakes important resources for present-day and future research. The present contribution should be seen as a global call to scientists to find further localities that represent similar volcanogenic
lacustrine settings, as they may be the source of vital and surprising new information about the plants, animals, and environments of the past. Examples of pre-Quaternary maar and other volcanogenic lakes that are presented here in greater detail include the following localities: Paleocene: Menat (France); Eocene: Messel, Eckfeld (Germany), Mahenge (Tanzania);
Oligocene: Enspel, Rott, Hammerunterwiesenthal, Baruth, Kleinsaubernitz (Germany); Miocene: Foulden Maar, Hindon Maar Complex (New Zealand), Randeck Maar, Hirnkopf-Maar, Höwenegg, Öhningen (Germany); Pliocene: Ruppach- Goldhausen (Germany), Camp dels Ninots (Spain).
Palaeobiodiversity and palaeoenvironments, Jun 1, 2024
Palaeobiodiversity and palaeoenvironments, Feb 8, 2024
Journal of Paleontology, Jan 14, 2024
PalZ
New grylloblattidan insect specimens from the early Permian (Asselian to early Sakmarian) Meisenh... more New grylloblattidan insect specimens from the early Permian (Asselian to early Sakmarian) Meisenheim Formation of the Saar-Nahe Basin in southwest Germany are described. The most abundant specimens are assigned to Pictoborella germanica (Prokop et al. in Geodiversitas 34: 271–281, 2012) and to Oborella brauckmanni Prokop et al., 2012. Morphological variation in these taxa is documented and discussed. Two new species, Oborella moschelensis sp. nov., and Artinska glanensis sp. nov., represented by one and three specimens, respectively, are proposed. A possible forewing of undetermined Liomopteridae is also recorded. With respect to grylloblattidans, the insects of the Meisenheim Formation reveal a decidedly Permian character.
Senckenbergiana Lethaea, Dec 1, 2004
Recently collected material of Early Devonian eurypterids (Chelicerata: Eurypterida) from the Rhe... more Recently collected material of Early Devonian eurypterids (Chelicerata: Eurypterida) from the Rhenish Slate Mountains is described and compared to the reexamined type material of Drepanopterus struvei SrORMER, 1974 and Alkenopterus brevitelson STORNER, 1974, both from the ...
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Jul 9, 2004
Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 2021
Palaeontologische Zeitschrift, Sep 1, 1997
ABSTRACT
Alcheringa, Sep 1, 2013
ABSTRACT The type (and only known) specimen of Melbournopterus crossotus Caster & Kjelles... more ABSTRACT The type (and only known) specimen of Melbournopterus crossotus Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering, an enigmatic late Silurian fossil that was initially assigned to the eurypterid family Stylonuridae, is critically examined for the first time in 60 years. It is reinterpreted as most likely the dorsal valve of a craniate brachiopod, with prominent paired adductor muscle scars (described originally as ‘lateral eyes’) situated anteromedially, a short hingeline and a spinose anterior margin.James C. Lamsdell [lamsdell@ku.edu], Department of Geology and Paleontological Institute, University of Kansas, 1475 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA; Ian G. Percival [ian.percival@industry.nsw.gov.au], Geological Survey of New South Wales, W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry NSW 2753, Australia; Markus Poschmann [markus.poschmann@gdke.rlp.de], Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe RLP, Direktion Landesarchäologie, Referat Erdgeschichte, Große Langgasse 29, D-55116 Mainz, Germany. Received 12.10.2012; revised 13.12.2012; accepted 26.12.2012.
Decheniana : Verhandlungen des Naturhistorischen Vereins der Rheinlande und Westfalens
Die bei der Paläontologischen Baubegleitung der ICE-Neubaustrecke bei Aegidienberg (Siebengebirge... more Die bei der Paläontologischen Baubegleitung der ICE-Neubaustrecke bei Aegidienberg (Siebengebirge, W-Deutschland) von November 1998 bis April 2000 gewonnenen Fossilien wurden einer ersten Bearbeitung unterzogen. Rund hundert Fossilarten werden nachgewiesen. Neue Erkenntnisse zur Biofazies der Fundschichten werden erläutert. Die Stratigraphie der Fundschichten wird durch die Brachiopodenfauna auf Oberes Siegen festgelegt.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen
A new archaeorthopteran genus and species, Penanoptera manseri, is described from the Early Permi... more A new archaeorthopteran genus and species, Penanoptera manseri, is described from the Early Permian Niedermoschel black shale of the Saar-Nahe Basin in Germany. This is the fifth taxon of stem-Orthoptera from this stratum and underpins the importance of this insect assemblage in the context of Early Permian insect evolution.
Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 2023
In the Silurian, the suborder Caryocaridina of the phyllocarids was replaced by the suborder Cera... more In the Silurian, the suborder Caryocaridina of the phyllocarids was replaced by the suborder Ceratiocaridina as the dominant group. The latter did not achieve a global distribution until the late Silurian. In the early Silurian, ceratiocarids were a little-diversified group and palaeogeographically restricted mainly to Laurussia. Although previous studies have mentioned phyllocarid fossils from the Silurian of the South China plate, these have never been systematically described. This study describes three genera and four species (including one new genus, two new species, and two undetermined species), i.e. Cugocaris future gen. et sp. nov., Gonatocaris wuhanensis sp. nov., Gonatocaris sp. and Warneticaris sp., based on 38 phyllocarid specimens from the Fentou Formation in Wuhan. Cugocaris future gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished by an elliptic carapace ornamented by sinuous and anastomosing longitudinal striae, a styliform telson, and slender furcal rami. Gonatocaris wuhanensis sp. nov. is characterized by anastomosing longitudinal striae on the carapace, greatest carapace width in the centre of the carapace, and three different types of ornamentations on the surface of the abdominal segments. A phylogenetic analysis of 41 Palaeozoic phyllocarids reveals that Gonatocaris, Rolfecaris and Cugocaris gen. nov. form a monophyletic group. Thus, a new family, Gonatocarididae fam. nov., is proposed. This family is characterized by a carapace lacking median dorsal plate, rostral plate, a well-developed anterior carapace horn, and ornamented with prominent raised, wavy, anastomosing longitudinal striae. A palaeoecological analysis suggests that G. wuhanensis was a fairly active swimmer, while C. future was necto-benthic with relatively weak swimming abilities. This study not only extends the known morphological range of phyllocarids, but also has implications for the functional morphology, taxonomy, and evolution of archaeostracans as a whole.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen
Subcircular structures on the carapaces of the giant clam shrimp Palaeolimnadiopsis obenaueri fro... more Subcircular structures on the carapaces of the giant clam shrimp Palaeolimnadiopsis obenaueri from the early Permian Meisenheim Formation of the Saar-Nahe Basin are figured and described. These are interpreted as gastropod egg clutches. This is a rare occurrence of Palaeozoic gastropod egg deposition and the first case where this behaviour is reported in connection with clam shrimp carapaces.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen
The first phalangiotarbid arachnid from Waxweiler and the first trigonotarbid arachnid from Luxem... more The first phalangiotarbid arachnid from Waxweiler and the first trigonotarbid arachnid from Luxembourg are recorded and described. The fossils could be determined as Devonotarbus cf. hombachensis and Alkenia mirabilis, respectively. This expands the known geographical distribution of these rare Devonian terrestrial arachnids. Furthermore, some previously unknown anatomical details of Devonotarbus are figured and briefly described, namely leg podomeres and their dense cover with hair-like structures.
Papers in Palaeontology
We describe a new archaeostracan phyllocarid from the famous Early Devonian Hunsrück Slate, Germa... more We describe a new archaeostracan phyllocarid from the famous Early Devonian Hunsrück Slate, Germany. Morphological features suggest a new ceratiocaridid species for which we propose the name Ceratiocaris harpago sp. nov. The exceptionally well‐preserved holotype specimen is the most completely known ceratiocaridid with an almost entire set of appendages including biflagellate antenniform antennules, robust uniramous antennae with hook‐like flagellum, thoracopods densely covered with setae and probably six pairs of pleopods. A nectobenthic lifestyle is considered the most probable and the clasper‐like morphology of the antennae suggests the presence of a sexual dimorphism in this taxon, with the holotype specimen being a male individual.
Papers in Palaeontology
Glosselytrodeans are enigmatic extinct (Permian–Jurassic) insects classified in their own order. ... more Glosselytrodeans are enigmatic extinct (Permian–Jurassic) insects classified in their own order. The monophyly of Glosselytrodea is not universally accepted and its large‐scale relationships remain problematic, namely because its diversity is largely known from hardened (i.e. tegmenized/‘elytrized’) forewings of allegedly derived forms. Thus, new data on the group’s early diversity and/or complete specimens are critical. Herein we describe the oldest glosselytrodean known,Moscheloptera phantasmagen. et sp. nov. (Permoberothidae), based on a forewing from the Niedermoschel black shale (Germany; early Permian). The holotype ofPermoberotha villosaTillyard (Permoberothidae) (a forewing) and a previously described complete conspecific specimen, both from Elmo (USA; early Permian), are reassessed and photographically figured for the first time. A new, completeP. villosaspecimen from Elmo preserves body structures hitherto not reported among glosselytrodeans, including complex pretarsal cl...
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen
Two new palaeomantid species are described, viz., Delopterinus alsenzensis sp. nov. and Delopteru... more Two new palaeomantid species are described, viz., Delopterinus alsenzensis sp. nov. and Delopterum novokshonovi sp. nov. from the Early Permian Niedermoschel black shale of the Saar-Nahe Basin in Germany. A third Palaeomantidae is also described and figured but not named. While the genus Delopterum is already recorded from the Permian of Western Europe, the genus Delopterinus was previously only known by two species from New Mexico. These small insects were clearly widespread in all the Northern part of Pangea during the Permian.
Historical Biology, Apr 21, 2022
Permoridium fresenaci gen. et sp. nov., the oldest putative representative of the bug suborder Co... more Permoridium fresenaci gen. et sp. nov., the oldest putative representative of the bug suborder Coleorrhyncha is described from the lower Permian of Germany, in the new family Permoridiidae. The main autapomorphies of the new taxon are the separation of M+CuA from R at extreme wing base and the veins CuP and PCu strongly appressed. Its position in the Hemiptera is discussed. Its attribution to the modern Coleorrhyncha is supported by the putative synapomorphies ‘a very long and well-defined ScP, ending into RA’, ‘ScP appressed R+M+CuA at extreme wing base’, and ‘a strong ScA, distant from costal vein and with a short anterior branch at its extreme base, ending into C, plus posterior branches’. The relationships of the extinct families Hoploridiidae, Karabasiidae, and Progonocimicidae with the extant Coleorrhyncha are discussed.
The ammonoids from the well-studied German Fossillagerstätte of the Hunsrück Slate have the reput... more The ammonoids from the well-studied German Fossillagerstätte of the Hunsrück Slate have the reputation of being the oldest known representatives of this cephalopod group. This material is of great interest not only because of the global scarcity of the earliest ammonoids, but also because it includes the first record of stratigraphically-controlled specimens, which could be assigned to the middle Kaub Formation in the Bundenbach/Gemünden area. Accordingly, some of the Hunsrück Slate ammonoids are indeed the stratigraphically oldest ammonoids because they are associated with the index dacryoconarid Nowakia praecursor and thus derive from the Nowakia zlichovensis Biozone of the early Emsian (Zlíchovian), while younger dacryoconarids and other ammonoid samples (Mimagoniatites fecundus, Mimosphinctes tripartitus) indicate the Nowakia barrandei to N. elegans biozones. In spite of this special importance, these Early Devonian cephalopods have never been revised comprehensively.Our study includesmore than 300 Hunsrück Slate specimens from both public and private collections. For the first time, ammonoids from the Altlay Hunsrück Slate in the Northern Hunsrück/Mosel region are reported, while all the materials from older collections derive from the middle Kaub Formation of the Central Hunsrück Basin (central Hunsrück, Taunus). These early ammonoids thus prove to be a valuable source of information for biostratigraphic correlation within the Hunsrück Slate and with early Emsian occurrences in other regions. Based on conch characters (geometry, ornament, suture lines) and ontogenetic traits, we describe the species Metabactrites fuchsi n. sp., Ivoites hunsrueckianus (Erben 1960), Ivoites schindewolfi n. sp., ?Ivoites sp., ?Ivoites opitzi n. sp., Anetoceras mittmeyeri n. sp., Erbenoceras advolvens (Erben 1960), Erbenoceras solitarium (Barrande 1865), Chebbites sp., Mimosphinctes primigenitus (Erben 1965), Mimosphinctes tripartitus Eichenberg, 1931, Gyroceratites heinricherbeni n. sp., ?Teicherticeras sp., and Mimagoniatites fecundus (Barrande 1865). Supposedly endemic species of the Hunsrück Slate such as “Anetoceras recticostatum Erben, 1962” and “Mimagoniatites falcistria (Fuchs 1915)” are here synonymized with the widely distributed species Erbenoceras solitarium and Mimagoniatites fecundus, both known to occur also outside Europe. Furthermore, we studied their taphonomy and assigned them to sevengroups of preservation.Theresults of this taphonomic study corroborate previous interpretations of the depositional environment and diagenesis. We also discuss the evolution of the shell in the earliest ammonoids and their closest relatives as well as structures (“Opitzian pits”) possibly caused by parasitic infestations of these early Emsian ammonoids
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 2024
Deep-time (=pre-Quaternary) maar lakes and certain other, hydrologically deep volcanogenic lakes,... more Deep-time (=pre-Quaternary) maar lakes and certain other, hydrologically deep volcanogenic lakes, are often excellent Konservat-Lagerstätten representing unique windows into past biota and ecosystems. Many deposits from such lakes contain animal and plant remains in extraordinary preservation, often with soft tissues or fine morphological and anatomical details preserved. Such Lagerstätten have the potential to provide in-depth information on a variety of organisms, which
is important for understanding their biology and ecology, their evolution and palaeobiogeography, but also for elucidating entire ecosystems with their numerous biotic and abiotic interactions. The formation of such Lagerstätten is intimately linked to volcanic processes, amongst which phreatomagmatic explosions that formed maar-diatreme volcanoes are probably the most important, but also other volcanic processes can lead to the formation of deep volcanogenic lakes (e.g. in certain calderas).
Maar lakes and other volcanogenic Konservat-Lagerstätten occur in a large number of volcanically active regions worldwide, although older deposits are often difficult to access as they are more likely to be eroded or covered by younger deposits. The accessibility of many of the better-known localities is often connected to the mining of natural resources,
ranging from diamonds, to volcanic rocks such as basalts to the lacustrine sediments that may have filled volcanic craters, including diatomites and ‘oil-shales’. Most or even all of the maar and other volcanogenic lakes presented here in greater detail, can be considered as important geoheritage sites. Although currently some of these deposits have at least some kind of legal protection as monuments of natural heritage, others remain in danger of being exploited commercially for natural
resources and hence, ultimately destroyed. Moreover, many scientific questions related to these ancient lakes and their biota covered here in more detail, as well as those related to lakes only briefly mentioned in passing, have not been posed, let alone answered. This makes maar lakes and other volcanogenic lakes important resources for present-day and future research. The present contribution should be seen as a global call to scientists to find further localities that represent similar volcanogenic
lacustrine settings, as they may be the source of vital and surprising new information about the plants, animals, and environments of the past. Examples of pre-Quaternary maar and other volcanogenic lakes that are presented here in greater detail include the following localities: Paleocene: Menat (France); Eocene: Messel, Eckfeld (Germany), Mahenge (Tanzania);
Oligocene: Enspel, Rott, Hammerunterwiesenthal, Baruth, Kleinsaubernitz (Germany); Miocene: Foulden Maar, Hindon Maar Complex (New Zealand), Randeck Maar, Hirnkopf-Maar, Höwenegg, Öhningen (Germany); Pliocene: Ruppach- Goldhausen (Germany), Camp dels Ninots (Spain).
Palaeobiodiversity and palaeoenvironments, Jun 1, 2024
Palaeobiodiversity and palaeoenvironments, Feb 8, 2024
Journal of Paleontology, Jan 14, 2024
PalZ
New grylloblattidan insect specimens from the early Permian (Asselian to early Sakmarian) Meisenh... more New grylloblattidan insect specimens from the early Permian (Asselian to early Sakmarian) Meisenheim Formation of the Saar-Nahe Basin in southwest Germany are described. The most abundant specimens are assigned to Pictoborella germanica (Prokop et al. in Geodiversitas 34: 271–281, 2012) and to Oborella brauckmanni Prokop et al., 2012. Morphological variation in these taxa is documented and discussed. Two new species, Oborella moschelensis sp. nov., and Artinska glanensis sp. nov., represented by one and three specimens, respectively, are proposed. A possible forewing of undetermined Liomopteridae is also recorded. With respect to grylloblattidans, the insects of the Meisenheim Formation reveal a decidedly Permian character.
Senckenbergiana Lethaea, Dec 1, 2004
Recently collected material of Early Devonian eurypterids (Chelicerata: Eurypterida) from the Rhe... more Recently collected material of Early Devonian eurypterids (Chelicerata: Eurypterida) from the Rhenish Slate Mountains is described and compared to the reexamined type material of Drepanopterus struvei SrORMER, 1974 and Alkenopterus brevitelson STORNER, 1974, both from the ...
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Jul 9, 2004
Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 2021
Palaeontologische Zeitschrift, Sep 1, 1997
ABSTRACT
Alcheringa, Sep 1, 2013
ABSTRACT The type (and only known) specimen of Melbournopterus crossotus Caster & Kjelles... more ABSTRACT The type (and only known) specimen of Melbournopterus crossotus Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering, an enigmatic late Silurian fossil that was initially assigned to the eurypterid family Stylonuridae, is critically examined for the first time in 60 years. It is reinterpreted as most likely the dorsal valve of a craniate brachiopod, with prominent paired adductor muscle scars (described originally as ‘lateral eyes’) situated anteromedially, a short hingeline and a spinose anterior margin.James C. Lamsdell [lamsdell@ku.edu], Department of Geology and Paleontological Institute, University of Kansas, 1475 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA; Ian G. Percival [ian.percival@industry.nsw.gov.au], Geological Survey of New South Wales, W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry NSW 2753, Australia; Markus Poschmann [markus.poschmann@gdke.rlp.de], Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe RLP, Direktion Landesarchäologie, Referat Erdgeschichte, Große Langgasse 29, D-55116 Mainz, Germany. Received 12.10.2012; revised 13.12.2012; accepted 26.12.2012.
Decheniana : Verhandlungen des Naturhistorischen Vereins der Rheinlande und Westfalens
Die bei der Paläontologischen Baubegleitung der ICE-Neubaustrecke bei Aegidienberg (Siebengebirge... more Die bei der Paläontologischen Baubegleitung der ICE-Neubaustrecke bei Aegidienberg (Siebengebirge, W-Deutschland) von November 1998 bis April 2000 gewonnenen Fossilien wurden einer ersten Bearbeitung unterzogen. Rund hundert Fossilarten werden nachgewiesen. Neue Erkenntnisse zur Biofazies der Fundschichten werden erläutert. Die Stratigraphie der Fundschichten wird durch die Brachiopodenfauna auf Oberes Siegen festgelegt.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen
A new archaeorthopteran genus and species, Penanoptera manseri, is described from the Early Permi... more A new archaeorthopteran genus and species, Penanoptera manseri, is described from the Early Permian Niedermoschel black shale of the Saar-Nahe Basin in Germany. This is the fifth taxon of stem-Orthoptera from this stratum and underpins the importance of this insect assemblage in the context of Early Permian insect evolution.
Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 2023
In the Silurian, the suborder Caryocaridina of the phyllocarids was replaced by the suborder Cera... more In the Silurian, the suborder Caryocaridina of the phyllocarids was replaced by the suborder Ceratiocaridina as the dominant group. The latter did not achieve a global distribution until the late Silurian. In the early Silurian, ceratiocarids were a little-diversified group and palaeogeographically restricted mainly to Laurussia. Although previous studies have mentioned phyllocarid fossils from the Silurian of the South China plate, these have never been systematically described. This study describes three genera and four species (including one new genus, two new species, and two undetermined species), i.e. Cugocaris future gen. et sp. nov., Gonatocaris wuhanensis sp. nov., Gonatocaris sp. and Warneticaris sp., based on 38 phyllocarid specimens from the Fentou Formation in Wuhan. Cugocaris future gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished by an elliptic carapace ornamented by sinuous and anastomosing longitudinal striae, a styliform telson, and slender furcal rami. Gonatocaris wuhanensis sp. nov. is characterized by anastomosing longitudinal striae on the carapace, greatest carapace width in the centre of the carapace, and three different types of ornamentations on the surface of the abdominal segments. A phylogenetic analysis of 41 Palaeozoic phyllocarids reveals that Gonatocaris, Rolfecaris and Cugocaris gen. nov. form a monophyletic group. Thus, a new family, Gonatocarididae fam. nov., is proposed. This family is characterized by a carapace lacking median dorsal plate, rostral plate, a well-developed anterior carapace horn, and ornamented with prominent raised, wavy, anastomosing longitudinal striae. A palaeoecological analysis suggests that G. wuhanensis was a fairly active swimmer, while C. future was necto-benthic with relatively weak swimming abilities. This study not only extends the known morphological range of phyllocarids, but also has implications for the functional morphology, taxonomy, and evolution of archaeostracans as a whole.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen
Subcircular structures on the carapaces of the giant clam shrimp Palaeolimnadiopsis obenaueri fro... more Subcircular structures on the carapaces of the giant clam shrimp Palaeolimnadiopsis obenaueri from the early Permian Meisenheim Formation of the Saar-Nahe Basin are figured and described. These are interpreted as gastropod egg clutches. This is a rare occurrence of Palaeozoic gastropod egg deposition and the first case where this behaviour is reported in connection with clam shrimp carapaces.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen
The first phalangiotarbid arachnid from Waxweiler and the first trigonotarbid arachnid from Luxem... more The first phalangiotarbid arachnid from Waxweiler and the first trigonotarbid arachnid from Luxembourg are recorded and described. The fossils could be determined as Devonotarbus cf. hombachensis and Alkenia mirabilis, respectively. This expands the known geographical distribution of these rare Devonian terrestrial arachnids. Furthermore, some previously unknown anatomical details of Devonotarbus are figured and briefly described, namely leg podomeres and their dense cover with hair-like structures.
Papers in Palaeontology
We describe a new archaeostracan phyllocarid from the famous Early Devonian Hunsrück Slate, Germa... more We describe a new archaeostracan phyllocarid from the famous Early Devonian Hunsrück Slate, Germany. Morphological features suggest a new ceratiocaridid species for which we propose the name Ceratiocaris harpago sp. nov. The exceptionally well‐preserved holotype specimen is the most completely known ceratiocaridid with an almost entire set of appendages including biflagellate antenniform antennules, robust uniramous antennae with hook‐like flagellum, thoracopods densely covered with setae and probably six pairs of pleopods. A nectobenthic lifestyle is considered the most probable and the clasper‐like morphology of the antennae suggests the presence of a sexual dimorphism in this taxon, with the holotype specimen being a male individual.
Papers in Palaeontology
Glosselytrodeans are enigmatic extinct (Permian–Jurassic) insects classified in their own order. ... more Glosselytrodeans are enigmatic extinct (Permian–Jurassic) insects classified in their own order. The monophyly of Glosselytrodea is not universally accepted and its large‐scale relationships remain problematic, namely because its diversity is largely known from hardened (i.e. tegmenized/‘elytrized’) forewings of allegedly derived forms. Thus, new data on the group’s early diversity and/or complete specimens are critical. Herein we describe the oldest glosselytrodean known,Moscheloptera phantasmagen. et sp. nov. (Permoberothidae), based on a forewing from the Niedermoschel black shale (Germany; early Permian). The holotype ofPermoberotha villosaTillyard (Permoberothidae) (a forewing) and a previously described complete conspecific specimen, both from Elmo (USA; early Permian), are reassessed and photographically figured for the first time. A new, completeP. villosaspecimen from Elmo preserves body structures hitherto not reported among glosselytrodeans, including complex pretarsal cl...
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen
Two new palaeomantid species are described, viz., Delopterinus alsenzensis sp. nov. and Delopteru... more Two new palaeomantid species are described, viz., Delopterinus alsenzensis sp. nov. and Delopterum novokshonovi sp. nov. from the Early Permian Niedermoschel black shale of the Saar-Nahe Basin in Germany. A third Palaeomantidae is also described and figured but not named. While the genus Delopterum is already recorded from the Permian of Western Europe, the genus Delopterinus was previously only known by two species from New Mexico. These small insects were clearly widespread in all the Northern part of Pangea during the Permian.
Historical Biology, Apr 21, 2022
Permoridium fresenaci gen. et sp. nov., the oldest putative representative of the bug suborder Co... more Permoridium fresenaci gen. et sp. nov., the oldest putative representative of the bug suborder Coleorrhyncha is described from the lower Permian of Germany, in the new family Permoridiidae. The main autapomorphies of the new taxon are the separation of M+CuA from R at extreme wing base and the veins CuP and PCu strongly appressed. Its position in the Hemiptera is discussed. Its attribution to the modern Coleorrhyncha is supported by the putative synapomorphies ‘a very long and well-defined ScP, ending into RA’, ‘ScP appressed R+M+CuA at extreme wing base’, and ‘a strong ScA, distant from costal vein and with a short anterior branch at its extreme base, ending into C, plus posterior branches’. The relationships of the extinct families Hoploridiidae, Karabasiidae, and Progonocimicidae with the extant Coleorrhyncha are discussed.
The ammonoids from the well-studied German Fossillagerstätte of the Hunsrück Slate have the reput... more The ammonoids from the well-studied German Fossillagerstätte of the Hunsrück Slate have the reputation of being the oldest known representatives of this cephalopod group. This material is of great interest not only because of the global scarcity of the earliest ammonoids, but also because it includes the first record of stratigraphically-controlled specimens, which could be assigned to the middle Kaub Formation in the Bundenbach/Gemünden area. Accordingly, some of the Hunsrück Slate ammonoids are indeed the stratigraphically oldest ammonoids because they are associated with the index dacryoconarid Nowakia praecursor and thus derive from the Nowakia zlichovensis Biozone of the early Emsian (Zlíchovian), while younger dacryoconarids and other ammonoid samples (Mimagoniatites fecundus, Mimosphinctes tripartitus) indicate the Nowakia barrandei to N. elegans biozones. In spite of this special importance, these Early Devonian cephalopods have never been revised comprehensively.Our study includesmore than 300 Hunsrück Slate specimens from both public and private collections. For the first time, ammonoids from the Altlay Hunsrück Slate in the Northern Hunsrück/Mosel region are reported, while all the materials from older collections derive from the middle Kaub Formation of the Central Hunsrück Basin (central Hunsrück, Taunus). These early ammonoids thus prove to be a valuable source of information for biostratigraphic correlation within the Hunsrück Slate and with early Emsian occurrences in other regions. Based on conch characters (geometry, ornament, suture lines) and ontogenetic traits, we describe the species Metabactrites fuchsi n. sp., Ivoites hunsrueckianus (Erben 1960), Ivoites schindewolfi n. sp., ?Ivoites sp., ?Ivoites opitzi n. sp., Anetoceras mittmeyeri n. sp., Erbenoceras advolvens (Erben 1960), Erbenoceras solitarium (Barrande 1865), Chebbites sp., Mimosphinctes primigenitus (Erben 1965), Mimosphinctes tripartitus Eichenberg, 1931, Gyroceratites heinricherbeni n. sp., ?Teicherticeras sp., and Mimagoniatites fecundus (Barrande 1865). Supposedly endemic species of the Hunsrück Slate such as “Anetoceras recticostatum Erben, 1962” and “Mimagoniatites falcistria (Fuchs 1915)” are here synonymized with the widely distributed species Erbenoceras solitarium and Mimagoniatites fecundus, both known to occur also outside Europe. Furthermore, we studied their taphonomy and assigned them to sevengroups of preservation.Theresults of this taphonomic study corroborate previous interpretations of the depositional environment and diagenesis. We also discuss the evolution of the shell in the earliest ammonoids and their closest relatives as well as structures (“Opitzian pits”) possibly caused by parasitic infestations of these early Emsian ammonoids