Quercy Phosphorites Formation
Geologic formation and lagerstätte in Occitanie, France
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The Quercy Phosphorites Formation (French: Phosphorites du Quercy; Occitan: Fosforits de Quercy) is a geologic formation and lagerstätte in Occitanie, southern France. It preserves fossils dated to the Paleogene period (latest Bartonian to Late Oligocene),[1][2] or MP16 to MP28 zones of the European land mammal age classification, ranging from approximately 38 to 25 Ma.
| Quercy Phosphorites Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: latest Bartonian-Late Oligocene ~ | |
| Type | Formation |
| Overlies | Fissure fillings in karstified Jurassic and Triassic rocks |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Phosphorite |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 44.3°N 1.6°E |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 42.8°N 2.0°W |
| Region | Occitanie |
| Country | France |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Quercy |
| Named by | Thévenin |
| Year defined | 1903 |
  Quercy Phosphorites Formation (France) | |
It qualifies as a Lagerstätte because beside a large variety of mammals, birds, turtles, crocodiles, flora and insects, it also preserves the soft tissues of amphibians and squamates, in addition to their articulated skeleton in what has been called natural mummies.[3]
The genera Quercylurus, Quercymegapodius, Quercypsitta, Quercypodargus, Quercycerta and Quercygama, and species Mosaicomeryx quercyi, Robiacina quercyi, Palaeophyllophora quercyi, Archaeomys quercyi, Eomys quercyi, Eucricetodon quercyi and Tarnomys quercynus, as well as the lizards Paraplacosauriops quercyi and Pseudolacerta quercyini and the insect Palaeortona quercyensis were named after the formation.
Description
The first phosphate deposits in Quercy were discovered in 1869 and published by Daubré and Trutat independently in 1871.[4] The first fossils from the formation were described by Delfortie (1872) and Gervais in the same year and extensively studied by Filhol from 1877 onwards. The first geologic investigation of the formation was performed by Thévenin in 1903, and apart from a description by Gèze in 1938, the paleontological richness was not studied until a team of researchers of the Universities of Montpellier and Paris visited the site in 1965.[5]
The karstified phosphate deposits are found from the Lot and Célé river valleys in the north to the left bank of the Aveyron in the south and from the Villefranche Fault in the east to the lacustrine deposits of the Aquitaine Basin in the west. The formation is found in fissures (karst) incising Jurassic and Triassic rocks east of Cahors.[6] The age of the fossiliferous unit, in which almost 12,000 specimens were found ranges from the MP16 to MP28 zones of the European land mammal age classification.[5] These ages correspond to the latest Bartonian to Chattian, from about 38 to 25 Ma.[7]
Paleontological significance
The Quercy Phosphorites Formation is a highly fossiliferous unit designated as a Lagerstätte due to the excellent preservation of fossils. The phosphorite conserves up to the nerves, digestive tract and stomach content,[8] insect larvae and other elements of the paleobiology in the formation. Nearly all Quercy fly pupae were preserved as isolated endocasts, of which many were still covered by the puparium, the hardened skin of the last larval instar.[9] The formation also straddles the Grande Coupure and shows diversity changes (number of species) of frog, salamander, lizard and snake fossil records across the formation.[10] It is assumed that the Quercy arthropods fossilized by a rapid fixation by phosphate-rich water followed by encrustation and mineralization.[11]
Paleofauna
The following fossils have been reported from the formation:[1][2][12][13]
Mammals
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Apatemyidae
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Note | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chardinyus | C. sp.[12] | An apatotheria. | ||||
| Heterohyus | H. (Chardinyus) nanus[12] | An apatemyid. | ||||
| H. (Gervaisyus) pygmaeus[12] | ||||||
| Gervaisyus | G. sp.[12] |
Artiodactyls
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachitherium | B. guirounetensis[13] | |||||
| B. lavocati[13] | ||||||
| Cryptomeryx | C. gaudryi[14] | |||||
| Dichobune | D. sigei[13] | |||||
| Dichodon | D. vidalenci[13] | |||||
| Iberomeryx | I. matsoui[13] | |||||
| Mosaicomeryx | M. quercyi[15] | |||||
| Paroxacron | P. bergeri[16] | |||||
| Plesiomeryx | P. cadurcensis[16] | |||||
| Prodremotherium | P. elongatum[15] | |||||
| Pseudamphimeryx | P. salesmei[13] | |||||
| Robiacina | R. lavergnensis[13] | |||||
| R. quercyi[13] | ||||||
| Tapirulus | T. perrierensis[13] | |||||
Carnivora
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amphicynodon | A. typicus[17] | Pech Crabet locality | Oligocene | Two hemi-mandibles | An early amphicynodontidae caniform | |
| Cephalogale | C. sp.[18] | A piece of hemi-mandible | ||||
| Cynodyctis | C. lacustris neboulensis[13] | Sainte Néboule | A mandible | An amphicynodontidae caniform. | ||
| Dinailurictis | D. bonali[19][20] | La Tuque | Oligocene. | Several holotypes consist of a fragment of the left upper canine, lower canine, distal right humerus, distal left ulna, and a proximal piece of the right femur. | A nimravid felidae | |
| Eofelis | E. edwardsii[21][22] | A nimravid | ||||
| E. giganteus[23] | Phosphorites du Quercy | A mandible | ||||
| cf. E. sp.[24] | ||||||
| Eusmilus | E. bidentatus[21][22] | Eocene/Oligocene | A edentulous hemi-mandible and a fragment of upper canine | A nimravid | ||
| Huntictis | H. minima | Gardiol 3 locality | Early Oligocene | A holotype consists of a dentition. | A small musteloid | |
| Mustelictis | M. cf. major[25] | A part of right hemi-mandible with alveolus of p1, p2, fragments of p3 roots, and p4-m1. | ||||
| M. aff. olivieri[25] | A holotype specimen consists of a skull and a hemi-mandible. | |||||
| Nimravus | N. intermedius[19][20] | MP 22 localities, La Plante2, Mas de Got and Valbro localities | Oligocene | A left hemi-mandible with m1 | A nimravid felidae. | |
| Pachycynodon | P. amphictina[26] | Oligocene | Multiple specimens consist of hemi-mandible and dentitions. | |||
| P. crassirostris[27] | ||||||
| P. cf. dubius[26] | ||||||
| P. cf. filholi[28] | ||||||
| Palaeogale | P. sectoria[22] | Valbro locality | Oligocene | A specimen consists of p4 dentition. | An early feliformia | |
| Peignictis | P. pseudamphictis[29] | Valbro locality | Early Oligocene | A posterior part of hemi-mandible | A carnivoran with uncertain affinities | |
| Quercylurus | Q. major[19] | Phosphorites du Quercy | Oligocene | A maxilla | A nimravid | |
| Storchictis | S. miacinus | Phosphorites du Quercy | Late Eocene | A mandible | An Amphicyonidae | |
| Wangictis | W. tedfordi[30] | Phosphorites du Quercy | Early Oligocene | A left hemi-mandible with c-m2 | An Amphicynodontidae |
Chiroptera
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hipposideros | H. pseudorhinolophus sehlosseri[12] | An early roundleaf bat. | ||||
| H. pseudorhinolophus trassounius[12] | ||||||
| H. pseudorhinolophus zbrjdi[12] | ||||||
| Leuconoe | L. lavocati[12] | An early vespertilionid bat. | ||||
| Palaeophyllophora | P. oltina[12] | An early hipposiderid bat. | ||||
| P. quercyi[12] | ||||||
| Stehlinia | S. bonisi[12] | An early natalidae bat | ||||
| S. minor[12] | ||||||
| Vaylatsia | V. garouillasensis[12] | |||||
| Vespertiliavus | V. gerscheli[12] | An early Emballonurid bat | ||||
| V. gracilis[12] | ||||||
| V. lapradensis[12] |
Creodonta
Euarchonta
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darbonetus | D. aubrelongensis[31] |
Hyaenodonta
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paroxyaena | P. pavlovi[32] | Phosphorites du Quercy | Late Eocene | A partial skull | A hyaenodont | |
Lipotyphla
Marsupials
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amphiperatherium | A. bourdellense[12] | Le Bretou Locality | Oligocene | |||
| A. lamandini[12] | ||||||
| A. minutum | ||||||
| Peratherium | P. bretouense[12] | |||||
| P. cayluxi[12] | ||||||
| P. lavergnense[12] | ||||||
| P. perrierense[12] |
Perissodactyls
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pachynolophus | P. bretovense[13] |
Primates
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptadapis | C. tertius[12] | An adapiform primate. |
Proeutheria
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pseudorhyncocyon | P. cayluxi[12] |
Rodents
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archaeomys | A. intermedius[13] | Pech du Fraysse | Oligocene | A theridomyidae rodent | ||
| A. quercyi[13] | Oligocene | |||||
| Bernardia | B. marandati[13] | |||||
| Blainvillimys | B. gemellus[13] | |||||
| B. gousnatensis[13] | ||||||
| B. langei[13][34] | ||||||
| B. rotundidens[35] | ||||||
| Elfomys | E. medius[13] | |||||
| Eomys | E. gigas[13] | Pech du Fraysse Locality | Late Oligocene | A specimen | An eomyidae rodent | |
| E. minus[13] | Pech du Fraysse Locality | A specimen | ||||
| E. quercyi[13] | Pech du Fraysse Locality | A specimen |
 | |||
| Eucricetodon | E. atavus[34] | |||||
| E. quercyi[13] | ||||||
| Gliravus | G. garouillensis[13] | |||||
| G. itardiensis[13] | ||||||
| Issiodoromys | I. limognensis[13] | |||||
| I. pauffiensis[13][34] | ||||||
| Palaeosciurus | P. goti[13][34] | |||||
| Paradelomys | Paradelomys spelaeus[13] | |||||
| Patriotheridcmys | P. altus[13] | |||||
| P. altus neboulensis[13] | ||||||
| P. sudrei[13] | ||||||
| Pseudoltinomys | P. gaillardi[34] | |||||
| P. major[13] | ||||||
| P. phosphoricus[13] | ||||||
| Sciuromys | S. cayluxi[36] | |||||
| S. rigali[13] | ||||||
| Tarnomys | T. quercynus[13] | |||||
| Theridomys | T. ludensis[13] |
Birds
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Note | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ameghinornis | A. minor[12] | Phosphorites du Quercy | Late Eocene | A specimen | An early european seriema | |
| Euronyctibius | E. kurochkini[37] | Phosphorites du Quercy | Eocene | A right humerus | An early nightjar | |
| Horusornis | H. vianeyliaudae[12] | La Bouffie Locality | Eocene | A specimen | An early accipitriformes | |
| Dynamopterus | D. velox[12] | Near Caylus | Oligocene | Almost complete right humerus | An extinct cuckoo bird, synonymous with Dynamopterus velox | |
| Itardiornis | I. hessae[12] | Eocene/Oligocene | A specimen | A Messelornithidae bird | ||
| Leptoganga | L. sp.[12] | |||||
| Necrobyas | N. minimus[12] | |||||
| Nocturnavis | N. sp.[12] | |||||
| Palaeoglaux | P. perrierensis[12] | An early owl | ||||
| Palaeotodus | P. escampsiensis[12] | Late Eocene | A specimen | An early todies | ||
| P. itardiensis[12] | Early Oligocene | A specimen | ||||
| Paleseyvus | P. escampensis[12] | |||||
| Primocolius | P. sigei[12] | Le Bretou locality | Eocene | A limb element consists of a practically complete left humerus | ||
| P. minor[12] | A near-complete right tarsometatarsal | |||||
| Quercymegapodius | Q. brodkorbi[12] | A Quercymegapodiidae bird | ||||
| Quercypodargus | Q. olsoni[37] | |||||
| Quercypsitta | Q. ivani[12] | La Bouffie locality | Late Eocene | A holotype specimen consists of three coracoids | An early offshoots of parrot | |
| Q. sudrei[12] | Fragmentary sets of postcrania, which consist of foot and wing bones | |||||
| Recurvirostra | R. sanctaeneboulae[12] | |||||
| Strigogyps | S. dubius | Phosphorites du Quercy | Late Eocene | A specimen | ||
| Sylphornis | S. bretouensis[12] | |||||
| Ventivorus | V. ragei[12] | Le Bertou Locality | An early nightjar | |||
Reptiles
Crocodilians
Lizards
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayalasaurus | A. tenuis[39] |  | ||||
| Bauersaurus | B. cosensis[40] | Cos Locality | Uppermost Early Eocene | The upper maxilla) and lower jaw fragments. | A pan-gekkotan lizard. | |
| Brevisaurus | B. smithi[39] | |||||
| Cadurciguana | C. hoffstetteri[12] | |||||
| Cadurcogekko | C. piveteaui[39] | |||||
| Cadurcopanoplos | C. vaylatsensis[41] | La Bouffie locality | Late Eocene | Two holotypes consist of a single incomplete frontal bone and a partial right mandible. | A Glyptosaurinae anguid. | |
| Dracaenosaurus | D. croizeti[39] | |||||
| Eurheloderma | E. gallicum[39] | |||||
| Geiseltaliellus | G. lamandini[39] | An early iguanian lizard | ||||
| Lavergnesaurus | L. lamarcki [42] | Lavergne | Bartonian | A left dentary | An early skink | |
| Mediolacerta | M. roceki[39] | |||||
| Necrosaurus | N. cayluxi[39] | |||||
| N. eucarinatus[39] | ||||||
| Omoiotyphlops | O. priscus[39] | |||||
| Paraplacosauriops | P. quercyi[39] | |||||
| Phosphoriguana | P. peritechne[41] | La Bouffie Locality | Late Eocene | A single partial lower jaw | A probable member of pleurodonta | |
| Placosaurus | P. rugosus[39] | |||||
| P. sp.[39] | ||||||
| Plesiolacerta | P. lydekkeri[39] | |||||
| Pseudeumeces | P. cadurcensis[39] | |||||
| Pseudolacerta | P. mucronata[39] | |||||
| P. quercyini[39] | ||||||
| Quercycerta | Q. maxima[39] | |||||
| Quercygama | Q. galliae[39] | |||||
| Uromastyx | U. europaeus[39] | An early spiny-tailed lizard | ||||
Snakes
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadurcoboa | C. insolita[12] | |||||
| Coluber | C. cadurci[12] | |||||
| Dunnophis | D. cadurcensis[12] | |||||
| Eoanilius | E. europae[12] | |||||
| Natrix | N. mlynarskii[12][43] | |||||
| Palaeopython | P. cadurcensis[38] | |||||
| P. filholi[38] | ||||||
| P. neglectus[38] | ||||||
| Paleryx | P. cayluxi[38] | |||||
| Platyspondylia | P. lepta[12] | |||||
| Plesiotortrix | P. edwardsi[38] | |||||
Turtles
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptychogaster | P. cayluxensis[44] | |||||
| Testudinidae | indeterminate [44] | |||||
| Testudo | T. phosphoritarum[38] | |||||
Amphibians
- Frogs
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bufo | B. serratus[38] | Phosphorites du Quercy | Eocene | A specimen | An early true toad. | |
| Thaumastosaurus | T. bottii[38] | Phosphorites du Quercy | Eocene | A specimen | An early Pyxicephalinae frog | |
| T. gezei[3] | Phosphorites du Quercy | Eocene | A mummified preserved skeleton | |||
- Salamanders
| Genus | Species | Location | Time | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heteroclitotriton | H. zitteli[38] | Phosphorites du Quercy locality | Late Eocene | A specimen | An early salamander | |
| Megalotriton | M. filholi[38] | Phosphorites du Quercy locality | Late Eocene | A specimen | An extinct salamander | |
| M. portisi[38] | A specimen | |||||
| Phosphotriton | P. sigei[45] | Phosphorites du Quercy locality | Late Eocene | A mummified skeleton. | A frog-eating salamander. |
 |
Insects
Blattodea
| Family | Genus | Species | Location | Age | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Various cockroaches[46] |
||||||
Diptera
| Family | Genus | Species | Location | Age | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Various flies[46] |
||||||
Coleoptera
Hymenoptera
| Family | Genus | Species | Location | Age | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diapriidae |
†C. anka[47] |
Near Bach |
Paleogene |
An early Diapriinae wasp |
||
|
†Palaeortona |
†P. quercyensis[47] |
Near Bach |
Paleogene |
An early Diapriinae wasp |
||
| †Xenomorphia |
†X. handschini[47] |
Near Bach |
Paleogene |
An early Diapriinae wasp |
||
|
†X. resurrecta[9] |
Near Bach |
Paleogene |
An early Diapriinae wasp |
 | ||
|
Various wasps/ants/bees[46] |
||||||
Lepidoptera
| Family | Genus | Species | Location | Age | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Various butterflies/moths[46] |
||||||
Orthoptera
Myriapoda
| Family | Genus | Species | Location | Age | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Various centipedes and millipedes[46] |
||||||
Flora
| Family | Genus | Species | Location | Age | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indeterminate[48] |
Indeterminate[48] |
Indeterinate anacardiaceous fossils |
||||
|
Palmocaulon[49] |
Palmocaulon sp.[49] |
A palm tree relative |
||||
|
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate[50] |
indeterminate malvaceous fossils |
||||
|
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate menispermaceous fossils |
||||
|
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate sapotaceous fossils |
||||
|
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate ulmaceous fossils |
||||
|
Indeterminate[48] |
Indeterminate[48] |
Indeterminate vitaceous fossils |
||||
|
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate[50] |
Indeterminate caryophyllalean fossils |
