• Source: Quercy Phosphorites Formation

The Quercy Phosphorites Formation (French: Phosphorites du Quercy) is a geologic formation and lagerstätte in Occitanie, southern France. It preserves fossils dated to the Paleogene period (latest Bartonian to Late Oligocene), or MP16 to MP28 zones of the European land mammal age classification, ranging from approximately 38 to 25 Ma.
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.
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. 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.
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. 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. These ages correspond to the latest Bartonian to Chattian, from about 38 to 25 Ma.




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, 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. 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. It is assumed that the Quercy arthropods fossilized by a rapid fixation by phosphate-rich water followed by encrustation and mineralization.




= Fossil content

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The following fossils have been reported from the formation:



Mammals




= Apatemyidae
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Artiodactyls



= Carnivora
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= Chiroptera
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= Creodonta
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= Euarchonta
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= Hyaenodonta
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= Lipotyphla
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= Marsupials
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= Perissodactyls
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= Primates
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= Proeutheria
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= Rodents
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Birds




Reptiles




= Crocodiles
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Lizards



= Snakes
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= Turtles
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Amphibians

Frogs

Salamanders



Insects




Flora





References






= Bibliography

=
Map reports
Astruc, J.G.; Pellissié, T. (1988), Notice explicative de la feuille Cahors 1:50,000 (PDF), BRGM, pp. 1–39, retrieved 2020-09-13
Paleontology
De Bonis, Louis; Gardin, Axelle; Blondel, Cécile (2019), "Carnivora from the early Oligocene of the 'Phosphorites du Quercy' in southwestern France", Geodiversitas, 41 (15): 601–621, doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2019v41a15, retrieved 2020-09-13
Hooker, Jerry J (2018), "Eocene antiquity of the European nyctitheriid euarchontan mammal Darbonetus", Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 63: 235–239, doi:10.4202/app.00457.2018, retrieved 2020-09-13
Van de Kamp, Thomas; Schwermann, Achim H.; dos Santos Rolo, Tomy; Lösel, Philipp D.; Engler, Thomas; Etter, Walter; Faragó, Tomáš; Göttlicher, Jörg; Heuveline, Andreas Kopmann, Bastian Mähler, Thomas Mörs, Janes Odar, Jes Rust, Nicholas Tan Jerome, Matthias Vogelgesang, Tilo Baumbach and Lars Krogmann, Vincent (2018), "Parasitoid biology preserved in mineralized fossils", Nature Communications, 9 (1): 1–14, Bibcode:2018NatCo...9.3325V, doi:10.1038/s41467-018-05654-y, PMC 6113268, PMID 30154438{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Vasilyan, Davit (2018), "Eocene Western European endemic genus Thaumastosaurus: new insights into the question "Are the Ranidae known prior to the Oligocene?"", PeerJ, 6: 1–24, doi:10.7717/peerj.5511, PMID 30186689, retrieved 2020-09-13
Hugueney, M.; Maridet, O. (2017), "Evolution of Oligo-Miocene talpids (Mammalia, Talpidae) in Europe: focus on the genera Myxomygale and Percymygale n. gen", Historical Biology
Tissier, Jérémy; Rage, Jean-Claude; Laurin, Michel (2017), "Exceptional soft tissues preservation in a mummified frog-eating Eocene salamander", PeerJ, 5: 1–14, doi:10.7717/peerj.3861, PMC 5629955, PMID 29018606
Ginot, Samuel; Hautier, Lionel; Marivaux, Laurent; Vianey-Liaud, Monique (2016), "Ecomorphological analysis of the astragalo-calcaneal complex in rodents and inferences of locomotor behaviours in extinct rodent species", PeerJ, 4: 1–49, doi:10.7717/peerj.2393, PMC 5068370, PMID 27761303
Tissier, J.; Rage, J.-C.; Boistel, R.; Fernández, V.; Pollet, N.; García, G.; Laurin, M. (2016), "Synchrotron analysis of a 'mummified' salamander (Vertebrata: Caudata) from the Eocene of Quercy, France", Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 177: 147–164, doi:10.1111/zoj.12341
Mennecart, B.; Métais, G. (2015), "Mosaicomeryx gen. nov., a ruminant mammal from the Oligocene of Europe and the significance of 'gelocids'", Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 13 (7): 581–600, Bibcode:2015JSPal..13..581M, doi:10.1080/14772019.2014.948505
Laloy, F.; Rage, J.-C.; Evans, S. E.; Boistel, R.; Lenoir, N.; Laurin, M. (2013), "A Re-Interpretation of the Eocene Anuran Thaumastosaurus Based on MicroCT Examination of a 'Mummified' Specimen", PLoS ONE, 8 (9): e74874:1, Bibcode:2013PLoSO...874874L, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0074874, PMID 24086389
Schmied, Heiko; Schwermann, Achim H.; van de Kamp, Thomas; dos Santos Rolo, Tomy; Baumbach, Tilo (2013), Inside the Clown. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography reveals extraordinary details of internal and genital structures of 30 million old beetles, Joachim Reitner, Yang Qun, Wang Yongdong and Mike Reich (eds.) Palaeobiology and Geobiology of Fossil Lagerstätten through Earth History, pp. 1–218, ISBN 978-3-86395-135-1
Vianey-Liaud, M.; Schmid, B. (2009), "Diversité, datation et paléoenvironnement de la faune de mammifères oligocène de Cavalé (Quercy, SO France) : contribution de l'analyse morphométrique des Theridomyinae (Mammalia, Rodentia)", Geodiversitas, 31 (4): 909–941, doi:10.5252/g2009n4a909
Lavrov, A. V (2007), "New Species of Paroxyaena (Hyaenodontidae, Creodonta) from Phosphorites of Quercy, Late Eocene, France", Paleontological Journal, 41 (3): 298–311, Bibcode:2007PalJ...41..298L, doi:10.1134/S0031030107030094
De Franceschi, D.; Le Gall, C.; Escarguel, G.; Hugueney, M.; Legendre, S.; Simon-Coinçon, R.; Pélissié, T.; Sigé, B. (2006), "Une paléoflore des phosphatières karstiques du Quercy (Sud-Ouest France) : première découverte, résultats et perspectives - A paleoflora from the Quercy phosphorites Paleokarsts (Southwestern France): first discovery, results and perspectives", Strata, 13: 97–101, retrieved 2020-09-13
Rage, J.-C (2006), "The lower vertebrates from the Eocene and Oligocene of the Phosphorites du Quercy (France): an overview", Strata, 1: 161–173
Augé, M. L (2005), "Evolution des lézards du Paléogène en Europe", Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 192: 1–369
Blondel, C (2005), "New data on the Cainotheriidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the early Oligocene of south-western France", Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 144 (2): 125–166, doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00166.x
Wesley-Hunt, Gina D.; Werdelin, Lars (2005), "Basicranial morphology and phylogenetic position of the upper Eocene carnivoramorphan Quercygale", Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 50: 837–846, retrieved 2020-09-13
Peigné, S (2003), "Systematic review of European Nimravinae (Mammalia, Carnivora, Nimravidae) and the phylogenetic relationships of Palaeogene Nimravidae", Zoologica Scripta, 32 (3): 199–229, doi:10.1046/j.1463-6409.2003.00116.x
Peigné, S (2001), "A primitive nimravine skull from the Quercy fissures, France: implications for the origin and evolution of Nimravidae (Carnivora)", Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 132 (4): 401–410, doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2001.tb02467.x
Peigné, S.; Brunet, M. (2001), "Une nouvelle espèce du genre Eusmilus (Carnivora: Nimravidae) de l'Oligocène (MP 22) d'Europe", Geobios, 34 (6): 657–672, Bibcode:2001Geobi..34..657P, doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(01)80027-9
Peigné, S (2000), "A new species of Eofelis (Carnivora: Nimravidae) from the Phosphorites of Quercy, France", Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série IIA, 330 (9): 653–658, Bibcode:2000CRASE.330..653P, doi:10.1016/S1251-8050(00)00199-3
Legendre, Serge; Sigé, Bernard; Astruc, Jean Guy; de Bonis, Louis; Crochet, Jean-Yves; Denys, Christiane; Godinot, Marc; Hartenberger, Jean-Louis; Lévêque, Bernard Marandat, Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, Jean-Claude Rage, Jean Albert Remy, Jean Sudre and Monique Vianey-Liaud, François (1997), "Les phosphorites du Quercy: 30 ans de recherche. Bilan et perspectives - The phosphorites of Quercy: 30 years of investigations. Results and prospects", Geobios, 20: 331–345, doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(97)80038-1, retrieved 2020-09-13{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Wolsan, Mieczysław; Lange-Badré, Brigitte (1996), "An arctomorph carnivoran skull from the Phosphorites du Quercy and the origin of procyonids", Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 41: 277–298, retrieved 2020-09-13
Mourer-Chauviré, C (1989), Les Caprimulgiformes et les Coraciiformes de l'Éocène et de l'Oligocène des phosphorites du Quercy et description de deux genres nouveaux de Podargidae et Nyctibiidae, Acta XIX congressus internationalis ornithologici, pp. 2047–2055
Rage, J.-C (1988), "The oldest known colubrid snakes. The state of the art", Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 31: 457–474
Sudre, J (1984), "Cryptomerix Schlosser, 1886, Tragulidé de l'oligocène d'Europe; relations du genre et considérations sur l'origine des ruminants", Palaeovertebrata, 14: 1–31
Hartenberger, J.-L.; Vianey-Liaud, M. (1978), "La poche a phosphate de Ste-Néboule (Lot) et sa faune de vertebres du Ludien Superieur. 13. - Rongeurs", Palaeovertebrata, 8: 313–318
Broin, F (1977), "Contribution a l'etude des Cheloniens. Cheloniens continentaux due Cretace et du Tertiare de France", Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Série C, Sciences de la terre, Nouvelle série, 38: 1–366




Further reading


Reitner, Joachim; Qun, Yang; Yongdong, Wang; Reich, Mike (2013), Palaeobiology and Geobiology of Fossil Lagerstätten through Earth History (PDF), Universitätsverlag Göttingen, pp. 1–218, ISBN 978-3-86395-135-1, retrieved 2020-09-15




External links


Media related to Quercy Phosphorites Formation at Wikimedia Commons

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