See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271661753 A new late Paleocene micromammal fauna from Montchenot (Paris Basin). Preliminary results Article in Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments · December 2012 DOI: 10.1007/s12549-012-0100-x CITATIONS READS 8 248 5 authors, including: Martin Jehle Marc Godinot Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes 9 PUBLICATIONS 19 CITATIONS 144 PUBLICATIONS 2,612 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Dominique Delsate Musée national d'histoire naturelle de Luxembourg 73 PUBLICATIONS 1,615 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Palaeontology and palaeoanthropology of the Mullerthal region (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) View project Sedimentology of Triassic and Jurassic formations of Belgian lorraine and Luxemburg View project All content following this page was uploaded by Dominique Delsate on 01 December 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. A new late Paleocene micromammal fauna from Montchenot (Paris Basin). Preliminary results Martin Jehle, Marc Godinot, Dominique Delsate, Alain Phélizon & Jean-Louis Pellouin Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments ISSN 1867-1594 Palaeobio Palaeoenv DOI 10.1007/s12549-012-0100-x 1 23 Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be self-archived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your work, please use the accepted author’s version for posting to your own website or your institution’s repository. You may further deposit the accepted author’s version on a funder’s repository at a funder’s request, provided it is not made publicly available until 12 months after publication. 1 23 Author's personal copy Palaeobio Palaeoenv DOI 10.1007/s12549-012-0100-x ORIGINAL PAPER A new late Paleocene micromammal fauna from Montchenot (Paris Basin). Preliminary results Martin Jehle & Marc Godinot & Dominique Delsate & Alain Phélizon & Jean-Louis Pellouin Received: 31 March 2012 /Revised: 3 July 2012 /Accepted: 23 July 2012 # Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer 2012 Abstract A diversified fauna of fossil mammals is described molars. Mammal fossils indicate an age of the Montchenot from the Thanetian Marnes de Montchenot near Reims fauna close to Cernay (European mammalian reference level (France, Paris Basin). The new fauna is composed mainly of MP6), confirming previous age determinations based on mol- micromammals, which are represented by isolated teeth and a lusks and charophytes. Preservational biases including selec- few more complete dental remains. Multituberculates, tive predation and hydrodynamic sorting, possibly in insectivore-like mammals and louisinine “condylarths” are combination with specific palaeoenvironmental conditions particularly common at Montchenot, and tiny toliapinid ple- related to deposition in a quiet freshwater milieu, seem to be siadapiforms are relatively well represented. In contrast, the responsible for the peculiar composition of the mammalian larger-sized plesiadapiform Plesiadapis and pleuraspidother- fauna from Montchenot compared to other late Paleocene iid “condylarths” are less abundant than at Cernay or Berru. localities in the Paris Basin. Special attention is paid to Neoplagiaulax nicolai, the most common species of multituberculate at Montchenot. The new Keywords Thanetian . Paris Basin . Marnes de sample of this species allows to reconsider the composition of Montchenot . Fossil mammals . Biochronology . its upper premolar series and the orientation of isolated decid- Taphonomy uous anterior upper premolars in neoplagiaulacids. Insectivore-like mammals from Montchenot include a previ- ously unrecognised adapisoriculid, known by the complete upper and lower molar series, which combines an Afrodon- Introduction like morphology with strong posterior cingula on its upper Fossil faunas from the Paris Basin provide the best window into the composition and structure of tetrapod and particu- This article is a contribution to the special issue “Messel and the larly mammal faunas in Europe prior to the Paleocene/ — ” terrestrial Eocene Proceedings of the 22nd Senckenberg Conference Eocene boundary. Late Paleocene mammals of the Paris : M. Jehle (*) M. Godinot Basin are mainly known from Cernay and Berru near EPHE, Laboratoire d’Evolution des Primates, UMR 7207 CR2P, Reims (Louis 1996). A new Thanetian mammal fauna is Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Département d’Histoire de described here from marls accessible in two localities at la Terre, 1 CP 38, 8, rue Buffon, Montchenot near Reims (Marne). One of these, the aban- 75005 Paris, France doned quarry “Les Monts-Martin”, has been previously e-mail: [email protected] known for its well-preserved freshwater mollusk fauna D. Delsate (Laurain and Henry 1968). The occurrence of mammals Musée national d’Histoire naturelle de Luxembourg, and other vertebrates in the Marnes de Montchenot was 25, rue Münster, announced by Laurain and Meyer (1986), who listed 8 spe- 2160 Luxembourg, Luxembourg cies of mammals from this locality based on data of the late A. Phélizon : J.-L. Pellouin P. Louis (Neoplagiaulax eocaenus (Lemoine, 1880), Société d’Etude des Sciences Naturelles de Reims, Liotomus marshi (Lemoine, 1882), Adapisorex gaudryi 122 bis, rue du Barbâtre, 51100 Reims, France 1 Also known as Mont-Chenot (Laurain et al. 1981) Author's personal copy Palaeobio Palaeoenv Lemoine, 1883, Plesiadapis tricuspidens Gervais, 1877, with the support of A. Phélizon. A total of 320 kg of Arctocyon primaevus Blainville, 1841, Arctocyonides are- sediment were screen-washed in 2009, yielding about 40 nae Russell, 1964, Orthaspidotherium edwardsi Lemoine, identifiable mammal teeth. Further increases of the sample 1885 and Dipavali petri (Russell, 1964)), but no detailed size are expected from ongoing sorting of the residue description of this fauna has been published up to now. obtained by screen-washing of 670 kg of matrix in 2010. Nevertheless, the Montchenot fauna has been mentioned Excavations at “Les-Monts-Martin” in 2009 and 2010 in discussions of faunal successions in the Paris Basin. exposed the upper part of the section described by Laurain For instance, Hooker (1998) regarded Montchenot as the and Henry (1968) (Fig. 1). Yellow-grey argillaceous sands most recent fauna of mammalian reference level MP6 at the bottom of the exposed section correspond to Level D (used by him as a zone instead of a level). Similarly, of Laurain and Henry (op. cit.). A marked indurated surface Hooker and Millbank (2001) have postulated a superpo- occurs near the upper end of this level, followed by about sition of the Marnes de Montchenot/Calcaire de Rilly 45 cm of variegated marls becoming increasingly less sandy over the Sables supérieurs de Châlons-sur-Vesle and of towards the top. Above these, approx. 45 cm of grey argil- the latter above the Conglomérat de Cernay (reference laceous marls represent Level E of Laurain and Henry. On locality of MP6)—a succession apparently not directly top of these darker grey marls, about 50 cm of light grey observable in a single site. Thus, the relative age of marls rich in algal concretions are the equivalent of level F Montchenot compared to the classic localities of Cernay of Laurain and Henry. Sediments strongly altered by influ- and Berru remains to be demonstrated, and the study of ences from the surface form the end of the exposed section. the mammalian faunal composition has a high potential Most fossil mammals come from levels E and F of Laurain of resolving these relationships. and Henry, which were also sampled most extensively, but fossils still occur further down in the section, including the top of level D. Fossil localities and material A second fossiliferous locality has meanwhile been dis- covered at Montchenot in immediate vicinity of Les Monts- The study of the mammal fauna from “Les Monts-Martin” is Martin, west of highway D951 which separates the two partly based on collections previously made by D. Delsate, sites. Mammal specimens from this new locality have been M. Duchamplecheval and J.-L. Pellouin (approximately 100 collected by J.-L. Pellouin. Both localities appear to be identifiable mammal teeth). Attempts to locate the speci- closely similar in faunal content and show a comparable mens constituting the basis of the original faunal list com- lithology. Fossils recovered from both sites are therefore piled by P. Louis have not been successful. Additional considered as forming part of the Montchenot fauna. For specimens come from excavations at Montchenot carried clarity, the original locality Les Monts-Martin east of D951 out by the Laboratoire d’Evolution des Primates (EPHE) is here referred to as Montchenot East, while the new Fig. 1 a Section at Les Monts- Martin (Montchenot) during excavations in 2010, with nomenclature of Laurain and Henry (1968). Level D yellow- grey argillaceous sands. Level D-E (transition) variegated marls becoming increasingly sandy below. Level E grey argillaceous marls. Level F light grey marls rich in concretions (piled up in bucket). Length of hammer 30 cm. b Detail of indurated surface on top of level D. Photos A. Phélizon Author's personal copy Palaeobio Palaeoenv locality west of D951 will be referred to as Montchenot known from the Thanetian