Paleobiota of the Solnhofen Formation

Solnhofen Limestone Formation Stratigraphic range: Tithonian[1][2]
A brittle star fossil from the Solnhofen Formation.
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	Mornsheim Formation[1]
Overlies	Painten Formation[1]
Lithology
Primary	Lithographic Limestone[1]
Location
Country	Germany

The Solnhofen Plattenkalk, or Solnhofen Limestone Formation, is famous for its well preserved fossil flora and fauna.

Chondrostei

Name	Species	Presence	Notes
Coccolepis[3]	C. bucklandi[3]

Halecostomi

Semionotidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Lepidotes[4]	L. decoratus[4]			Lepidotes maximus Lepidotes notopterus
	L. intermedius[4]
	L. maximus[4]
	L. notopterus[4]
	L. oblongus[4]
	L. pustulosus[4]
	L. subovatus[4]
	L. unguiculatus[4]

Macrosemiidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Histionotus[5]	H. oberndorferi[5]			Propterus
Macrosemius[5]	M. rostratus[5]
Notagogus[5]	N. decoratus[5]
	N. denticulatus
Propterus[5]	P. elongatus[5]
	P. microstomus[5]
Eusemius[5]	E. beatae[5]

Pycnodontiformes

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Eomesodon[6]	E. gibbosus[6]			Gyrodus circularis Gyrodus hexagonus Mesturus verrucosus
Gyrodus[6]	G. circularis[6]
	G. hexagonus[6]
Mesturus[6]	M. verrucosus[6]
Macromesodon[6]	M. heckeli[6]
	M. macropterus[6]
Proscinetes[6]	P. elegans[6]
	P. formosus[6]

Pachycormidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Asthenocormus[7]	A. titanius[7]			Hypsocormus
Hypsocormus[7]	H. insignis[7]
	H. macrodon[7]
Orthocormus[7]	O. cornutus[7]
Pseudoasthenocormus[8]	P. retrodorsalis[8]
Sauropsis[7]	S. depressus[7]
	S. longimanus[7]

Others

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Heterostrophus[9]	H. latus[9]

Halecomorphi

Caturidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Amblysemius[10]	A. bellicianus[10]
	A. pachyurus[10]
Caturus[10]	C. furcatus[10]
	C. giganteus[10]
Liodesmus[10]	L. gracilis[10]
	L. sprattiformis[10]

Ionoscopidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Ionoscopus[11]	I. cyprinoides[11]
	I. esocinus[11]
	I. münsteri[11]
	I. striatissimus[11]

Furidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Furo[12]	F. angustus[12]
	F. latimanus[12]
	F. longiserratus[12]
	F. microlepidotes[12]

Other halecomorphs

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Amiopsis[13]	A. lepidota[13]		Amiid.[13]	Ophiopsis
Ophiopsis	O. muensteri
Ophiopsiella[13]	O. attenuta[13]
	O. procera[13]
Solnhofenamia[13]	S. elongata[13]		Amiid.[13]

Halecomorphi incertae cedis

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Brachyichthys[14]	B. radiato-punctatus[14]
	B typicus[14]
Callopterus[14]	C. agassizzi[14]
Lophiurus[14]	L. minutus[14]

Teleostei

Pleuropholidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Pleuropholis[15]	P. laevissima[15]
	P. pompecki[15]
	P. wagneri[15]

Aspidorhynchidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Aspidorhynchus[16]	A. acutirostris[16]			Aspidorhynchus
Belonostomus[16]	B. münsteri[16]
	B. tenuirostris[16]

Pholidophoridae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Ankylophorus[17]	Indeterminate.[17]			Pholidophorus
Eurycormus[17]	E. speciosus[17]
Pholidophoristion[17]	P. micronyx[17]
	P. ovatus[17]
Pholidophorus[17]	P. armatus[17]
	P. diagonalis[17]
	P. falcifer[17]
	P. macrocephalus[17]
	P. microps[17]
	P. sculptus[17]

Allothrissopidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Allothrissops[18]	A. mesogaster[18]			Pachythrissops Thrissops
	A. salmoneus[18]
Pachythrissops[18]	P. propterus[18]
Thrissops[18]	T. formosus[18]
	T. subovatus[18]

Orthogonikleithridae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Leptolepides[19]	L. haerteisi[19]
	L. sprattiformis[19]
Orthogonikleithrus[19]	O. hoelli[19]
	O. leichi[19]

Anaethalionidae

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Anaethalion[20]	A. angustissimus[20]
	A. angustus[20]
	A. knorri[20]
	A. subovatus[20]

Others

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Ascalabos[21]	A. voithii[21]			Living Elops individual.
Daitingichthys[21]	D. tischlingeri[21]
Eichstättia[21]	E. mayri[21]
Elops[21]	cf. E. sp. 1[21]
	cf. E. sp. 2[21]
	cf. E. sp. 3[21]
Tharsis[21]	T. dubius[21]
Tischlingerichtys[21]	T. viohli[21]

Reptiles

Lizards

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Ardeosaurus	A. brevipes	Eichstätt		Ardeosaurus brevipes
	A. digitalellus	Solnhofen, Eichstätt
Bavarisaurus	B. macrodactylus	Kelheim
Eichstaettisaurus	E. schroederi	Eichstätt

Rhynchocephalians

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Homeosaurus	H. maximillioni	Eichstätt		Pleurosaurus goldfussi
Pleurosaurus	P. goldfussi	Eichstätt, Langenaltheim	Acrosaurus fischmanni is a synonym.[22]

Ichthyosaurs

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Aegirosaurus	A. leptospondylus	Eichstatt, Solnhofen[23]		A. leptospondylus tail
"Ichthyosaurus"	"I." posthumus	Eichstatt, Kelheim, Solnhofen	Nomen dubium. Known only from isolated teeth.

Turtles

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Eurysternum	E. wagleri	Solnhofen, Kelheim[24]
Cyrtura	C. temnospondyla	Solnhofen
Helochelys	H. danubinus	Kelheim
Idiochelys	I. fitzingeri	Eichstatt
Palaeomedusa	P. testa	Kelheim, Eichstatt, Solnhofen	Eurysternum crassipes and Thalassemys marina are synonyms.
Platychelys	P. oberndorferi	Kelheim
Solnhofia	S. parsonsi	Eichstatt

Crocodylomorphs

Name	Species	Presence	Specimens	Notes	Images
Alligatorellus	A. beaumonti	Kelheim	Partial skeleton[25]	An atoposaurid	Alligatorellus beaumonti
Cricosaurus	C. elegans	Eichstatt, Solnhofen	Skull and vertebrae (NHM 43005)[26] Partial skull (NHM 37006[26])	A metriorhynchid
Dakosaurus	D. maximus	Schernfeld	Isolated teeth (JME-SOS4577, JME-SOS2535[26])[27]	A metriorhynchid
Geosaurus	G. giganteus	Solnhofen	Skull and mandible (NHM 37020)[28] Isolated tooth (NHM 37016)[28]	A metriorhynchid
Rhacheosaurus	R. gracilis	Eichstatt, Zankt	Skull and skeleton (NHM R.3948)[28][26] Specimen[26]	A metriorhynchid

Dinosaurs

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Archaeopteryx[29]	A. siemensii[30]	Langenaltheim, Workerszell	Wellnhoferia and Jurapteryx are synonyms.	Archaeopteryx siemensii Compsognathus longipes
	A. lithographica[29]	Langenaltheim, Eichstätt
Compsognathus[29]	C. longipes[29]	Kelheim (Goldberg)

Pterosaurs

Name	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Aerodactylus	A. scolopaciceps		Formerly classified as a species of Pterodactylus, closely related to Ardeadactylus, Aurorazhdarcho, and Cycnorhamphus.[31]	Ctenochasma elegans Cycnorhamphus suevicus Rhamphorhynchus muensteri Scaphognathus crassirostris
Anurognathus	A. ammoni
Ardeadactylus	A. longicollum		Formerly considered a species of Pterodactylus, it is more closely related to Gnathosaurus and Germanodactylus.[32]
Aurorazhdarcho	A. micronyx
Ctenochasma	C. elegans		Originally classified as Pterodactylus elegans
Cycnorhamphus	C. suevicus		Originally classified as Pterodactylus suevicus
Germanodactylus	G. cristatus		Originally classified as Pterodactylus cristatus
	G. rhamphastinus
Gnathosaurus	G. subulatus
Pterodactylus	P. antiquus		Only one species is currently supported as valid, the rest represent growth stages, often of other species, synonyms, or nomina dubia.[33]
Rhamphorhynchus	R. muensteri		Only one species is currently supported as valid, the rest represent growth stages, often of other species, synonyms, or nomina dubia.[34]
Scaphognathus[35]	S. crassirostris[35]	Only two specimens have been recovered from the formation.[35] The first was found in Eichstatt, the second in Mulheim.[35]	A Solnhofen genus erected in 1861 by J. A. Wagner when he recognized the rhamphorhynchoid nature of "Pterodactylus" crassirostris after the discovery of a specimen with a preserved tail.[35] The Solnhofen Limestone is the only known source of Scaphognathus fossils.[35] S. crassirostris was originally named P. crassirostris in 1831 by August Goldfuss who mistook the tailless specimen for a new Pterodactylus species.[35]

Invertebrate paleofauna

Crinoids

Crinoids of the Solnhofen Formation
Taxa	Presence	Notes	Images
Saccocoma[36] S. [36]	Saccocoma remains are the most common macroscopic fossils in the Solnhofen limestone.[36]		Saccocoma pectinata

Cephalopods

Cephalopods of the Solnhofen Formation
Taxa	Presence	Notes	Images
Belemnotheutis mayri[37]			Belemnotheutis

Xiphosura

Horseshoe crabs of the Solnhofen Formation
Taxa	Presence	Notes	Images
Mesolimulus walchi			Mesolimulus

Insects

Dragonflies of the Solnhofen Formation
Taxa	Presence	Notes	Images
Mesurupetala			Mesurupetala - Houston Museum of Natural Science

References

Footnotes

1. Rauhut, O. W., Heyng, A. M., López-Arbarello, A., & Hecker, A. (2012). A new rhynchocephalian from the Late Jurassic of Germany with a dentition that is unique amongst tetrapods. PloS One, 7(10): e46839.
2. Schweigert, G. 2007. Ammonite biostratigraphy as a tool for dating Upper Jurassic lithographic limestones from South Germany – first results and open questions." Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen, 245(1): 117-125. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2007/0245-0117
3. "Table 1; Chondrostei; Coccolepidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
4. "Table 1; Halecostomi; Semionotidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
5. "Table 1; Halecostomi; Macrosemiidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
6. "Table 1; Halecostomi; Pycnodontiformes" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
7. "Table 1; Halecostomi; Pachycormidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
8. Note: Lambers abbreviated Pseudoasthenocormus as "Pseudoasth.," "Table 1; Halecostomi; Pachycormidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
9. "Table 1; Halecostomi; 'Halecostomi inc. sed.'" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
10. "Table 1; Halecomorphi; Caturidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
11. "Table 1; Halecomorphi; Ionoscopidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
12. "Table 1; Halecomorphi; Furidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
13. "Table 1; Halecomorphi; 'Amiidae' and 'Ophiopsidae'" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
14. "Table 1; Halecomorphi; Halecomorphi incertae cedis" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
15. "Table 1; Teleostei; Pleuropholidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
16. "Table 1; Teleostei; Aspidorhynchidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
17. "Table 1; Teleostei; Pholidophoridae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
18. "Table 1; Teleostei; Allothrissopidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
19. "Table 1; Teleostei; Orthogonikleithridae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
20. "Table 1; Teleostei; Anaethalionidae" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
21. "Table 1; Teleostei; 'Elopidae,' 'Ostariophysi,' 'Clupeocephala inc. sed.,' 'Elopocephala inc. sed.,' and 'Teleostei inc. sed'" in Lambers (1999) pg. 216.
22. Dupret, V. (2004). The pleurosaurs: anatomy and phylogeny. Revue de Paléobiologie, Vol spéc, 9, 61-80.
23. Bardet, N., & Fernández, M. (2000). A new ichthyosaur from the Upper Jurassic lithographic limestones of Bavaria. Journal Information, 74(3).
24. JOYCE, W. G. (2003). A new Late Jurassic turtle specimen and the taxonomy of Palaeomedusa testa and edusa testa Eurysternum wagleri.
25. Schwarz‐Wings, D., Klein, N., Neumann, C., & Resch, U. (2011). A new partial skeleton of Alligatorellus (Crocodyliformes) associated with echinoids from the Late Jurassic (Tithonian) lithographic limestone of Kelheim, S‐Germany. Fossil Record, 14(2), 195-205.
26. De Andrade, M. B., Young, M. T., Desojo, J. B., & Brusatte, S. L. (2010). The evolution of extreme hypercarnivory in Metriorhynchidae (Mesoeucrocodylia: Thalattosuchia) based on evidence from microscopic denticle morphology. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 30(5), 1451-1465.
27. Young MT, Brusatte SL, de Andrade MB, Desojo JB, Beatty BL, et al. (2012) The Cranial Osteology and Feeding Ecology of the Metriorhynchid Crocodylomorph Genera Dakosaurus and Plesiosuchus from the Late Jurassic of Europe. PLoS ONE 7(9): e44985. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044985
28. Young, Mark T., and Marco Brandalise de Andrade, 2009. "What is Geosaurus? Redescription of Geosaurus giganteus (Thalattosuchia: Metriorhynchidae) from the Upper Jurassic of Bayern, Germany." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 157: 551-585.
29. Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Jurassic, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 545–549. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
30. Mayr, G.; Phol, B.; Hartman, S.; Peters, D. S. (2007). "The tenth skeletal specimen of Archaeopteryx". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 149: 97–116. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00245.x.
31. Vidovic SU, Martill DM (2014) Pterodactylus scolopaciceps Meyer, 1860 (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Bavaria, Germany: The Problem of Cryptic Pterosaur Taxa in Early Ontogeny. PLoS ONE 9(10): e110646. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110646
32. Bennett, S.C. (2002). "Soft tissue preservation of the cranial crest of the pterosaur Germanodactylus from Solnhofen." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 22(1): 43-48.
33. Jouve, S. (2004). "Description of the skull of a Ctenochasma (Pterosauria) from the latest Jurassic of eastern France, with a taxonomic revision of European Tithonian Pterodactyloidea." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 24(3): 542-554.
34. Bennett, S. C. (1995). "A statistical study of Rhamphorhynchus from the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany: Year-classes of a single large species." Journal of Paleontology, 69: 569-580.
35. "Scaphognathus." In: Cranfield, Ingrid (ed.). The Illustrated Directory of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures. London: Salamander Books, Ltd. Pp. 308-309.
36. Clare V. Milsom. (1994) Saccacoma, a benthic crinoid from the Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone, Germany. Palaeontology 37 (1) 121-129.
37. Lomax, Dean R. (2010). "Am Ichthyosaurus (Reptilia, Ichthyosauria) with gastric contents from Charmouth, England: First report of the genus from the Pliensbachian" (PDF). Paludicola (Rochester Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology) 8 (1): 22–36. Retrieved February 8, 2011.

General

• Lambers, P. H. (1999). The actinopterygian fish fauna of the Late Kimmeridgian and Early Tithonian 'Plattenkalke' near Solnhofen (Bavaria, Germany): state of the art. Geologie en Mijnbouw 78:215-229.