Klaus-Peter Kelber

University of Wuerzburg | JMU · Department of Geodynamics and Geomaterials Research, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany

Horizons with plant fossils from the Keuper beds of Germany (germanotype Triassic, Upper Ladinian to Rhaetian) have been briefly reviewed in order to characterize their different levels of diversity and their palaeobotanical importance and phyto-taphonomical features. Lettenkeuperflora (Erfurt-Formation, Ladinian) and Schilfsandsteinflora (Stuttgar...

Intensive fossil collecting in the Coburg Sandstone member (Hassberge-Formation, Carnian, Upper Triassic) of southern Germany has yielded many impression fossils of Notostraca (Crustacea, Branchiopoda), which are tentatively assigned to Triops cancriformis. Some of their characteristics are briefly described and figured in detail, e.g. mandibles, s...

The present paper intents to give an overview of plant fossils from the sand pit Wollbach, near Bad Neustadt an der Saale, northern Bavaria. For the first time, a selected array of dicotyle leaves as well as fruits and seeds were photographically documented and described here. More than 1800 insubstantial impression fossils are yielded from an inte...

The fossil liverwort Naiadita lanceolata is described here from lacustrine deposits occurring intercalated in the Albertibank complex of the Lower Keuper, Erfurt Formation (Ladinian, Middle Triassic) of Schleerieth, northern Bavaria, Germany. The specimens represent the stratigraphically oldest records of this taxon so far. Leafy gametophytic plant...

The Coburg Sandstone member of the Hassberge Formation, Middle Keuper, Carnian, Upper Triassic, in the Germanic Basin of Central Europe contains spinicaudatan branchiopods which considerably broaden the known spectrum and provide important data on the phylogenetic history and intercontinental correlation of this systematic group. The spinicaudatan...

This chapter gives a short overview of the historical Lettenkohle (Lower Keuper coal) exploitation and vitriol and alum production in the 18th and 19th century in Germany. The earliest mines were opened in 1763 in Gaildorf (County Limpurg, now Baden-Württemberg), 1766 in Crailsheim (Brandenburg-Ansbach, now Baden-Württemberg), and 1767 by J. C. W....

Recent findings of Naiadita lanceolata (Marchantiophyta, Bryophyta) from the Lower Keuper (Erfurt-Formation, Ladinian, Triassic) of Frankonia (southern Germany) have revealed exceptional plant taphonomic traits. Delicate leafy axes of the gametophyte, partly with attached gemmae cups and the sporophyte in situ are preserved as compression and impre...

Macroplant assemblages from the Lettenkeuper (Lower Keuper, Erfurt Formation; Middle Triassic, Ladinian, Longobardian) of southern Germany have been described from a large number of localities since the early 19th century. Although favourable outcrop situations in previous decades are nowadays reduced to a minimum, intensive sampling has yielded an...

Macroplant assemblages from the Lettenkeuper (Lower Keuper, Erfurt Formation; Middle Triassic, Ladinian, Longobardian) of southern Germany have been described from a large number of localities since the early 19th century. Although favourable outcrop situations in previous decades are nowadays reduced to a minimum, intensive sampling has yielded an...

This chapter aims at reconstructing Lower Keuper palaeocommunities in their habitats and to elucidate interdependences of plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Four major groups of palaeocommunities are differentiated: (1) The terrestrial palaeocommunities are poorly known from transported fl oral and faunal elements into submersed depositional e...

Since more than 100 years, the rich and well-preserved Lettenkeuper fl oras and faunas have induced scientists and inspired artists to compose reconstructions. These pictures shaped the imagination of laymen and scientists what Lower Keuper landscapes and their inhabitants might have been looking like. This article reproduces some of the most well...

Among the scarce fossil record of bryophytes Naiadita lanceolata has played a crucial role due to its completeness of features. Since the profound investigations of T.M. Harris (1938; 1939), this taxon is deemed to be one of the best known fossil liverworts. Minute fossils attributed to N. lanceolata have been recently found in argillaceous interca...

During the Middle–Upper Triassic the fern genus Danaeopsis was widely distributed in both hemispheres. Danaeopsis fronds are simple pinnate with elongate pinnae characterised by a strong midrib and secondary veins that anastomose near the margin. The sporangia of the fertile pinnae are roundish and organised in two parallel rows between the veins....

A new species of the morphogenus Baieroxylon, B. schuessleri sp. nova, is described from the Keuper (Upper Triassic) of Franconia (Southern Germany). Information about the circumstances under which it was found is given, together with an outline of the geological situation. B. schuessleri differs from all Baieroxylon species described up to now bec...

The fossil record offers us a unique perspective on life and provide direct evidence of ancient environments. Derived from this fossil inventory, since the early days of palaeontology fossil organisms and their habitats have been reconstructed in the mind of palaeontologists. This contribution provides a selection of Lower Keuper swamp reconstructi...

Fossil charcoal (fusain), preserved in fluvial, lake and peat sediments have been yielded from the Erfurt-Formation (Lower Keuper, Upper Ladinian), Stuttgart-Formation (Schilfsandstein, Carnian), Haßberge-Formation (Coburger Sandstein, Carnian? Norian?) and the Exter-Formation (Rhaetian) of southern Germany. Broken chunks of charcolified wood, asso...

Aus vier Zeitscheiben der Oberen Trias Süddeutschlands konnten durch langjährige Aufsammlungen fossiler Pflanzenreste episodisch auch fossile Holzkohlen geborgen werden. Isolierte Stücke von kubischer oder durch Transporteinwirkung abgerundeter Gestalt bis zu 3 x 3 x 2 cm entstammen dem Rhät von Heilgersdorf, dem Coburger Sandstein (Karn?/Nor?) von...

Horsetails are the prevalent floral elements in Lower Keuper (Ladinian) and Schilfsandstein (Carnian) taphofloras of the Upper Triassic in Central Europe. Recently discovered details of Equisetites arenaceus include: cuticles, the three-dimensional architecture of the leaf segments, permineralized roots, spores in situ and autochthonous stem casts....

This paper reviews the fossil tadpole shrimp Triops cancriformis (Crustacea, Notostraca) on the basis of specimens from the germanotype Triassic and on information from the literature. Fossil triopsids from the locality Koppenwind (Frankonia, Germany), assigned to a living species by TRUSHEIM (1937), making them the oldest living animal species on...

Triops cancriformis minor, initially described in 1937 by Trusheim (Palaeont. Z. 19: 198) from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of Koppenwind (Frankonia, Germany) has been regarded as an outstanding case of longevity. Owing to its exceptionally preserved soft-part morphology, these finds have been deemed as conspecific with the extant tadpole shrimp Tri...

In situ triplet groups of asymmetrical ellipsoidal strobili of Equisetites arenaceus in different stages of maturity, borne at the end of straight equisetalean branches, are described from the Keuper (Upper Triassic) of southern Germany. Apart from the organization of the strobili, spores in situ are also described. The strobili are compared to oth...

Four prominent fossil macroplant zones can be distinguished in the Keuper (Upper Triassic) of Southern Germany: Lower Keuper Flora ("Lettenkeuper", Ladinian), Schilfsandstein Flora (Carnian), Coburger Sandstein Flora (Carnian) and the Rhaetian Flora. Only a few fossil plant remains from the Gipskeuper (Carnian) and the Stubensandstein/Burgsandstein...

In situ triplet groups of asymmetrical ellipsoidal strobili of Equisetites arenaceus in different stages of maturity, borne at the end of straight equisetalean branches, are described from the Keuper (Upper Triassic) of southern Germany. Apart from the organization of the strobili, spores in situ are also described. The strobili are compared to oth...

At the Leippersberg Hill near Kottspiel (Northern Württemberg), the basal part of the Upper Triassic Schilfsandstein (Stuttgart group, km 2) is developed as a conglomeratic sandstone that contains a variety of reworked rock fragments together with fragments of permineralized wood and sauropod bones. For the first time, exotic clasts of metamorphic...

At the Leippersberg Hill near Kottspiel (Northern Württemberg, Germany), the basal part of the Upper Triassic Schilfsandstein (Stuttgart group, km2) is developed as a conglomeratic sandstone that contains a variety of reworked rock fragments together with fragments of permineralized wood and sauropod bones. For the first time, exotic clasts of meta...

Preliminary results from a new Rhaetian flora from Heilgersdorf near Coburg (Germany) are presented. Almost 20 natural taxa have been recognized so far, mostly on genus level. Specific determinations, possibly including new species, have still to be carried out. Genera of which one or more species have been recognized so far are: Lepidopteris inclu...

Preliminary results from a new Rhaetian flora from Heilgersdorf near Coburg (Germany) are presented. Almost 20 natural taxa have been recognized so far, mostly on genus level. Specific determinations, possibly including new species, have still to be carried out. Genera of which one or more species have been recognized so far are: Lepidopteris inclu...

A review of the Triassic plant-insect interactions of western Europe is presented with some new interpretations. Several new interactions are described and discussed. This study is based on the analysis and comparison of three Triassic ecosystems which are rich in both plant and insect remains: the Grès à Voltzia (Upper Buntsandstein) of the Vosges...

A small collection of newly discovered plant macrofossils from Gross Brukkaros (Namibia) is examined in order to attempt a biostratigraphic age-bracketing. Two conifer shoots of Brachyphyllum sp. indicate a Permian or post-Permian age with respect to the first apperance of this form genus. The composition of a probable dicotyledonous leaflet and a...

Equisetites arenaceus (JAEGER) SCHENK is the most frequently encountered horse-tail being represented by numerous specimens in the lower Keuper (Triassic, Ladinian) of South Germany. Distal leaf parts of well preserved leaf-sheats from Schleerieth and Ochsenfurt (Franconia) are three-dimensional cup-like shaped. Raised pyramidal and thick-textured...

A small collection of newly discovered plant macrofossils from lacustrine sediments at Gross Brukkaros (Namibia) is examined in order to attempt a biostratigraphical age bracketing. Two shoots of the conifer Brachyphyllum sp. indicate a Permian or, more likely, a post-Permian age, while the presence in the assemblage of a likely dicotyledonous leaf...

A rich thanatocoenosis of land plants from the Ladinian of Ochsenfurt (southern Germany) illustrates the differential taphonomic durability of plant materials. Their encrustation by worm tubes further suggests that they lasted in the submersed stage longer then comparable modern plant remains, while the euytopic nature of Spirorbis makes it unsuita...

The small number of described remains of insects from the Lower Keuper of the Germanic Triassic is made up by new findings from the Werksandstein-complex (including the "Blaue und Grüne Tone mit dem Horizont der Roteisensteinkonkretionen" of Mainfranken). The original specimens of Sandberger are redescribed. Bite traces and clutches of eggs, most p...

Branches with leaves as well as single leaves of Schizoneura paradoxa Schimp. & Moug. are introduced from Schleerieth near Schweinfurt (Franconia, W-Germany). These new finds prove the continuity of the genus Schizoneura for the time of the lower Keuper (Ladinian) in the sedimentation area of the Germanic Triassic. Further central European Schizone...