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Chimaeroid egg cases from the Late Jurassic of the Solnhofen area (S Germany)
Abstract
The ichnotaxon Chimaerotheca schernfeldensis nov. isp. is established here for holocephalian egg cases from the Plattenkalk (Altmühltal Formation, Tithonian, Late Jurassic) of the Solnhofen/Eichstätt area of southern Germany, including the first ever double case of a holocephalian described from the fossil record. The egg capsules measure up to 400 mm in length and have a short beak but a very long pedicle; the ratio of capsule length to maximum width is 5.1:1, the largest of any
chimaeroid egg case described so far. The moderately well-developed lateral webs are supported by branched and unbranched costae and are confined to the beak, trunk and upper pedicle areas of the case. The egg cases belong to the Rhinochimaera- type ichnospecies group and were probably produced by Ischyodus quenstedti, at around 1.5 m in length the largest of the Plattenkalk chimaeroids.
... The remains are currently housed in the Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education collection under number LF 2317 (currently under study by C. Duffin, Surrey, UK). Additional, well-preserved remains are housed in several private collections (see e.g., [98]). ...
... Diversity 2023, 15, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 77 UK). Additional, well-preserved remains are housed in several private collections (see e.g., [98]). †Chimaeropsis paradoxa is easily differentiated from all other Late Jurassic Plattenkalk holocephalians by the presence of a tuberculated fin spine with anterior rows of welldeveloped but irregular denticles [90], and by the presence of four pairs of tuberculated dermal plates at the posterior margin of the skull roof. ...
... According to the shape of the central capsule, the membrane outline, and its ribbing characteristics, the Plattenkalk species resembles present-day rhinochimaerid egg capsules. Based on the large size and size ratios of present-day holocephalians and their egg capsules, Reichenbach-Klinke and Frickhinger [132] and Duffin et al. [98,131] already assumed that †Ischyodus egertoni was the most likely producer. In this respect, it should be noted, however, that †Ischyodus is a callorhynchid holocephalian, while the capsules show rhinochimaerid traits, at least in general comparison with present-day specimens. ...
The Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous (164–100 Ma) represents one of the main transitional periods in life history. Recent studies unveiled a complex scenario in which abiotic and biotic factors and drivers on regional and global scales due to the fragmentation of Pangaea resulted in dramatic faunal and ecological turnovers in terrestrial and marine environments. However, chondrichthyan faunas from this interval have received surprisingly little recognition. The presence of numerous entire skeletons of chondrichthyans preserved in several localities in southern Germany, often referred to as Konservat-Lagerstätten (e.g., Nusplingen and the Solnhofen Archipelago), provides a unique opportunity of to study the taxonomic composition of these assemblages, their ecological distributions and adaptations, and evolutionary histories in detail. However, even after 160 years of study, the current knowledge of southern Germany’s Late Jurassic chondrichthyan diversity remains incomplete. Over the last 20 years, the systematic study and bulk sampling of southern Germany’s Late Jurassic deposits significantly increased the number of known fossil chondrichthyan genera from the region (32 in the present study). In the present work, the fossil record, and the taxonomic composition of Late Jurassic chondrichthyans from southern Germany are reviewed and compared with several contemporaneous assemblages from other sites in Europe. Our results suggest, inter alia, that the Late Jurassic chondrichthyans displayed extended distributions within Europe. However, it nevertheless also is evident that the taxonomy of Late Jurassic chondrichthyans is in urgent need of revision.
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