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First record of siliceous shell plates of Scutiglypha sp. (Amoebozoa: Thecamoeba: Euglyphidae) from Lake Enspel (upper Oligocene, Westerwald Mountains, Germany)

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Abstract

The laminated, bituminous sediments of the upper Oligocene (Chattian, MP 28) volcanic crater Lake Enspel preserve a large variety of fossils of the former flora and fauna of the lake and its surroundings. By means of FE-SEM techniques, we have identified the remains of globally rare Cenozoic testate amoebae (Amoebozoa: Thecamoeba) associated with gemmules of freshwater sponges. This is the first record of siliceous shell plates of Scutiglypha sp., an euglyphid testate amoebae from Lake Enspel. The existence of an intermittently swampy and/or near shore habitat of Lake Enspel is discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Markus Poschmann (Mainz) for his supply and selection of well-preserved gemmule-bearing sediment samples from the excavation campaigns at Enspel. Prof. J. Herrle (IfG, Goethe University Frankfurt) kindly provided access to the FE-SEM Zeiss Sigma Gemini for our investigations. We also thank Prof. B. Reichenbacher (LMU Munich) and two anonymous reviewers for valuable remarks which improved the manuscript. Last but not least we want to thank Dr. K. Smith for improving the English and Dr. P. Königshof and Dr. S. Weber (all Senckenberg, Frankfurt) for managing the editing process of the Special Issue “The Fossil-Lagerstätte Enspel – reconstructing the palaeoenvironments with new data on fossils and geology”. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 95 (1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Geowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität, Altenhöferallee 1, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Wolfgang Schiller

  2. Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe RLP-Referat Erdgeschichte, Große Langgasse 29, 55116, Mainz, Germany

    Michael Wuttke

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  1. Wolfgang Schiller
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Correspondence to Wolfgang Schiller.

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This article is an additional contribution to the special issue “The Fossil-Lagerstätte Enspel - reconstructing the palaeoenvironment with new data on fossils and geology”.

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Schiller, W., Wuttke, M. First record of siliceous shell plates of Scutiglypha sp. (Amoebozoa: Thecamoeba: Euglyphidae) from Lake Enspel (upper Oligocene, Westerwald Mountains, Germany). Palaeobio Palaeoenv 95, 513–519 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-015-0211-2

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