The Painten Formation is a

geologic formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It preserves

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

dating back to the

Tithonian In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age (geology), age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 149.2 ±0.7 annum, Ma and 143.1 ±0.6 (mi ...

stage of the

Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...

period.Painten Formation
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks was a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world. History Fossilworks was cr ...

.org

Description

It is roughly contemporary with the Altmühltal Formation (which includes the true Solnhofen limestone), as they both underlay the

Mörnsheim Formation The Mörnsheim Formation is a geologic formation in Germany, near Daiting and Mörnsheim, Bavaria. It preserves fossils dating back to the Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigra ...

.Rauhut et al., 2019 The 12th specimen, or "Schamhaupten specimen", of ''

Archaeopteryx ''Archaeopteryx'' (; ), sometimes referred to by its German name, "" ( ''Primeval Bird'') is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The name derives from the ancient Greek (''archaîos''), meaning "ancient", and (''ptéryx''), meaning "feather" ...

'' was uncovered in the lower portion of the Painten Formation. Other dinosaurs found here include '' Juravenator'', '' Ostromia'' and possibly ''

Compsognathus ''Compsognathus'' (; Ancient Greek, Greek ''kompsos''/κομψός; "elegant", "refined" or "dainty", and ''gnathos''/γνάθος; "jaw") is a genus of small, bipedalism, bipedal, carnivore, carnivorous theropoda, theropod dinosaur. Members o ...

''.

Fossil content

The following fossils have been reported from the formation:

Reptiles

* '' Schoenesmahl dyspepsia''Reisdorf, A.G.; Wuttke, M. (2012). "Re-evaluating Moodie's Opisthotonic-Posture Hypothesis in fossil vertebrates. Part I: Reptiles – The taphonomy of the bipedal dinosaurs Compsognathus longipes and Juravenator starki from the Solnhofen Archipelago (Jurassic, Germany)". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 92 (1): 119–168. doi:10.1007/s12549-011-0068-y. S2CID 129785393 * '' Dakosaurus maximus'' * '' Eurysternum wagleri'' * '' Juravenator starki'' * '' Leptosaurus pulchellus''Fabre, 1981 * '' Solnhofia parsonsi'' * '' Archaeopteryx sp.''Rauhut et al., 2018 * '' Compsognathus longipes'' * '' Propterodactylus''Tischlinger & Frey, 2013 * '' Rhamphorhynchus sp.'' * Eurysternidae indet. * Ichthyosauria indet.

Fish

;Chondrichthyes * '' Paracestracion viohli''Arratia, 2000 ;Osteichthyes * '' Anaethalion zapporum'' * '' Ascalabothrissops voelkli'' * '' Scheenstia zappi'' * '' Undina penicillata'''' * '' Voelklichthys comitatus'' * '' Allothrissops sp.'' * '' Gyrodus sp.'' * '' Leptolepis sp.'' * '' ?Elopsomolos sp.''

Invertebrates

;Echinoids * '' Pygaster sp.'' * Echinoidea indet. ;Crinoids * '' Saccocoma tenella'' * '' Millericrinus sp.'' ;Corals * '' Muensteria vermicularis'' * Scleractinia indet.

Flora

* '' Crescentiella morronensis'' * '' Cycadopteris jurensis'' * '' Araucarites sp.'' * '' Brachyphyllum sp.'' * '' Goniolina sp.'' * '' Sphenopteris sp.'' * Phaeophyceae indet.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{citation , last=Fabre , first=J , year=1981 , title=Les rhynchocephales et les pterosauriens a crete parietale du Kimeridgien superieur-Berriasien d'Europe occidentale: le gisement de Canjuers (Var-France) et ses abords , publisher=. , pages=1–188 Jurassic System of Europe Jurassic Germany Tithonian Stage Limestone formations Mudstone formations Lagoonal deposits Shallow marine deposits Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of Europe Paleontology in Germany Formations