Assortment of 16 Eocene gastropod / bivalve species from Gánt (Hungary)

Description

Moving between continents one realises the amount of stuff collected over a lifetime. I really need to lighten the load, while I may part with the objects, the memories of many happy hours spent collecting them will remain forever.
These gastropods were collected from the Gánt bauxite mine shortly after it ceased production in the late nineteen eighties. The silty clays of the Forna formation was once a brackish near-shore environment in the Lutetian-Bartonian (middle Eocene), with a unique gastropod fauna that makes it along Barton and the Paris basin one of the key European Eocene localities. Unfortunately most of the mine has since been re-cultivated, and the fossil beds are no longer exposed except for a small preserved section that is now part of a mining museum where no collection is allowed. This is a rare opportunity to obtain a representative sample from this important locality.
Note that collecting was mostly possible from the spoil heaps of the mine where the clay covering the bauxite was removed, finding completely intact specimens of the larger species was extremely rare, most collected material was damaged to some degree, with apex and aperture usually found broken, even in museum specimens.
This assemblage of 26 gastropods and bivalves is a collection of sixteen species more commonly found at this locality:
1:
Certhium subcorvinum
The largest species found in the Forna formaton, with adults growing to 10-12 cm. Unfortunately aperture invariably found broken, I'm not aware of any complete specimen from Gánt even in museums. Adult, sub-adult and juvenile
2:
Tympanotonus calcaratus
The prettiest of the four local Tympanotonus species, unfortunately very fragile, even semi-complete specimens are rare, one mostly finds fragments. Adult specimen.
3:
Tympanotonus hungaricus
The most common species of the locality. Two adults.
4:
Potamides corrugatus
The second most common species of the locality, with better preservation than the other Tympanotonus species, these are mostly found complete. Adult specimen.
5:
Tympanotonus rozlozsniki
Rarest of the four Tympanotonus species, unique to this locality. A very rare near complete adult specimen.
6:
Clavilithes noa
Juveniles very common, but there must have been some predation as sub-adults and adults are very rare. Sub-adult and juvenile.
7:
Cantharus brongniarti
A fairly common robust species with the best preservation of all, usually found complete. Adult and juvenile
8:
Globularia incompleta
One of the rarer species, even juveniles are very fragile so mostly found as fragments, complete specimens are rare. Juvenile specimen.
9:
Ampulina perusta
A common species, but rare to find complete larger ones, fully grown adults are always in fragments. Sub-adult and juvenile.
10:
Deshayesia alpina
One of the rarer species, over several years I have only found a few specimens. Adult (photographed from two angles).
11:
Bayania melaniaeformis
One of the commoner "small fry". Adult and sub-adult.
12:
Jponsia vulcanica
(originally described from the locality as
Melanatria vulcanica
)
A fairly common species, but mostly found in fragments, complete adult specimens are quite rare. Adult and juvenile.
13:
Pyrazus focillatus
An uncommon smaller species. Sub-adult and juvenile.
14:
Diastoma roncanum
Commonest of the small species, but it is a hands and knees job to find them. Adult and juvenile.
15:
Textivenus texta
Bivalves make up a small fraction of the mollusc fauna of the Forna clay, most are small, less than one centimetre. This is one of the more common finds. Adult
(both sides of same specimen on photo)
.
16:
Phacoides hauseri
The commonest of the small bivalves. Adult (both sides of same specimen on photo).
Bonus - Gypsum crystal from the locality, small ones are commonly found but large (over 3cm) regular ones are quite rare.
Will ship with careful packaging in the display box shown on the photographs.