Palaeontological and taphonomical investigations of the exceptionally rich concentration of Miocene vertebrate coprolites from Pécs-Danitzpuszta (Hungary, Mecsek Mts.)

ABSTRACT

Thousands of coprolites have been collected from the Upper Miocene (Tortonian/Pannonian) sands of the Pécs-Danitzpuszta sand pit, one of the most important mixed Neogene vertebrate localities in Hungary. Although, the locality has been known for centuries, the coprolites have not been investigated in detail. We describe these fossils and explore their palaeoecological significance. Coprolites were examined with thin sections, X-ray powder diffraction and computed tomography. Their surface is mostly smooth, desiccation cracks were not observed. All coprolites mainly consist of apatite, indicating most probably a carnivorous diet. No evidence of herbivory has been found so far. The coprolites contain remains belonging to several groups: ostracod carapaces, bivalve shells, vertebrae from bony fishes, fish scales, as well as teeth. The CT scans show inhomogeneities in the matrix; however, in most cases they do not reliably indicate inclusions. The taphonomical features suggest rapid burial and most likely an aquatic origin. The spiral morphotype could be attributed to fishes with spiral intestinal valves. Teeth of reef-associated fish taxa indicate Badenian age for some specimens, though the coprolite assemblage might include older and younger specimens as well.

KEYWORDS:

• Vertebrate coprolite
• Miocene
• Lake Pannon
• Paratethys
• coprolite taphonomy

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank László Kanizsai and Tamás Henn for providing the specimens. The authors are grateful to Imre Magyar, Emőke Mohr, Andrea Szurominé Korecz and Márton Szabó for their help with the identification of the inclusions. We thank Orsolya Gelencsér for her helpful advice on X-ray powder diffraction. We would also like to thank the Hungarian Dinosaur Research Group and János Magyar for his help in making the thin sections. Our research benefitted from support by the Hungarian Natural History Museum, the departments of Palaeontology and of Geology at the Eötvös Loránd University, the Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Affairs Hungary (SZTFH) and József Attila City Library and Museum Collection (Komló, Hungary). This research was funded by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office projects NKFIH FK 146097 (to GB) and FK138638 (to KS). This project has received funding from the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network (to GB). This is HUN-REN-MTM-ELTE Paleo contribution No. 394.

The authors would like to thank Stephen J. Godfrey and the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2024.2324435

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office projects [FK138638 and FK146097].