Biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of a Middle Miocene (Karpathian, MN 5) fauna from the northern margin of the North Alpine Foreland Basin (Oggenhausen 2, SW' Germany)

The Oggenhausen fauna from the northern margin of the North Alpine Foreland Basin includes eight gastropod species, various crustacean claws, four fish species, twelve amphibian species, eight reptile species, a few indeterminate bird remains and 23 mammal species. The rodent fauna, especially the coexistence of the hamsters Megacricetodon aff. bavaricus and Megacricetodon aff. minor, allow for the most precise stratigraphic correlation within the MN 5 unit. It is younger than the faunas of Puttenhausen classic, Engelswies and Schellenfeld, but older than Ebershausen, Mohrenhausen, Furth and Frohberg. The vertebrate assemblage indicates a mixed environment with a shallow lake, ample vegetation nearby and an open hinterland. According to the aquatic invertebrates there were also ephemeral waters or marginal lakes portions that periodically dried out. The terrestrial gastropods suggest the co-existence of both wet, woody habitats, and more open environments.