DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2bvq83brt
title: Data from: The skeletal taphonomy of anurans from the Eocene Geiseltal Konservat-Lagerstätte, Germany: insights into the controls on fossil anuran preservation

description: The Geiseltal biota is a lacustrine-hosted Konservat-Lagerstätte from the
 Eocene of central Germany. Despite its rich fauna and flora that is
 represented by at least 50,000 fossil vertebrates, insects and other
 invertebrates, plants and trace fossils, the taphonomy of the biota is
 still poorly understood. In particular, the anurans have not been the
 focus of taphonomic investigation. Here, we analysed the skeletal
 taphonomy of 168 anurans from Geiseltal and scored each specimen for
 orientation, completeness and articulation. Most specimens are partial
 skeletons that were truncated during preparation. This process introduces
 measurable artefacts into the taphonomic data and should be assessed in
 future taphonomic studies on fossil vertebrates. The Geiseltal anurans
 show several recurring taphonomic states, including disarticulation or
 loss of abdominal bones, loss of one or more limbs, extensive
 disarticulation and extensive loss of elements across the body. Relatively
 rare taphonomic states include loss of distal limb elements only,
 scattered bones and isolated, articulated limbs. These data are the basis
 of a new taphonomic model for the Geiseltal anurans. Comparative analysis
 of patterns in completeness and articulation in these specimens and in
 fossil anurans from other Cenozoic Lagerstätten reveals repeated
 taphonomic patterns in anuran preservation in lacustrine-hosted settings,
 such as proximal to distal trends in completeness, preferential loss of
 small peripheral bones, disarticulation of abdominal bones and
 reorientation of major body regions and limbs. The taphonomic controls in
 lacustrine systems are surface water temperature, lake depth, vegetation,
 exposure to bottom currents, transport mechanisms, extent of scavenging,
 decay regime, bone size and bone location in the skeleton. In turn, these
 are ultimately controlled by palaeoclimate, lake physiography and
 hydrology, and anuran anatomy. A universal approach to quantitative
 analysis of skeletal taphonomy metrics will allow comparative testing of
 the relationship between preservation and palaeoenvironment for diverse
 fossil vertebrates.
description: Date of data collection: 02/2019–11/2020
 Geographic location of data collection: Natural Sciences
 Collections (ZNS), Halle (Saale), Germany.
description: <strong>SUPPLEMENTARY
 DATASET 1.</strong> Master dataset with skeletal taphonomic data for
 the Geiseltal anurans. Data are shown for each of 140 specimens used in
 the study and an additional 28 specimens that were excluded due to poor
 preservation (precluding confident identification of individual skeletal
 elements). Specimens lacking a full limb are identified on the basis of
 the absence of at least one humerus or femur and their respective distal
 limb elements. Specimens showing isolated limbs only are omitted from this
 analysis; specimens are also omitted where truncation (i.e. of the torso)
 prevents confidence of presence/absence of humeri and/or femura.
 <em>Abbreviations</em>: Ce, ‘Cecilie’ pit; IL, ‘Geiselröhlitz’
 site; GMH, Geiseltalmuseum Halle; hyphen (-), unknown; indet.,
 indetermined; Leo, ‘Leonhard’ pit; LMC, lower middle coal; LUC, lower
 upper coal; MC, middle coal; MUC, middle upper coal; Nw, ‘Neumark-West’
 pit; N/A, not applicable; UHM, upper ‘Hauptmittel’ (‘Hauptmittel’:
 intercalated sandy and silty successions); UMC, upper middle coal; XXXV,
 most likely Neumark-Süd pit (NsXXXV). <strong>SUPPLEMENTARY
 DATASET 2.</strong> Completeness data. Completeness data for each
 skeletal element in each specimen. Absence and presence of an element
 represented by a single bone (e.g. left humerus) are coded ‘0’ and ‘1’,
 respectively. Completeness categories for multi-bone elements (e.g. left
 phalanges) are defined in the main text and in the table column header.
 <em>Abbreviations</em>: Ce, ‘Cecilie’ pit; IL, ‘Geiselröhlitz’
 site; GMH, Geiseltalmuseum Halle; hyphen (-), unknown; Leo, ‘Leonhard’
 pit; Nw, ‘Neumark-West’ pit; N/A, not applicable (e.g. if the element in
 question is distal to a truncated element); Trunc#, element truncated, but
 up to # bones present; xx, not confident; XXXV, most likely Neumark-Süd
 pit (NsXXXV). <strong>SUPPLEMENTARY
 DATASET 3.</strong> Articulation data. Articulation data for each
 joint in each specimen. Disarticulation and articulation of a single joint
 (e.g. left radioulna-humerus) are coded ‘0’ and ‘1’, respectively.
 Articulation categories for multi-joint elements (e.g. left phalanges) are
 defined in the main text and in the table column header.
 <em>Abbreviations</em>: Ce, ‘Cecilie’ pit; IL, ‘Geiselröhlitz’
 site; GMH, Geiseltalmuseum Halle; hyphen (-), unknown; Leo, ‘Leonhard’
 pit; Nw, ‘Neumark-West’ pit; N/A, not applicable (e.g. if the element in
 question is distal to a truncated element); Trunc#, element truncated, but
 up to # bones present; xx, not confident; XXXV, most likely Neumark-Süd
 pit (NsXXXV).