Early Oligocene brachiopods from Mammendorf, Germany

The Lower Oligocene rocky-shore deposits at Mammendorf, central Germany yielded a surprisingly rich brachiopod fauna, containing 13 species belonging to 11 genera. The short-looped Pliothyrina grandis, species restricted to the Oligocene of North Sea Basin, is most common but the predominant and most diverse group, constituting nearly 50% of the material, is the family Megathyrididae, represented by six species in the Mammendorf assemblage. The Mammendorf brachiopod fauna displays a great affinity to the Early Oligocene fauna of the Mainz Basin.