Messelepone
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Messelepone is an extinct genus of ants in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae described from fossils found in Europe. M. leptogenoides is the only species assigned to the genus, which is one of several
M. leptogenoides male
Messel Pit
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The Messel Pit is a fossil preservation site in Hesse, central Germany, dated to the Eocene epoch. The fossil-bearing rock unit is a geologic formation named the Messel Formation; its geographic range
Weathered bituminous shale of the Messel Formation
Outcrop of the Messel oil shale near the center of the pit
A fossil of the primitive mammal Kopidodon, showing outline of fur