Coleoptera from the Late Weichselian deposits at Nørre Lyngby, Denmark and their bearing on palaeoecology, biogeography and palaeoclimate

Abstract

The freshwater sediments exposed on the cliffs at Nørre Lyngby northern Jutland has long been a classical locality for the study of Danish Quaternary geology, palaeontology and archaeology. These deposits date from the latter part of the Allerød period (i.e. G I‐1). Samples for insect analysis have been taken from both the northern and southern exposures of these deposits. Ninety‐five‐ taxa of Coleoptera (beetles) were obtained, of which 69 could be named to species. Of the latter, 23 are not found living in Denmark today. Most of these are still living in northern Fennoscandia but one species is now confined to Mongolia. These assemblages have enabled a detailed picture of the local environment to be reconstructed, showing that the basin‐like profile of the deposits represents a section through a channel with slowly moving water. It has been possible to quantify the thermal climate of the time using the Mutual Climatic Range method indicating that mean July temperatures were about 10°C and mean January temperatures were about – 12°C. These figures are considered in the context of Lateglacial climatic reconstructions obtained from coleopteran assemblages elsewhere in northwestern Europe.