Abstract
The Buxton-Norlim Limeworks southwest of Taung, South Africa, is renowned for the discovery of the first Australopithecus africanus fossil, the ‘Taung Child’. The hominin was recovered from a distinctive pink calcrete that contains an abundance of invertebrate ichnofauna belonging to the Coprinisphaera ichnofacies. Here we describe the first fossil bee’s nest, attributed to the ichnogenus Celliforma, from the Plio-Pleistocene of Africa. Petrographic examination of a cell lining revealed the preservation of an intricate organic matrix lined with the calcitic casts of numerous plant trichomes–a nesting behaviour unique to the modern-day carder bees (Anthidiini). The presence of Celliforma considered alongside several other recorded ichnofossils can be indicative of a dry, savannah environment, in agreement with recent work on the palaeoenvironment of Plio-Pleistocene southern Africa. Moreover, the occurrence of ground-nesting bees provides further evidence that the pink calcrete deposits are of pedogenic origin, rather than speleogenic origin as has previously been assumed. This study demonstrates the potential value of insect trace fossils as palaeoenvironmental indicators.
Highlights
The discovery of the first Australopithecus fossil, the juvenile ‘Taung Child’ at the Buxton-Norlim limeworks [1], was followed a decade later by discoveries of adult gracile and robust australopithecines from Sterkfontein and Kromdraai [2, 3]
The nest described here was excavated from the Type Site at the Buxton-Norlim Limeworks in South Africa, which lie in the Ghaap Escarpment at the south eastern edge of the Kalahari
The current study provides the first report of trichomes observed in the lining of a fossil bee cell
Summary
The discovery of the first Australopithecus fossil, the juvenile ‘Taung Child’ at the Buxton-Norlim limeworks [1], was followed a decade later by discoveries of adult gracile and robust australopithecines from Sterkfontein and Kromdraai [2, 3]. Despite excavations in the 1940s, 50s, and 90s, no further australopithecine fossils have been unearthed at Taung. The focus of research at the site has shifted to the taphonomic, environmental and geological context of this hominin locality, as well as some of the other known fossil deposits. The nest described here was excavated from the Type Site at the Buxton-Norlim Limeworks in South Africa, which lie in the Ghaap Escarpment at the south eastern edge of the Kalahari.
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