VERY RARE: Mariella bergerii Heteromorph Ammonite Fossil with Echinoids & Gastropods – Upper Albian, Cretaceous – Alice Purnell Collection

Description

VERY RARE FOSSIL ASSEMBLAGE – MARIELLA BERGERII HETEROMORPH AMMONITE WITH ECHINOIDS & GASTROPODS – UPPER ALBIAN, CRETACEOUS – PÉNZESGYŐR, HUNGARY

This is a rare and scientifically significant fossil specimen featuring the heteromorph ammonite Mariella bergerii, accompanied by associated echinoid and gastropod fossils, offering a unique palaeoecological snapshot from the Upper Albian stage of the Cretaceous period, approximately 105–100.5 million years ago.

The specimen was collected from Pénzesgyőr, Veszprém county, Hungary, a well-documented Cretaceous fossil locality, and forms part of the esteemed Alice Purnell Collection, ensuring its authenticity, careful curation, and high-quality preservation.

The actual specimen is shown in the listing photographs. Scale rule cube = 1cm. Please refer to the photos for full sizing. All fossils sold by us are fully 100% genuine and come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

FOSSIL DETAILS & GEOLOGICAL CONTEXT:

• Ammonite Species: Mariella bergerii
• Additional Invertebrates: Associated fossil echinoids and gastropods
• Fossil Type: Heteromorph ammonite (irregular shell coiling)
• Age: Upper Albian, Late Early Cretaceous
• Estimated Age Range: ~105–100.5 million years ago
• Location: Pénzesgyőr, Veszprém county, Hungary
• Formation: Likely part of the Schlier Formation or related shallow marine sequences of the Transdanubian Central Range
• Depositional Environment: Shallow marine shelf with fine carbonate sedimentation
• Family: Turrilitidae
• Superfamily: Turrilitoidea
• Order: Ammonitida
• Class: Cephalopoda
• Phylum: Mollusca
• Identified as: Mariella bergerii by regional Cretaceous specialists (formal identifier not specified)
• Collection: From the Alice Purnell Collection

MORPHOLOGICAL & PALAEOECOLOGICAL NOTES:

Mariella species are known for their loosely coiled, turreted, heteromorph shells, a feature that made them poorly adapted for active swimming but well-suited to floating or drifting in shallow marine environments. The presence of associated echinoids and gastropods suggests this block preserves a natural assemblage, providing valuable context about the ecosystem it was part of.

This fossil may correlate with the Stoliczkaia dispar Zone, a common biozone marker within the Upper Albian of Europe. Its preservation in fine-grained marine sediment hints at a quiet depositional environment, likely part of a broad continental shelf area during a time of global marine transgression.

WHY THIS SPECIMEN IS UNIQUE:

• Features Mariella bergerii, a rarely offered heteromorph ammonite
• Includes multiple marine fossil types in one slab
• Represents a genuine Upper Albian Cretaceous palaeocommunity
• Sourced from Hungary’s historically important Veszprém fossil region
• Part of the curated Alice Purnell Collection
• Supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity

SUMMARY:

• Main Fossil: Mariella bergerii ammonite
• Other Fossils: Echinoids and gastropods
• Age: Upper Albian, Cretaceous (~105–100.5 Ma)
• Location: Pénzesgyőr, Veszprém county, Hungary
• Geology: Shallow marine shelf sediments
• Preservation: Multiple fossils on one matrix; excellent coiling and detail
• Includes: Certificate of Authenticity
• Scale: Refer to photo with 1cm cube
• Collection: Alice Purnell

A rare opportunity to own a fossil from a richly diverse mid-Cretaceous ecosystem in a remarkable state of preservation.