Phylogeny and biogeography of fossil and extant Microtus (Terricola) (Mammalia, Rodentia) of Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula based on current dentalmorphological data

Abstract The fossil record of the Savi vole, Microtus ( Terricola ) savii , is analyzed in terms of morphological and morphometrical variability of the first lower molar, in order to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships between insular and mainland populations and the dispersal events. The present work gives a contribution to better understand the phylogenetic history of this taxon in Sicily and Southern Italy during the interval Middle Pleistocene – Holocene, in an attempt to reconstruct the relationships between insular and continental voles and to clarify some paleobiogeographical aspects. The morphometrical data have been acquired by traditional measurements of the first lower molar a…

Late Pliocene and Pleistocene small mammal chronology in the Italian peninsula

The abundant documentation of small mammals in the Italian peninsula, collected over recent years, furnishes a detailed biochronological sequence mainly from the Late Pliocene onwards. An updated stratigraphic framework is here presented, based on the European small mammal biozonation. The Early Villanyian is characterized by Mimomys hassiacus, M. stehlini, and, later, poorly documented M. polonicus. The Late Villanyian localities are well characterized with M. pliocaenicus, M. pitymyoides and M. tigliensis. The older part of the Early Biharian is documented by assemblages containing Microtus (Allophaiomys) ex gr. pliocaenicus, M. pusillus, M. cf. ostramosensis and M. tornensis, while the l…

Large- and small-mammal distribution patterns and chronostratigraphic boundaries from the Late Pliocene to the Middle Pleistocene of the Italian peninsula.

Abstract Over the last 50 years the studies on terrestrial mammals of the Italian peninsula have provided a large volume of data and a more detailed knowledge of faunal events during the Late Pliocene and Quaternary. Moreover geological, sedimentological, palynological and magnetostratigraphical investigations on the Pliocene–Pleistocene continental sedimentary basins have yielded the possibility of a detailed calibration of the faunal successions. Thus, palaeontologists have been able to reconstruct faunal sequences and to propose biochronological scales based on large and small mammals, respectively. In the present contribution an integration of the two biochronological scales is proposed…

Vertebrate biological events and Pleistocene biogeographic history of Sicily

Osservazioni preliminari sulla tassonomia e la biogeografia di Microtus (Terricola) (Mammalia, Rodentia) fossile della Sicilia

Biogeographia vol. )O(X - 2011 (Pubblicato il 23 dicembre 2011) La Biogeografia del/a Sicilia Osservazioni preliminari sulla tassonomia e la biogeografia di Micmtus (Terricola) (Mammalia, Rodentia) fossile della Sicilia ELISA LOCATELLP‘, FEDERICO MASINl**, DARIA PETRUSO**, BENEDETTO SALA*, GIOVANNI SURDI** * Dzpartimento di Biologzkz ed E2/oluzione, Univerritd degli Studi, 6.50 Ercole I d’Este 32, 44100 Fermm (Italy); e—mzzz'[: eZim.[ocate[[z'@unzfi. it; benedettoyzla @umfe. it *q‘ Dzpzzrtimento di Scienze dellzz Yerm e delMare, Universitzi degli Studi, z1z'czArc/Jimfi 22, 90123 Palermo (Italy) e—mai[: federico. masini @unz]m. it; dzzrizz._petru5o @um;mz. it; gz'0wmnz'.:um&#…

The Late Pliocene and Pleistocene Small mammal chronology in the Italian Peninsula