Reappraisal of some species of the giant galericine Deinogalerix (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Erinaceomorpha, Erinaceidae) from the Miocene of south-eastern Italy, with a review of the genus

A revision of the remains of Deinogalerix from the Terre Rosse of Gargano, stored at the Department of Earth Sciences of Florence, improved our knowledge of the genus. The goals of this study are to clear the taxonomic status of the specimens and to tackle several issues connected with the evolutionary relationships of the different species. The sample of dental remains of Deinogalerix freudenthali provides new information, which confirms that this species belongs to the most primitive members of the genus, alongside D. masinii. It is now clear that D. freudenthali is very close to the hypothetical ancestor of all other Gargano species, except D. masinii. Nonetheless, the oldest fissures of…

Faunal changes and palaeobiodiversity of Italian vertebrate assemblages during the last glacial cycles.

Paesaggi adattativi, innovazioni evolutive e comportamento.

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…

The latest Miocene small-sized Cervidae from Monticino Quarry (Brisighella, central Italy): paleobiogeographic and biochronological implications

In this paper, we described the unpublished cervid material from the latest Upper Miocene deposits of the Monticino Quarry (Brisighella, central Italy). The material includes a few teeth, some post...

Evolutionary trends in arvicolids and the endemic murid Mikrotia - New data and a critical overview

Abstract The study of evolutionary rates dates back to the work of Simpson and Haldane in the 1940s. Small mammals, especially Plio-Pleistocene arvicolids (voles and lemmings), are particularly suited for such studies because they have an unusually complete fossil record and exhibit significant evolutionary change through time. In recent decades, arvicolids have been the focus of intensive research devoted to the tempo and mode of evolutionary change and the identification of trends in dental evolution that can be used to correlate and date fossil sites. These studies have raised interesting questions about whether voles and lemmings had unique evolutionary trajectories, or show convergent …

An evaluation of the micromammal faunal composition from travertines and other Pleistocene continental fossil sites

Structural changes in Italian Late Pliocene - Pleistocene large Mammal assemblages

A schematic range-chart of the late Pliocene - Pleistocene large mammal genera is presented. The main faunal events recognizable within this time span are discussed. The first faunal event occurs around the Gauss/Matuyama transition with the beginning of the middle Villafranchian characterized by the arrival of Mammuthus (Archidiskodon) and Equus (the so-called "elephant-Equus event"). The following faunal event occurs at the Plio-Pleistocene transition (the so-called "wolf event"). The latter is marked by a strong contraction in the diversity of the ruminants and by a renewal in the carnivore diversity with the arrival of social carnivores. The low diversity in ruminant assemblage persist …

The Late Pleistocene deposits with vertebrates and molluscs at San Teodoro Cave (North-Eastern Sicily): preliminary data on faunal diversification and chronology.

Fossils in Island have still many stories to be told

The use of insular vertebrates in palaeogeographic reconstructions.

Il capriolo fossile (Caproulus, Mammalia, Arctiodactyla, Cervidae)

Extinction of selected micromammal taxa during the Middle Pleistocene of Europe.

New insular taxa from the oldest Terre Rosse fissure filling (Gargano, Southeastern Italy).

A rich amount of fossil remains of a highly diversified vertebrate fauna, known as “Mikrotia fauna”, has been retrieved from the red soil deposits (Terre Rosse) which fill the extensive palaeokarst network that affects the Mesozoic limestone along the north-western slopes of Mount Gargano (Southern Italy). The faunal assemblages reveal a rather complex history of bioevents such as dispersals and extinctions, which occurred when the area was isolated. These reconstructions were based on the materials collected during the seventies and the eighties of the last century. Forty years after its discovery, the Gargano Terre Rosse finally yielded evidence of an older faunal settlement. The peculiar…

A latest Biharian small vertebrate fauna from the lacustrine succession of San Lorenzo (Sant’Arcangelo Basin, Basilicata, Italy)

Abstract The Sant’Arcangelo Basin is located in the southern part of the Apennine chain (Basilicata). It is filled by a siliciclastic sequence 3500 m thick, dated to the Late Pliocene–Middle Pleistocene time interval. In this basin an Early Middle Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine sequence, known as San Lorenzo Cycle, has been recognised. In the upper part of the sequence, in Rifreddo, a fairly diversified small vertebrate assemblage has been recovered. The occurrence of Mimomys savini allows to the fauna to be considered as Biharian. The presence of some faunal elements such as Microtus ( Terricola ) arvalidens, Microtus ( Iberomys ) ex gr . huescarensis-brecciensis, and Macroneomys cf. brachy…

Nuovi dati sui ghiri endemici del Neogene del Gargano

Pleistocene land vertebrates of Sicily.

New data on the taxonomy of the endemic myomiminae (gliridae, rodentia) from the late miocene-early pliocene of gargano (southern Italy) with the description of the new species Stertomys degiulii

The Late Miocene-Early Pliocene “Terre Rosse” vertebrate assemblages, found in the palaeokarst fissure fillings of the Apricena-Poggio Imperiale limestone quarries (North-Western side of the Gargano promontory, southern Italy), document a very long and complex history of endemic populations of a palaeoarchipelago. That history developed in at least four populating phases, which are characterised by changes in faunal diversity and include taxa with different degree of endemism. They have been subject of several studies since the beginning of the 1970s and deserve a particular attention for their evolutionary and palaeogeographical implications. The sampling of the “Terre Rosse” fissure filli…

I gliridi endemici del Pleistocene Medio della Sicilia

Land mammal colonisation of islands is a multifactorial product; a critic to the unwise use of models

The colonization of islands by terrestrial mammals has been the topic of a flurry of studies. Contributions normally tend to oversimplify the subject, focusing on specific key factors which are allegedly considered the best to explain why, how and when non volant terrestrial mammals reached islands and which are used to devise models. The subjectivity in the choice of key factors understandably leads to controversy and debate. Insular faunas are the multifactorial result of complex combinations of facts, conditions and processes. Hence, the faunal assemblages of each island should be inquired individually, on a case-by-case basis. Models, by definition, are simplified representations of rea…

A reappraisal of the Early to Middle Pleistocene Italian Bovidae

Abstract During the Quaternary, bovids are common elements in the Italian local faunal assemblages (LFAs). Representatives of Bovini tribe are continuously present, albeit with different lineages. Caprini are sporadically recorded by several genera, and Antilopini are less represented, only during the Early Pleistocene in the middle and early late Villafranchian local faunal assemblages (LFAs). Diversity and ecological role of continental representatives of Italian Bovidae varied with LFAs as well as in faunal units (FUs) throughout the Early and Middle Pleistocene. Species richness and diversity peaked during the early late Villafranchian land mammal age (LMA) and then decreased in the pos…

Cesi, an early Middle Pleistocene site in the Colfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennine), central Italy

Near the village of Cesi, at the head of the Chienti River, in the Colfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennines, central Italy), fluvio-lacustrine deposits have yielded mammal fossil remains. The results of a multidisciplinary investigation indicate that the vertebrate-bearing sediments date about 700 ka and accordingly provide a fossil assemblage for the Middle–Late Galerian. Palynological investigations carried out from sediments underlying the fossiliferous level suggest predominantly cold and dry conditions, whereas the fauna suggests a slight climatic amelioration towards cool and moist conditions in the uppermost part of the sequence. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Le faune a mammiferi della Sicilia tra il Tardoglaciale e l’Olocene

A check-list of Sicilian terrestrial mammals from Late Glacial to the Holocene has been compiled and a quantitative methodology of data analysis to calculate their occurrence and extinction rates has been adopted, in order to synthesize the temporal turnover of mammal species occurred during the last 17,5 ky. In such interval Sicily, probably passed from a fully connection (via a temporary land bridge generated by eustatic change of sea level) with Southern Calabria to the present isolation phase. To better focus the faunal turnover, this temporal interval has been subdivided into three phases: Late Glacial, ancient and recent Holocene. 28 Mammal taxa were recorded: 17 in the Late Glacial, …

A multidisciplinary approach to reveal the Sicily Climate and Environment over the last 20 000 years

Abstract We present a thorough review of the knowledge on the climate and environment in Sicily over the last 20 000 years, taking into account results of several studies carried using terrestrial and marine records. We obtain a coherent framework of the most important changes succeeded in the island, even if some points need further investigation. All the reconstructions of surface temperatures of the seas and the air surrounding Sicily point out severe climatic conditions during the last glacial period. The steppe- and semisteppe-like vegetation pattern testifies, together with additional evidence from geochemical data of lacustrine evidence, markedly arid conditions. Fi-nally, significan…

Le Faune insulari delle “terre rosse” del Gargano: una panoramica

An outline of Italian Leptobos and a first sight on Leptobos aff. vallisarni from Pietrafitta (early Pleistocene, Perugia)

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…

The lower and middle Pleistocene geological record of the San Lorenzo lacustrine succession in the Sant’Arcangelo Basin (Southern Apennines, Italy)

The Sant’Arcangelo Basin is located in the southern part of the Apennine chain (Basilicata). It is filled by a siliciclastic sequence 3500m thick, dated to the Late Pliocene–Middle Pleistocene time interval. In this basin an Early Middle Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine sequence, known as San Lorenzo Cycle, has been recognised. In the upper part of the sequence, in Rifreddo, a fairly diversified small vertebrate assemblage has been recovered. The occurrence of Mimomys savini allows to the fauna to be considered as Biharian. The presence of some faunal elements such as Microtus (Terricola) arvalidens, Microtus (Iberomys) ex gr. huescarensis-brecciensis, and Macroneomys cf. brachygnathus restric…

Paleoenvironmental context of the early Neanderthals of Poggetti Vecchi for the late middle Pleistocene of Central Italy

AbstractWork on thermal pools at Poggetti Vecchi in Grosseto, Italy, exposed an up to 3-meter-thick succession of seven sedimentary units. Unit 2 in the lower portion of the succession contained vertebrate bones, mostly of the straight-tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, commingled with stone, bone, and wooden tools. Thermal carbonates overlying Unit 2 are radiometrically dated to the latter part of the middle Pleistocene. This time span indicates that early Neanderthals produced the human artifacts from Poggetti Vecchi. The elephant bones belong to seven individuals of different ages. Sedimentary facies analysis and paleoecological evidence suggest a narrow lacustrine-palustrine embay…

New surprises from the Gargano Late Miocene small mammals, a neverending story.

Morphometric variability of Holocene-Late Pleistocene Savi vole (Microtus (Terricola) ex gr. savii (Mammalia, Rodentia) from Sicily

THE GARGANO TERRE ROSSE INSULAR FAUNAS: AN OVERVIEW

After forty years from its discovery, the history of the field surveys and of the researches on the fossiliferous deposits on Gargano is briefly reported. The Gargano fauna belongs to the Abruzzo-Apulian Palaeobioprovince (including also Scontrone and Palena, Abruzzo). The fossil assemblage comprehends all the classes of terrestrial vertebrates: Reptilia, Amphibia, Aves and Mammalia. The faunal composition is unbalanced and presents the features of a typical insular endemic fauna. The bulk of the assemblage is composed of small mammals and birds. Based on literature, we report the most characteristic features, phylogenetic relationships, and evolutionary remarks on a list of mammals, focusi…

The Mammalian successions of Sicily and Sardinia: a tentative of correlation with the biochronological frame of the Italian peninsula

I micromammiferi neogenico - quaternari del territorio italiano: uno spunto di riflessione sui processi evolutivi

Messinian Italian Bovidae revised: paleobiogeographic and biochronological implications

Bovidae from the Messinian localities of Italian Peninsula are poorly known and documented except in the Monticino Quarry record (Brisighella, central Italy), which represents, therefore, a key loc...

Ambiente e clima della Sicilia durante gli ultimi 20 mila anni

Environment and Climate in Sicily over the last 20, 000 years. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2010). A series of recent studies shed light on the central Mediterranean, and Sicily, climate and environment, starting from the last glacial maximum (about 20 ka cal BP). In the present paper, we examine most of these works, in order to unravel environmental changes of the past, mainly in terms of temperature, atmospheric pattern, precipitation, vegetation and faunal associations. The climate of the last glacial maximum was characterised by very low temperature and by repeated northerlies penetration, even during summer. Low precipitation values led to a steppe- or semisteppe-like vegetation pattern, domina…

Large and small mammal biochronology and chronostratigrapy from the Late Pliocene to the Middle Pleistocene of the Italian peninsula.

A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Analysis of Multifactorial Land Mammal Colonization of Islands

A highly debated question that engages paleontologists, zoogeographers, and zoologists is how terrestrial mammals colonize islands. The question’s oversimplification and the subjective and partial responses to it have led to reductionist models. Insular faunas and fossil assemblages result from a complex interaction of geological, biological (in a broad sense), climatic, eustatic, taphonomic, and historical processes. Insular assemblages and their accompanying variables should be investigated on a case-by-case basis. In this article, we discuss not only common misconceptions and their potential origins but also the key issues that should be addressed when dealing with the colonization of is…

Le Faune a Mammiferi della Sicilia tra il Tardoglaciale e l'Olocene

Origin of the Elements of the endemic "Terre Rosse" fauna (Gargano, South eastern Italy)

The attention of the scientific community has recently been addressed on various aspects of the Messinian endemic vertebrates from the foreland sector of the Abruzzo - Apulian paleobioprovince: several new papers dealing with ruminants, glirids, insectivores, cricetids, as well as with biochronological, palaeographic and biogeographic aspects have been published in the last ten years. New fossils finds enriched the taxonomic composition of the Gargano endemic fauna: a new Cricetodontinae genus, a new Murinae genus representing the direct ancestor of the endemic murid Mikrotia, and a new species of primitive giant moonrat Deinogalerix. The recently published taxonomic description of the smal…

A revision of medium and small sized deer from the Middle and Late Pleistocene of Calabria and Sicily

The remains of Megaceroides calabriae from Middle Pleistocene deposits at locality Bovetto (Southern Calabria) and of Megaceroides carburangelensis from the late Middle and Late Pleistocene locality Cimillà (South-eastern Sicily) are revised. These deer were considered as endemic species of strongly reduced size, related to genus Megaceroides (=Praemegaceros), which evolved in insular environment similarly to the endemic megaceroids from Sardinia, Corsica and Crete, M, cazioti and M. cretensis. The comparison of M. calabriae and M. carburangelensis with representatives of genera Megaceroides and Dama, carried out in the present study, shows that the Calabrian and Sicilian deer belong to Dam…

A new late pleistocene vertebrate faunal complex from Sicily (S. Teodoro Cave, North-Eastern Sicily, Italy)

Previous excavations at the S. Teodoro Cave were carried on mainly in the upper unit, Late Glacial in age, containing late Upper Palaeolithic stone artefacts and no endemic mammals remains belonging to the Castello Faunal complex, the youngest of the Pleistocene Sicilian faunal complexes. This unit overlies an older deposit of clay and sands which contain Pleistocene endemic mammal remains. During 1998 excavations a maximum depth of m 1.50 over an area of about 12 sq. m has been exploited. Scarce evidences of the Late Glacial have been encountered during excavations. The investigated lower unit (unit B) is made of clayey sands and gravels containing a highly diversified assemblage of verteb…

Poggetti Vecchi (Tuscany, Italy): A late Middle Pleistocene case of human-elephant interaction

Abstract A paleosurface with a concentration of wooden-, bone-, and stone-tools interspersed among an accumulation of fossil bones, largely belonging to the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus, was found at the bottom of a pool, fed by hot springs, that was excavated at Poggetti Vecchi, near Grosseto (Tuscany, Italy). The site is radiometrically dated to the late Middle Pleistocene, around 171,000 years BP. Notable is the association of the artifacts with the elephant bones, and in particular the presence of digging sticks made from boxwood (Buxus sp.). Although stone tools show evidence of use mainly on animal tissues, indicating some form of interaction between hominins and an…

The Grotta Grande of Scario (Salerno, Italy): a spot on the archaeology and the environment durino the last interglacial (OIS 5) of the Mediterranean Region.

The Grotta Grande of Scario (Salerno, Italy): Archaeology and environment during the last interglacial (MIS 5) of the Mediterranean region

Abstract Archeological and paleo-environmental researches carried on the Grotta Grande site illustrate the importance of a multidisciplinary approach among archeologists, palynologists and paleontologists. The archaeology, fauna, pollen and micro-charcoal recovered in two short sedimentary successions (trenches A, F) located close to the entrance of the cave are discussed. The cave opens directly on the Tyrrhenian Sea, 2 km from Scario (Salerno, Campania, Southern Italy). The morphology of the cave and sedimentary processes were controlled by eustatic fluctuations during the late Middle Pleistocene and the early Late Pleistocene. The sea repeatedly occupied the cave. The cave was frequented…

Stratigraphic distribution patterns of large and small mammals in the Late Pliocene end Pleistocene of the Italian Peninsula: an integrated approach

A late Biharian small vertebrate fauna from the lacustrine succession of San Lorenzo (Santarcangelo Basin, Basilicata, Italy)

Una valutazione quantitativa della documentazione di vertebrati del Quaternario della Sicilia.

Stratigraphic frame work of the type locality of Pirro Nord Mammal Faunal Unit (Late Villafranchian, Apricena south-eastern Italy)

The fossiliferous karst deposits of the typical Pirro Nord Faunal Unit recently revived interest for the lithic tools documenting the human occurrence in southern Italy at Early Pleistocene. Therefore, a revision of the Pliocene to lowermost Pleistocene stratigraphic succession was needed. It was carried on with a twofold aim: to detail the stratigraphic architecture and the structural-depositional evolution of the “Apricena horst”, and to verify the chronostratigraphic constraints for the Pirro Nord F.U. in the type area of Apricena. The stratigraphic record has been subdivided in four units bounded by ubiquitous unconformity surfaces, often associated to evidence of sub-aerial exposure. F…

Observations on the postcranial anatomy of Hoplitomeryx (Mammalia, Ruminantia, Hoplitomerycidae) from the Miocene of the Apulia Platform (Italy)

The untypical ruminants of the Apulia Platform (central and southeastern Italy), originally accommodated in the genus Hoplitomeryx, have been recently revised. The Scontrone (Abruzzo, central Italy) representatives were included in a new genus, Scontromeryx, with the addition of a new species, Scontromeryx mazzai. In contrast, the Gargano ones were left in Hoplitomeryx, but also in this case with the addition of three new species, Hoplitomeryx devosi, H. macpheei, and H. kriegsmani, described on postcranial remains and based on body mass calculations and using a size class scoring technique. The results of the present study show that Scontromeryx is invalid, that S. mazzai is imperfectly de…

La Terricola (Mammalia, Rodentia) fossile della Sicilia: tassonomia e biogeografia

New data on the morphological variation of extant and fossil European populations of Arvicola (Mammalia, Rodentia)

The tangled cases of Deinogalerix (Late Miocene endemic erinaceid of Gargano) and Galericini (Eulipotyphla, Erinaceidae): a cladistic perspective.

The Late Miocene giant erinaceid Deinogalerix from Scontrone and Gargano (Italy) is associated with many other vertebrates in deposits of a past island, the “Abruzzo-Apulia Platform”. At Gargano, Deinogalerix is accompanied by the moderately endemized Galericini Apulogalerix. This first extensive cladistic analysis is aimed at defining the relationships of Deinogalerix with characteristic members of the tribe Galericini. The analysis was performed on a matrix of 30 characters and 19 taxa and identified some smaller clades, nested within three major ones. The latter include: (i) a pentatomy of Galerix species, (ii) a polytomy of “transitional” Galerix–Parasorex species and (iii) a large clad…

A new small mammal assemblage from the M013 Terre Rosse fissure filling (Gargano, South-Eastern Italy)

Abstract The taxonomic study of the small mammal assemblage from fissure M013, sampled by a team of the University of Torino during the 2005–2009 excavations in the Dell’Erba Quarry (Apricena, Foggia) is presented. The assemblage includes the Echinosoricinae Apulogalerix cf. pusillus and the Crocidosoricinae ?Lartetium cf. dehmi; the Myomiminae species Stertomys simplex and Stertomys lyrifer; a new genus and species of Cricetodontinae and a single specimen of Hattomys cf. nazarii. Muridae include Mikrotia cf. parva, Mikrotia sp. 1 and a new genus and species of Murinae, phylogenetically related to Mikrotia. The occurrence of the new Murinae, the new Cricetodontinae, the two species of gliri…

The Abruzzo-Apulian (Central and Southeastern Italy) fossil fauna, new challenges for paleontologists and paleobiogeographers

The Abruzzo-Apulian Platform was an endemic Neogene paleobioprovince. Its relics can be found at the south-east of the Italian Peninsula. Geological and paleontological traces of this past land crop out both in the central Apennines, Maiella (Scontrone fossiliferous site), as well as in the Gargano Promontory. The Scontrone paleofauna -Scontrone is placed on the southern borderline of the Abruzzo National Park, Central-Southern Apennine. The bone-bearing sediments are coastaltidal-flat calcarenites stratigraphically dated to the Lower Tortonian. They yielded remains of terrestrial mammals, which include the bizarre ruminant Hoplitomeryx and the giant insectivore Deinogalerix, of a large ter…

The effects of Middle – Late Pleistocene climatic change on mammalian diversity in the islands of Sicily and Sardinia

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…

Pylogenetic history and biogeographic aspects of fossil and extant Terricola (Mammalia, Rodentia) of Southern Italy: a case study

La Sicilia

The Small Sized Galericini from F32 “Terre Rosse” fissure filling (Gargano, Southeastern Italy) and its biochronological implications.

Deinogalerix is by far the better known Galericinae (Galericini according toVan den Hoek Ostende, 2001) from the Gargano fissure filling thanks to very careful description of Butler 1980. However, another moon rat, very small sized, belonging to the Galericini tribe, is virtually present in all the assemblages from the “terre rosse” fissure filling of the Gargano. It was first mentioned in the pioneering report of Freudenthal (1971) and by Butler (1980) in his study of the “gigantic” Deinogaleri and it has been quoted in several faunal lists. It has been ascribed to Parasorex by Van den Hoek Ostende (2001), and to Galerix (Apulogalerix) by Fanfani (1999). Van den Hoek Ostende (2001) conside…

Apatodemus degiulii n. gen. et sp. (Rodentia, Muridae), a hitherto undescribed endemite from the Terre Rosse of Gargano (Late Miocene, Southeastern Italy)

The taxonomy of the murid that had been ascribed to the genus Apodemus from the late Miocene insular faunal assemblages of Gargano (Southeastern Italy) is revised. Morphological and odontometric analyses of important new dental characters were undertaken. Our investigations revealed substantial morphological differences from Apodemus. The rodent is therefore assigned to a new genus and species, Apatodemus degiulii. The new species is characterised by a combination of advanced and primitive characters: moderately brachyodont teeth, t7 present in all M1–2s, elongated and distally located t1 in M1, t1 often twinned in M1–2, and narrow labial cingulid in lower molars associated to a well-develo…

Considerations on an integrated biochronological scale of Italian Quaternary Mammals

Viene analizzato il lavoro di MASINI e SALA (2007) sull’approccio integrato della distribuzione dei grandi e piccoli mammiferi dell’Italia continentale del tardo Pliocene e del Pleistocene, tenendo conto della nuova definizione del Quaternario, mettendo in risalto i punti di forza e quelli deboli della scala proposta. Vengono inoltre aggiunti nuovi dati sulla biocronologia a mammiferi del Pleistocene Superiore. The paper of MASINI and SALA (2007) regarding an integrated approach on the stratigraphic distribution patterns of large and small mammals in the late Pliocene and Pleistocene of the Italian peninsula is analysed, showing the weak and strong points. New data are presented on the mamm…

A preliminary quantitative taxonomic evaluation of the Pliocene and Pleistocene small mammal record in the Italian Peninsula.

Isole e Clima nel Quaternario: I mammiferi fossili della Sicilia e della Sardegna.

Grotta Grande di Scario (Salerno, Italia): variazioni ambientali e archeologia durante l’ultimo interglaciale (MIS 5)

Phylogenetic relationships of genus Stertomys (Gliridae) from the “Terre Rosse” fissure filling (Gargano, Apulia)

Stertomys is an endemic genus of Gliridae commonly found in the Late Miocene “Terre Rosse” fissure fillings from Gargano (southern Italy). The taxonomy of this genus have been recently reconsidered and, up to date, five new species have been described beside the giant Stertomys laticrestatus Daams & Freudenthal 1985. The species have different biochronological range and may be assigned to two groups according to their size and complexity of the dental pattern. The smaller and morphologically simpler group includes Stertomys simplex Martín-Suárez & Freudenthal 2007, Stertomys daamsi Freudenthal & Martín-Suárez 2006 (occurring in the older fissures) and Stertomys degiulii Rinaldi & Masini 200…

Parasorex depereti (Crochet, 1986) (Lipotyphla, Mammalia), from the Upper Messinian (MN13) fissure filling of Brisighella (Faenza, Northern Apennine, Italy)

A large-sized species of Parasorex is rather common in the MN13 mammal assemblages from the uppermost Messinian sandy - marly fissure fillings within the Gessoso Solfifera Formation at Brisighella (Northern Apennine). This erinaceid had been originally classified as Galerix sp. in the first papers on the Brisighella fauna. Later on, it was described in detail in an unpublished dissertation by Fanfani (1999) who referred it to Galerix depereti. Unfortunately, the study remained virtually unknown to the scientific community. Hoek Ostende (2001) included G. depereti in the genus Parasorex, while Ziegler (2005) accommodated it in Schizogalerix. Hoek Ostende’s (2001) opinion is followed here. Pa…

A new small mammal assemblage from the Pirro 12 “Terre Rosse” fissure filling (Gargano, Southeastern Italy).

The Pirro 12 fissure filling has been discovered and sampled by a team of the University of Torino during the 2005 field survey in the Dell’Erba Quarry (Apricena, Foggia). The occurrence of a very small Deinogalerix and of a very simple Mikrotia supported, at a first glance, the very old position of Pirro 12 in the biochronological succession of endemic faunal settlements of Gargano (Villier, 2011). In this communication the preliminary result of taxonomic studies of the small mammal assemblage of the Pirro 12 filling is presented. The Gliridae is by far the most common family in this site. Two species of the endemic genus Stertomys have been identified: the small-sized Stertomys cf simplex…

New data on the evolution of Mikrotia (Muridae, Rodentia) in the Late Miocene of Gargano (Apulia, Italy).

New Bovid Remains from the Early Pleistocene of Umbria (Italy) and a Reappraisal of Leptobos merlai

The extinct bovid Leptobos is one of the most characteristic elements of Eurasian faunal assemblages during most of the Villafranchian Land Mammal Age (i.e., from the late Pliocene to most of the early Pleistocene). Several species of this genus have been established since the end of XIX Century, but their taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships remain unclear due to the fact that most of them are described on the basis of scanty material. European species are divided into two groups or lineages. The first includes L. stenometopon, L. merlai, and the poorly known L. furtivus, the second L. etruscus and L. vallisarni. While the last two species are well documented in the Italian earl…

New Light on Parasorex Depereti (Erinaceomorpha: Erinaceidae: Galericini) from the Late Messinian (MN 13) of the Monticino Quarry (Brisighella, Faenza, Italy)

Abstract A large-sized species of Parasorex is common in the MN 13 mammal assemblages from the uppermost Messinian sandy-marly fissure fillings within the Gessoso Solfifera Formation at Brisighella (Northern Apennine). This erinaceid has been classified as Galerix sp. in the first papers on the Brisighella fauna. Later, it was described in detail in an unpublished Ph.D. dissertation by Fanfani (1999), who referred it to Galerix depereti. Van den Hoek Ostende (2001) included G. depereti in the genus Parasorex, Parasorex depereti has been described by Crochet (1986) on scarce material from a few Early Pliocene (MN 14–15) localities of southern France and Spain. Parasorex cf. depereti has been…

New human remains of Archaic Homo sapiens and Lower Palaeolithic industries from Visogliano (Duino Aurisina, Trieste, Italy).

New human remains have been found during recent excavations conducted in the lower section of Visogliano dolina (Trieste, Italy). They are represented by teeth and a fragment of particularly robust mandible that for their morphological and morphometrical characters can be generically attributed to archaic Homo sapiens. The lithic industry is formed by flakes, carinated points, scrapers, choppers and chopping tools and is characteristic of the Italian Pebble Culture. Sediments, pollen and faunal remains indicate that this part of the deposit was formed during interglacial climatic conditions in the early, but not initial phase of Middle Pleistocene (isotopic stadium 13 or 11).

Capo San Vito Peninsula (Stops 4.1 – 4.4).

Morphometric variability of Holocene- Late Pleistocene Savi vole (Microtus (Terricola) ex gr. savii (Mammalia, Rodentia) from Sicily

GLI INSETTIVORI DI CAVA MONTICINO (BRISIGHELLA, RA)

Sono note quattro diverse specie di insettivori dalla cava del Monticino, due soricidi (Neomyosorex sp. e cf. Miosorex desnoyersianus) e due erinaceidi (Parasorex depereti e “Mioechinus” sp.). Parasorex depereti appartiene ai Galericini, una tribù estinta di gimnuri, e probabilmente era un animale piuttosto opportunista, come gli altri membri dello stesso genere, forse non legato ad ambienti di foresta o umidi relativamente caldi. “Mioechinus” sp. di collocazione sistematica incerta, per alcuni autori potrebbe essere sinonimo dei generi di ricci moderni Atelerix o Hemiechinus. In questo caso, la sua presenza escluderebbe ambienti desertici o di foresta pluviale. Infine, Neomyosorex sp., rel…

Mystemys giganteus n. gen. et sp.: an enigmatic and rare cricetid from the Terre Rosse M013 fissure filling (Gargano, Southeastern Italy).

Mystemys giganteus is a new strongly endemic cricetid that occurs only in the recently discovered M013 Terre Rosse fissure filling of the Gargano area. This species was presented alongside the other taxa of the M013 fissure in a previous paper and it is here described in detail. Although the material includes only five molars, Mystemys is exceptional for its very large size (length of M1: 6.23 mm) and peculiar morphology. The molars are heavy built with bulged and robust cusps, tubercular crests, narrow valleys, very thick and crenulated enamel. The morphological features of Mystemys are very carefully described, with special focus on the evolutionary modifications induced by isolation. The…

Tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Pliocene to Lower Pleistocene succession of the Apricena-Lesina-Poggio Imperiale quarrying district (western Gargano, southern Italy)

The post-Miocene marine succession of the «Apricena horst» is described with the purpose to verify the chronostratigraphic constraints for the type-locality of the Pirro Nord Faunal Unit. The stratigraphic succession has been subdivided in four units bounded by ubiquitous unconformities with evidence of subaerial exposure. The two basal units (dated late Zanclean to at most early Piacenzian) are formally grouped in the Lago di Varano Fm. that on the whole consists of sediments ranging from lagoonal to circalittoral environments. Within the lowermost unit, a megabreccia is interpreted as the product of a tsunami event. The third unit, Gelasian in age, is informally cited as Calcari a Briozoi…

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&#…

Apulogalerix pusillus nov. gen., nov. sp., the small-sized Galericinae (Erinaceidae, Mammalia) from the ‘‘Terre Rosse’’ fissure filling of the Gargano (Foggia, South-Eastern Italy)

Abstract A small moonrat belonging to the Galericini tribe occurs in all the assemblages from the Terre Rosse fissure fillings of the Gargano. It was first mentioned in the pioneering report of Freudenthal and by Butler in his study of the “gigantic” Deinogalerix, and has been quoted with different names several times in faunal lists of the Terre Rosse endemic faunas. Up to date, however, the description of this gymnure has never been achieved. We present here the taxonomical and morphological description of a sample from Fissure Filling F32 that is considered to document the youngest phase of population of the Gargano Paleoarchipelago. The comparisons with genera Galerix, Parasorex and Sch…

Comparison of evolutionary patterns of Arvicola in Germany, France and Italy

Nuovi dati sulla Grotta Grande di Scario (Salerno, Italia): L’associazione a micromammiferi Pre-Eemiana del settore C

How, when and where from of the Abruzzo-Apulian palaeofauna.

Late Pleistocene vertebrate - bearing deposits at San Teodoro Cave (North-Eastern Sicily): Preliminary data on faunal diversification and chronology

Abstract This paper deals with the chronology and the possible correlations among levels of different excavated areas in the Pleistocene vertebrate-bearing deposits at the large San Teodoro Cave (North-Eastern Sicily). Two trenches have been excavated along the eastern side of the cave, located at a distance from the entrance, respectively, of 8 m ( α trench) and 28 m ( β trench) and at different depths. Lithological features, biometrical data from small mammals and ecological data from molluscs point to similar environmental conditions for the α trench deposits and those located along the eastern wall of the cave in the eastern part of the β trench. The same evidence, and the taphonomic fe…

S. Teodoro cave Stop 2.3.

Origination and extinction patterns of mammals in three central Western Mediterranean islands from the Late Miocene to Quaternary

Abstract An overview of the population histories of three insular realms (Gargano palaeo-archipelago, Sardinia–Maritime Tuscany palaeo-bioprovince and the Sicilian insular complex) during the Late Miocene and Quaternary are here presented. The complexity of biodiversity changes in the islands is analysed to propose an interpretation of origination and extinction patterns. The study highlighted several important aspects of insular faunas. Evolutionary radiations were found to contribute significantly only to the Gargano faunal diversity, likely because the area was an archipelago at the time. Another interesting result is that large and small mammals do not disperse and become extinct all at…

Sicilian Palaentological geosites: Knowledege, protection and exploitation of the palaentological heritage

Pleistocene Calabrian and Sicilian bioprovinces

During the Pleistocene, southern Calabria was the area through which several mammalian taxa dispersed into the Sicilian island via the Straits of Messina. The rich fossil record of Sicily allowed for the construction of a fairly detailed bio-chronological frame that is dated by correlation of vertebrate bearing deposits with marine deposits. At present five Faunal Complexes (F.C.), characterised by the occurrence of different taxa, have been recognised. The two older Faunal Complexes (Monte Pellegrino F.C.'xes Elephas falconeri F.C.) include taxa with differently marked endemic features denoting the occurrence of an insular system made up of geographically isolated small islands, with very …

Messinian Italian Bovidae revised: paleobiogeographic and biochronological implications

Bovidae from the Messinian localities of Italian Peninsula are poorly known and documented except in the Monticino Quarry record (Brisighella, central Italy), which represents, therefore, a key locality for the understanding of Bovidae diversity and biogeography during the Messinian in Italy. In the present paper, the material published in the 1989 along with new, unpublished bovid material from Monticino Quarry are revised in order to clarify the taxonomic attribution of the Monticino��� bovids and to better understand their geographic and chronological distribution, as well as the Bovidae diversity in Italy during the Messinian. The updated and revised data on the Italian small, spiral-ho…

The latest Miocene small-sized Cervidae from Monticino Quarry (Brisighella, central Italy): paleobiogeographic and biochronological implications

In this paper, we described the unpublished cervid material from the latest Upper Miocene deposits of the Monticino Quarry (Brisighella, central Italy). The material includes a few teeth, some postcranials and a fragment of antler. An isolated fragment of mandible with dp4 is referred to Cervidae indet. (small-size) due to the absence of diagnostic morphological features. Two lower molars characterised by rugose enamel, the absence of Palaeomeryx fold and the presence of mesial cingulid are assigned to Pliocervus sp. A fragment of antler, characterised by ridges and furrows along the beam, which bends towards the lateral side just above the first bifurcation, a brachydont M2 and several sma…