Carmelo Petronio | Università degli Studi "La Sapienza" di Roma (original) (raw)
Papers by Carmelo Petronio
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2017
This paper describes the Late Pleistocene and Holocene remains of Canis lupus from Grotta Mora Ca... more This paper describes the Late Pleistocene and Holocene remains of Canis lupus from Grotta Mora Cavorso (Latium, Italy), with a particular focus on the anatomically connected skeleton found in Layer 7, radiometrically dated to over 43,500 years BP and correlated with Marine Isotopic Stage 3. The studied specimens were compared with wolf remains collected from numerous Middle and Late Pleistocene and Holocene sites in Italy, France, Austria and Slovenia. Additional comparisons were made with a sample of the extant Apennine wolf, Canis lupus italicus. The Late Pleistocene and Holocene wolves from Grotta Mora Cavorso range between 6-10 years of age at death, 64-75 cm in height at the withers, 150-162 cm in body length, and 30-39 kg in body mass. They are morphometrically close to Canis lupus maximus, a Late Pleistocene chrono-subspecies of France. The late Middle and Late Pleistocene wolves of Italy show a great variability in body size. This prevents the recognition of a progressive increase of size in Italian wolves with any resulting biochronological implications. The Holocene reduction in body size of the extant Apennine wolf was more recent than previously thought, probably because of genetic isolation, and the rarefaction and subsequent local extinction of large-sized prey, such as red deer. In addition, the 6 year old anatomically connected specimen discovered at Grotta Mora Cavorso, probably a female, allows some considerations on the functional morphology of Pleistocene wolves.
Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia E Stratigrafia, Jul 26, 1998
Riassunto. Ulteriori considerazioni sulla stratigrafia del deposito di Ingarano (Foggia) consento... more Riassunto. Ulteriori considerazioni sulla stratigrafia del deposito di Ingarano (Foggia) consentono di rpotrzzare la presenza di tre associazioni faunistiche riferibili ad un intervallo ben definito del Pleistocene Superiore. La associazione pirì antica (Ingarano a) può essere riferita allo stadio 4 delle paleotemperature, quelle più recenti rispettivamente allo stadio 3 (Ingarano b) e allo stadio 2 (Ingarano c). I dati faunistici si accordano con I'alternanza delle diverse condizioni climatiche nel corso del Pleistocene Superiore.
Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia E Stratigrafia, 1999
Taking into account the fossil mammal material recently discovered at Cava di Breccia (sands outc... more Taking into account the fossil mammal material recently discovered at Cava di Breccia (sands outcropping at Ponte Galeria, Rome), the revised fossils from the area and the updated stratigraphical settings of the Ponte Galeria Formation (Rome), the Authors discuss the biochronology of the Middle Galerian faunal assemblages with a new definition of its Faunal Units. 1) The mammal fauna of Isernia in our opinion is strongly conditioned by palaeoenvironmental factors and by human influence. The occurrence at Isernia La Pineta of the rodent Arvicola cantiana, which was widespread in Western Europe from 0.6 MA, does not match with the biochronology of the fauna and with the absolute dating (0.736 MA). A new radiometric dating will be useful to determine the age of the Isernia La Pineta local fauna, which can be considered younger than 0.736 MA on the basis of its faunal assemblage. 2) The age of the faunal assemblage of Ponte Galeria is between 0.8 and 0.75 MA, approximately in correspon...
The Science of Nature, 2021
The species Cervus elaphus is characterised by its significant and very swift ability to adapt to... more The species Cervus elaphus is characterised by its significant and very swift ability to adapt to the broad woodland-related range of environments in the northern hemisphere, as can be seen by the large number of distinct populations and living subspecies. From studies on the phenotypic plasticity and adaptative capability of living populations of red deer, we can hypothesise that environmental conditions influenced the spread and the evolution of the species, especially in changing landscapes like those of the Italian peninsula during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. In fact, Cervus elaphus occurs on the Italian peninsula from the Middle Pleistocene, a period characterised by a particularly wide variety of environments determined by changeable palaeoclimatic and palaeogeographical conditions that are in all cases more significant in the late Middle Pleistocene and in the Late Pleistocene. If we observe the various fossil subspecies and apply the principle that present features like phenotypic plasticity are important keys to understanding the past, we must reconsider the Pleistocene red deer in evolutionary and taxonomic terms. This reappraisal also provides new data on the biochronological importance of the various red deer subspecies widespread in Italy during the Middle and Late Pleistocene.
Grotta Guattari (San Felice Circeo, central Italy) is best known for the discovery of a Neanderth... more Grotta Guattari (San Felice Circeo, central Italy) is best known for the discovery of a Neanderthal skull in 1939. New investigations of an area never investigated before, the so-called Antro del Laghetto (literally Chamber of the small lake), have been recently carried out by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le Province di Frosinone, Latina e Rieti. The excavation highlighted a hyena frequentation correlatable with the paleosurface investigated since 1939 within other rooms of the cave. The stratigraphic analysis made it possible to identify, below the paleosurface, at least two layers, one of which reveals a human frequentation. In addition to Homo neanderthalensis, the faunal assemblage from Antro del Laghetto consists of abundant Cervus elaphus, followed by Crocuta crocuta, Bos primigenius, Sus scrofa and Equus ferus. Remains of at least another 20 taxa of medium and large size mammals, some of which previously unknown at Grotta Guattari, rare micromamm...
Palaeontographica Abteilung A, 2003
FIG. 2. — A, frequency curves of the taxa found in the Mammal Ages of Central Italy (continuous l... more FIG. 2. — A, frequency curves of the taxa found in the Mammal Ages of Central Italy (continuous line); quantity of the fossiliferous sites (dashed line); B, frequency curves of the taxa found in the Faunal Units of Central Italy (continuous line); quantity of the fossiliferous sites (dashed line). Abbreviations:MIS 2, Marine Isotopic Stage 2; LA, late Aurelian; MA, middle Aurelian;EA, early Aurelian; LG, late Galerian; MG, middle Galerian; EG, early Galerian; LV, late Villafranchian; MV, middle Villafranchian; EV, early Villafranchian. In abscissa, time in Ma; in ordinate, number of taxa.
La fauna di Saccopastore (bassa valle dell'Aniene, Roma) è stata attribuita all'ultimo in... more La fauna di Saccopastore (bassa valle dell'Aniene, Roma) è stata attribuita all'ultimo interglaciale Riss-Würm sin dalla prima metà del secolo scorso. Secondo quanto riportato in letteratura, la mammalofauna del sito includerebbe: Elephas antiquus, Dicerorhinus mercki, Equus caballus, Equus hydruntinus, Hippopotamus major, Cervus elaphus, Dama dama e Bos primigenius, oltre a Homo neanderthalensis. Seguendo la storia delle ricerche, nel presente lavoro viene discussa una nuova età di ca. 220-245 mila anni per la fauna rinvenuta nel sito. Al tempo della scoperta dei due crani umani erano conosciuti solo 3 cicli glacio-eustatici correlati col gli interglaciali Gunz-Mindel, Mindel-Riss e Riss-Würm. Al contrario, gli studi geologici condotti negli ultimi 20 anni nell'area di Roma hanno permesso di ricostruire un quadro stratigrafico dettagliato e ben datato in cui è stato evidenziato lo stretto legame tra glacio-eustatismo e sedimentazione, riconoscendo 6 cicli glacio-eustati...
The first occurrence of the large-sized deer Arvernoceros in the Early Pleistocene of Italy is re... more The first occurrence of the large-sized deer Arvernoceros in the Early Pleistocene of Italy is reported. This genus was found in the sites of Madonna della Strada and Selvella (Central Italy). The considered remains have morphological and biometrical characters similar to those of the species A. giulii and are quite different from those of the genus Euclado-ceros and of the genus Praemegaceros. RIASSUNTO: Petronio C. & Pandolfi L., Il genere Arvernoceros Heintz, 1970 in Italia: rapporto preliminare. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2011) Viene riportata la prima presenza in Italia del cervo di grande taglia Arvernoceros durante il Pleistocene Inferiore. Questo genere è stato rinvenuto nei siti di Madonna della Strada e Selvella (Italia Centrale). I resti considerati presentano carat-teri morfologici e biometrici simili a quelli della specie A. giulii e sono abbastanza differenti da quelli dei generi Euclado-ceros e Praemegaceros.
Resti abbondanti di Bos primigenius sono stati rinvenuti nel sito di Avetrana (Italia Meridionale... more Resti abbondanti di Bos primigenius sono stati rinvenuti nel sito di Avetrana (Italia Meridionale), riferibile alla prima parte del Pleistocene Superiore. I resti di uro sono riferibili ad almeno 37 individui. Inoltre, l'analisi biometria dei metapodiali degli individui femminili di Avetrana ha dato lo spunto per esaminare il trend evolutivo della specie. The auroch, Bos primigenius object of the present study, was found in a karst cavity near Avetrana, in the southeastern area of Taranto (Apulia, Southern Italy) (SARDELLA et al., 2005; PETRONIO et al., 2008). The karst filling is rich in bone remains and, on the base of the faunal assemblage, PETRONIO et al. (2008) refer the deposit to the early Late Pleis-tocene (Melpignano Faunal Unit). The auroch is the best represented species in the site of Avetrana. Except for a limited number of elements, which are referable to young subjects, almost the whole of the bones is attributable to adult and sub-adult specimens. The upper and l...
Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia E Stratigrafia, 2003
Fluvial deposits of the S. Maria di Ciciliano Formation crop out near Montecastrilli (Terni), in ... more Fluvial deposits of the S. Maria di Ciciliano Formation crop out near Montecastrilli (Terni), in the southwestern branch of the Tiberino Basin. Many specimens of plants ("mummified" woods, fruits and seeds), freshwater molluscs, ostracods, vertebrate bones and coprolites were collected at Torre Picchio. This small outcrop contains a fairly rich record of fruits and seeds, among which about 50 species were identified; the most frequent invariably belong to submerged, floating and emergent aquatic herbs, possibly because these were buried not far from their place of growth, thus representing the ancient local vegetation. The fruits and seeds of woody plants, including several exotic elements, were transported from neighbouring areas and indicate a paleoclimate similar to the present day, though slightly wetter. Among molluscs, three distinct assemblages were found, indicating fluvial, swampy and lacustrine environment, respectively. They contain taxa of biochronological ...
New field data on the Late Pleistocene deposit of Ingarano (Foggia) allow us to hypothesise the o... more New field data on the Late Pleistocene deposit of Ingarano (Foggia) allow us to hypothesise the occurrence of three faunal assemblages (Ingarano a, b, c) respectively referable to isotopic stages 4, 3 and 2 of the palaeotemperature scale. The palaeontological data match with the alternating palaeoclimatical conditions during Late Pleistocene times.
The biochronological setting proposed for the Plio-Pleistocene large mammal faunas of the Italian... more The biochronological setting proposed for the Plio-Pleistocene large mammal faunas of the Italian peninsula is based on the definition of faunal units (FUs) and mammal ages (MAs). Many evidences suggest that a multidisciplinary approach could enable us to better understand the actual meaning of a given faunal assemblage taking into account sedimentological and physical stratigraphic studies of the sedimentary successions in which local mammal faunas occur. The Pleistocene deposits of the Roman Basin can be considered a significant model to test this integrated approach. The detailed study of this sedimentary succession, in terms of facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy, sets some physical and temporal constrains to the occurrence of faunal complexes because the allocyclic control (climate and eustatic variations) on both landscape and stratigraphical evolution can affect the association type of mammal faunas. A correlation scheme between the Roman Pleistocene sequence-stratigrap...
Several Pleistocene hippopotamid remains have been collected from the Italian Peninsula, but some... more Several Pleistocene hippopotamid remains have been collected from the Italian Peninsula, but some of them lack any stratigraphic data or details about the fossil localities. The Hippopotamus was present in Italy and Western Europe from the latest Villafranchian (late Early Pleistocene), whereas the oldest records of the genus (Coste San Giacomo and Chiusi basin) need to be confirmed by further evidence. Hippopotamus antiquus is recorded from Italy until MIS 15, whereas H. amphibius is first known from the late Middle Pleistocene (MIS 13 or 11) and survived in Southern Italy until MIS 4/3.
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2017
This paper describes the Late Pleistocene and Holocene remains of Canis lupus from Grotta Mora Ca... more This paper describes the Late Pleistocene and Holocene remains of Canis lupus from Grotta Mora Cavorso (Latium, Italy), with a particular focus on the anatomically connected skeleton found in Layer 7, radiometrically dated to over 43,500 years BP and correlated with Marine Isotopic Stage 3. The studied specimens were compared with wolf remains collected from numerous Middle and Late Pleistocene and Holocene sites in Italy, France, Austria and Slovenia. Additional comparisons were made with a sample of the extant Apennine wolf, Canis lupus italicus. The Late Pleistocene and Holocene wolves from Grotta Mora Cavorso range between 6-10 years of age at death, 64-75 cm in height at the withers, 150-162 cm in body length, and 30-39 kg in body mass. They are morphometrically close to Canis lupus maximus, a Late Pleistocene chrono-subspecies of France. The late Middle and Late Pleistocene wolves of Italy show a great variability in body size. This prevents the recognition of a progressive increase of size in Italian wolves with any resulting biochronological implications. The Holocene reduction in body size of the extant Apennine wolf was more recent than previously thought, probably because of genetic isolation, and the rarefaction and subsequent local extinction of large-sized prey, such as red deer. In addition, the 6 year old anatomically connected specimen discovered at Grotta Mora Cavorso, probably a female, allows some considerations on the functional morphology of Pleistocene wolves.
Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia E Stratigrafia, Jul 26, 1998
Riassunto. Ulteriori considerazioni sulla stratigrafia del deposito di Ingarano (Foggia) consento... more Riassunto. Ulteriori considerazioni sulla stratigrafia del deposito di Ingarano (Foggia) consentono di rpotrzzare la presenza di tre associazioni faunistiche riferibili ad un intervallo ben definito del Pleistocene Superiore. La associazione pirì antica (Ingarano a) può essere riferita allo stadio 4 delle paleotemperature, quelle più recenti rispettivamente allo stadio 3 (Ingarano b) e allo stadio 2 (Ingarano c). I dati faunistici si accordano con I'alternanza delle diverse condizioni climatiche nel corso del Pleistocene Superiore.
Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia E Stratigrafia, 1999
Taking into account the fossil mammal material recently discovered at Cava di Breccia (sands outc... more Taking into account the fossil mammal material recently discovered at Cava di Breccia (sands outcropping at Ponte Galeria, Rome), the revised fossils from the area and the updated stratigraphical settings of the Ponte Galeria Formation (Rome), the Authors discuss the biochronology of the Middle Galerian faunal assemblages with a new definition of its Faunal Units. 1) The mammal fauna of Isernia in our opinion is strongly conditioned by palaeoenvironmental factors and by human influence. The occurrence at Isernia La Pineta of the rodent Arvicola cantiana, which was widespread in Western Europe from 0.6 MA, does not match with the biochronology of the fauna and with the absolute dating (0.736 MA). A new radiometric dating will be useful to determine the age of the Isernia La Pineta local fauna, which can be considered younger than 0.736 MA on the basis of its faunal assemblage. 2) The age of the faunal assemblage of Ponte Galeria is between 0.8 and 0.75 MA, approximately in correspon...
The Science of Nature, 2021
The species Cervus elaphus is characterised by its significant and very swift ability to adapt to... more The species Cervus elaphus is characterised by its significant and very swift ability to adapt to the broad woodland-related range of environments in the northern hemisphere, as can be seen by the large number of distinct populations and living subspecies. From studies on the phenotypic plasticity and adaptative capability of living populations of red deer, we can hypothesise that environmental conditions influenced the spread and the evolution of the species, especially in changing landscapes like those of the Italian peninsula during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. In fact, Cervus elaphus occurs on the Italian peninsula from the Middle Pleistocene, a period characterised by a particularly wide variety of environments determined by changeable palaeoclimatic and palaeogeographical conditions that are in all cases more significant in the late Middle Pleistocene and in the Late Pleistocene. If we observe the various fossil subspecies and apply the principle that present features like phenotypic plasticity are important keys to understanding the past, we must reconsider the Pleistocene red deer in evolutionary and taxonomic terms. This reappraisal also provides new data on the biochronological importance of the various red deer subspecies widespread in Italy during the Middle and Late Pleistocene.
Grotta Guattari (San Felice Circeo, central Italy) is best known for the discovery of a Neanderth... more Grotta Guattari (San Felice Circeo, central Italy) is best known for the discovery of a Neanderthal skull in 1939. New investigations of an area never investigated before, the so-called Antro del Laghetto (literally Chamber of the small lake), have been recently carried out by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le Province di Frosinone, Latina e Rieti. The excavation highlighted a hyena frequentation correlatable with the paleosurface investigated since 1939 within other rooms of the cave. The stratigraphic analysis made it possible to identify, below the paleosurface, at least two layers, one of which reveals a human frequentation. In addition to Homo neanderthalensis, the faunal assemblage from Antro del Laghetto consists of abundant Cervus elaphus, followed by Crocuta crocuta, Bos primigenius, Sus scrofa and Equus ferus. Remains of at least another 20 taxa of medium and large size mammals, some of which previously unknown at Grotta Guattari, rare micromamm...
Palaeontographica Abteilung A, 2003
FIG. 2. — A, frequency curves of the taxa found in the Mammal Ages of Central Italy (continuous l... more FIG. 2. — A, frequency curves of the taxa found in the Mammal Ages of Central Italy (continuous line); quantity of the fossiliferous sites (dashed line); B, frequency curves of the taxa found in the Faunal Units of Central Italy (continuous line); quantity of the fossiliferous sites (dashed line). Abbreviations:MIS 2, Marine Isotopic Stage 2; LA, late Aurelian; MA, middle Aurelian;EA, early Aurelian; LG, late Galerian; MG, middle Galerian; EG, early Galerian; LV, late Villafranchian; MV, middle Villafranchian; EV, early Villafranchian. In abscissa, time in Ma; in ordinate, number of taxa.
La fauna di Saccopastore (bassa valle dell'Aniene, Roma) è stata attribuita all'ultimo in... more La fauna di Saccopastore (bassa valle dell'Aniene, Roma) è stata attribuita all'ultimo interglaciale Riss-Würm sin dalla prima metà del secolo scorso. Secondo quanto riportato in letteratura, la mammalofauna del sito includerebbe: Elephas antiquus, Dicerorhinus mercki, Equus caballus, Equus hydruntinus, Hippopotamus major, Cervus elaphus, Dama dama e Bos primigenius, oltre a Homo neanderthalensis. Seguendo la storia delle ricerche, nel presente lavoro viene discussa una nuova età di ca. 220-245 mila anni per la fauna rinvenuta nel sito. Al tempo della scoperta dei due crani umani erano conosciuti solo 3 cicli glacio-eustatici correlati col gli interglaciali Gunz-Mindel, Mindel-Riss e Riss-Würm. Al contrario, gli studi geologici condotti negli ultimi 20 anni nell'area di Roma hanno permesso di ricostruire un quadro stratigrafico dettagliato e ben datato in cui è stato evidenziato lo stretto legame tra glacio-eustatismo e sedimentazione, riconoscendo 6 cicli glacio-eustati...
The first occurrence of the large-sized deer Arvernoceros in the Early Pleistocene of Italy is re... more The first occurrence of the large-sized deer Arvernoceros in the Early Pleistocene of Italy is reported. This genus was found in the sites of Madonna della Strada and Selvella (Central Italy). The considered remains have morphological and biometrical characters similar to those of the species A. giulii and are quite different from those of the genus Euclado-ceros and of the genus Praemegaceros. RIASSUNTO: Petronio C. & Pandolfi L., Il genere Arvernoceros Heintz, 1970 in Italia: rapporto preliminare. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2011) Viene riportata la prima presenza in Italia del cervo di grande taglia Arvernoceros durante il Pleistocene Inferiore. Questo genere è stato rinvenuto nei siti di Madonna della Strada e Selvella (Italia Centrale). I resti considerati presentano carat-teri morfologici e biometrici simili a quelli della specie A. giulii e sono abbastanza differenti da quelli dei generi Euclado-ceros e Praemegaceros.
Resti abbondanti di Bos primigenius sono stati rinvenuti nel sito di Avetrana (Italia Meridionale... more Resti abbondanti di Bos primigenius sono stati rinvenuti nel sito di Avetrana (Italia Meridionale), riferibile alla prima parte del Pleistocene Superiore. I resti di uro sono riferibili ad almeno 37 individui. Inoltre, l'analisi biometria dei metapodiali degli individui femminili di Avetrana ha dato lo spunto per esaminare il trend evolutivo della specie. The auroch, Bos primigenius object of the present study, was found in a karst cavity near Avetrana, in the southeastern area of Taranto (Apulia, Southern Italy) (SARDELLA et al., 2005; PETRONIO et al., 2008). The karst filling is rich in bone remains and, on the base of the faunal assemblage, PETRONIO et al. (2008) refer the deposit to the early Late Pleis-tocene (Melpignano Faunal Unit). The auroch is the best represented species in the site of Avetrana. Except for a limited number of elements, which are referable to young subjects, almost the whole of the bones is attributable to adult and sub-adult specimens. The upper and l...
Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia E Stratigrafia, 2003
Fluvial deposits of the S. Maria di Ciciliano Formation crop out near Montecastrilli (Terni), in ... more Fluvial deposits of the S. Maria di Ciciliano Formation crop out near Montecastrilli (Terni), in the southwestern branch of the Tiberino Basin. Many specimens of plants ("mummified" woods, fruits and seeds), freshwater molluscs, ostracods, vertebrate bones and coprolites were collected at Torre Picchio. This small outcrop contains a fairly rich record of fruits and seeds, among which about 50 species were identified; the most frequent invariably belong to submerged, floating and emergent aquatic herbs, possibly because these were buried not far from their place of growth, thus representing the ancient local vegetation. The fruits and seeds of woody plants, including several exotic elements, were transported from neighbouring areas and indicate a paleoclimate similar to the present day, though slightly wetter. Among molluscs, three distinct assemblages were found, indicating fluvial, swampy and lacustrine environment, respectively. They contain taxa of biochronological ...
New field data on the Late Pleistocene deposit of Ingarano (Foggia) allow us to hypothesise the o... more New field data on the Late Pleistocene deposit of Ingarano (Foggia) allow us to hypothesise the occurrence of three faunal assemblages (Ingarano a, b, c) respectively referable to isotopic stages 4, 3 and 2 of the palaeotemperature scale. The palaeontological data match with the alternating palaeoclimatical conditions during Late Pleistocene times.
The biochronological setting proposed for the Plio-Pleistocene large mammal faunas of the Italian... more The biochronological setting proposed for the Plio-Pleistocene large mammal faunas of the Italian peninsula is based on the definition of faunal units (FUs) and mammal ages (MAs). Many evidences suggest that a multidisciplinary approach could enable us to better understand the actual meaning of a given faunal assemblage taking into account sedimentological and physical stratigraphic studies of the sedimentary successions in which local mammal faunas occur. The Pleistocene deposits of the Roman Basin can be considered a significant model to test this integrated approach. The detailed study of this sedimentary succession, in terms of facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy, sets some physical and temporal constrains to the occurrence of faunal complexes because the allocyclic control (climate and eustatic variations) on both landscape and stratigraphical evolution can affect the association type of mammal faunas. A correlation scheme between the Roman Pleistocene sequence-stratigrap...
Several Pleistocene hippopotamid remains have been collected from the Italian Peninsula, but some... more Several Pleistocene hippopotamid remains have been collected from the Italian Peninsula, but some of them lack any stratigraphic data or details about the fossil localities. The Hippopotamus was present in Italy and Western Europe from the latest Villafranchian (late Early Pleistocene), whereas the oldest records of the genus (Coste San Giacomo and Chiusi basin) need to be confirmed by further evidence. Hippopotamus antiquus is recorded from Italy until MIS 15, whereas H. amphibius is first known from the late Middle Pleistocene (MIS 13 or 11) and survived in Southern Italy until MIS 4/3.