The early Middle Pleistocene large mammal faunas of Italy: An overview (original) (raw)
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Pleistocene mammal faunas from the Leffe Basin (Bergamo, Northern Italy): revision and new data
COURIER- …, 2007
In this study, the mammal remains collected from the second half of the 19 th century until the late 1950's in the brown coal mine of Leffe (Bergamo, Northern Italy) are re-evaluated. We studied both the material preserved in the collections and the remains now lost but nonetheless well described in the literature. Along with Mammuthus meridionalis and Stephanorhinus ex gr. etruscus, several species not previously recorded from Leffe have been found in the collections (Pachycrocuta brevirostris, Hippopotamus cf. antiquus, Cerv alces cf. carnutorum, and Megaloceros ex gr. verticornispliotarandoides). Furthermore, Mimomys savini, ?Capreolus s.l. sp. and ?Megaloceros cf. obscurus are recorded thanks to the descriptions and measurements given in the literature of specimens now lost. Also, the previous specific identifications of Leptobos etruscus and of a Dama-like cervid have been modified into Leptobos vallisarni and Axis eurygonos, respectively.
Biochronology of large mammals in the early and middle Pleistocene of the Italian peninsula
Hystrix-the Italian Journal …, 1997
During thc Plio-Pleistocene. sharp important changes in the large mammal assemhlages of the Italian Peninsula are not clearly recogniable. Somctimcs, a progressive and gradual renewal can be obscrvcd, either due to local evolution o f prc-cxisting forins or by recurrent immigrations from Asia or Central Europe. The renewal phases arc probably related to climatic lluctuations. An acccleration of this phenornenon may be noticed in concurrence to the major climatic crises. Under these conditions, and taking into account that the response of single taxa to climatic and environmental variations is neither uniform nor contemporary. it is very difficult. if not inipossible. to fix a limit between two launal units. In the case of the "Villafranchian"/"Galcrian" faunal transition in Italy. there are at least three possible hypothesec: a) the transition can be considered to have happened more or lcss at the lower Pleistocene/Midle Pleistocene boundary: b) institution of the new Mammal Agc. the Protogalerian. which covers the Early Pleistocene before tlie Great Glacial. It i s charactcrizcd by the progressive appearance of "Galcrian" taxa and by persistence of the arvicolids of the Mic~ivtus (A l l i~p / m i o r u~s) subgenus: c) the transition between Villafranchian and Galcrian faunas can be establi<hed conventionally e.g. at tlie first appearence in Italy of Meguceiuides ~w~rii~ciw~is.
2006
Palombo M.R., Biochronology of Plio-Pleistocene Mammalian Faunas on the Italian Peninsula: Knowledge, Problems and Perspectives. IT ISSN 0394-335, 2004 The biochronological setting thus far proposed for mammalian faunas from the Italian peninsula (constructed on the basis of classic criteria: the absence/presence of particular taxa, faunal turnovers, the “evolutionary stage” of taxa belonging to a well-defined phyletic lineage or “typical taxa associations”) provides a highly-detailed categorization of Italian assemblages. Nevertheless, the more detailed the bioevent sequence becomes, the more difficult it is to establish correlations on a larger scale. Multivariate analysis (the recognition of successive, non-overlapping, ecologically-adjusted assemblages of taxa living together in a given space and time) may provide a useful tool for defining faunal complexes having broader biochronological significance. As far as Middle PlioceneMiddle Pleistocene large mammalian faunas from the I...
Late Pleistocene mammals from «Grotta Parignana» (Monte Pisano, Italy): biochronological implications. The classification of the fossil mammalian remains from «Grotta Parignana» is updated. Of the many taxa represented in the sample, some have never before been reported. These include Felis silvestris and Cricetus sp. Basic information allowed to assess the minimum number of individuals and to make assumptions on the environmental conditions under which the fauna lived. The study permits to hypothesize the occurrence of two faunal assemblages (Parignana A and B). A comparison of the Parignana fauna with several other past mammal associations from central Italy indicates that it should be dated to an interval spanning the end of the MIS 5a or the beginning of MIS 4 (Parignana A) and the MIS 3 (Parignana B).
The Late Pleistocene mammal fauna from Montemerano-Manciano (Grosseto, central Italy)
The Late Pleistocene mammal fauna from Montemerano -Manciano (Grosseto, central Italy) -Several fossil mammal remains have been recovered in a karst cavity near Montemerano (Manciano, Grosseto, Central Italy). The cavity was developed in the upper travertine deposits outcropping in the area and chronologically referred to a time span between the late Middle and the Late Pleistocene. The paleontological analysis of the mammal remains allows to recognize different taxa as Panthera spelaea, Canis lupus, Stephanorhinus cf. S. hemitoechus, Equus ferus, Sus scrofa, Bison sp., Bos primigenius, Megaloceros giganteus, Cervus elaphus, Dama dama and some coprolites of Hyaenidae. However, only the occurrence of an evolved form of Dama dama in the assemblage provides useful biochronological information. The fallow deer is represented by several remains, in particular by a fragmentary mandible with the molars. The mandible shows morphological and morphometrical features closer to the Late Pleistocene populations of the fallow deer than to the archaic Dama clactoniana and D. dama tiberina. The evolved forms of the fallow deer were typical and abundant during the early Late Pleistocene. Nevertheless, they were very rare during the late Late Pleistocene and became extinct in Italy during the Last Glacial Maximum, probably due to the climate changes. Finally, a preliminary analysis of the sediment including the mammal remains shows a significant decrease of the volcanic elements coming from the Vulsino Volcanic District (VVD). This character can be related with the end of the VVD activity and can be chronologically referred to an age younger than the Middle-Late Pleistocene transition. This result is in accordance with the biochronological time span obtained from the paleontological analysis.
Large mammal remains from the Early Pleistocene site of Podere San Lorenzo (Perugia, Central Italy)
Rivista Italiana di Paleontologoa e Stratigrafia
Most of the research on fossil mammals from Umbria (central Italy) has been carried out in the southwestern branch of the Tiber basin, due to its paleontological richness. This portion of the basin extends from Perugia to Terni and corresponds to a well-defined half-graben filled with fluvial-lacustrine deposits. The paleontological sample presented here was discovered in a sand and gravel quarry at Podere San Lorenzo, East of the town of Deruta. The stratigraphic succession exposed in the quarry is no longer visible, but we describe here a new outcrop (Palazzone), which is not far from Podere San Lorenzo and shows comparable facies associations. The two successions were deposited in a fluvial environment characterized by an average reduction of the hydrodynamic energy from the bottom upwards. They are referred to the Early Pleistocene Santa Maria di Ciciliano Subsyntheme (Madonna dei Bagni Lithofacies). Large mammal remains are attributed to Mammuthus cf. meridionalis (Nesti, 1825)...
Quaternary International, 2007
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, and the successions of bioevents are carefully compared. This integrated approach allows the constraint of the sequence of large- and small-mammal events in a more reliable way, and therefore it results in a more detailed and consistent chronological use of mammalian assemblages. Particular attention is paid to the faunal changes that correspond to the Middle–Late Pliocene (2.6 ma), Pliocene–Pleistocene (1.8 ma) and Early–Middle Pleistocene (Gauss–Matuyama transition) chronostratigraphical boundaries.
Late Pliocene and Pleistocene small mammal chronology in the Italian peninsula
Quaternary International, 2007
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 later part of the Early Biharian, is characterized by advanced Microtus (Allophaiomys) species occurring together with M. pusillus or M. blanci. In the Late Biharian M. savini, Microtus hintoni-gregaloides, Microtus (Iberomys) ex gr. huescarensis-brecciensis and Terricola arvalidens occur. The Early Toringian with A. mosbachensis, Allocricetus bursae, Pliomys episcopalis and small-sized Microtus brecciensis, and the Late Toringian with A. terrestris in diversified associations are quoted. The most important faunal events are calibrated by independent chronological controls, thanks to the record of small mammals from lacustrine deposits. Several figures illustrate the most significant rodent species occurring in the succession of selected Italian localities. r
Diversity and turnover of Plio-Pleistocene large mammal fauna from the Italian Peninsula
Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 2008
The Plio-Pleistocene large mammal fauna of peninsular Italy has been considered in order to explore diversity and turnover patterns through time. Several diversity metrics and turnover rates were quantified both for the whole mammal community and for large mammalian orders, taken separately. Temporal units of reference were the previously-defined paleocommunities (PCOMs). Rarefaction analysis has been applied to correct for possible sampling biases. The results show that large mammal richness in the Italian fossil record was highly influenced by the number of sites per PCOM. After this bias has been controlled for, no significant variation in species richness was apparent. In spite of the overwhelming climatic changes, species richness remained constant in the mammalian orders and in the whole community as well. In sharp contrast, turnover rates appear guided by major climatic changes (especially at the Villafranchian–Galerian transition) and are highly inconstant. This correlation with climatic change is particularly evident in even-toed ungulates. We argue that diversity dynamics should respond to a larger temporal scale, while ecosystem functioning and structure were sensitive to the strongest climatic oscillations of the Plio-Pleistocene. Our findings agree with previous claims that ecosystem functioning switches to alternative stable states instead of changing continuously.
Geobios, Vol 47, Iss 6, p: 403-418, 2014
A first record of non-mammalian remains and small mammals from the Early Pleistocene of Monte Argentario (Central Italy) is reported herein, together with paleoecological and biochronological remarks based on the whole fossil assemblage. This site is known since the 1950s mostly for large mammal remains. So far, the known taxa collected from this site comprise mainly large mammals with few birds and reptiles. Recent fieldworks in this locality led to the recognition of a small mammal assemblage that consists of twelve taxa, including Talpa cf. T. fossilis, Sorex cf. S. minutus, Petenyia hungarica, Asoriculus gibberodon, Oryctolagus cf. O. valdarnensis, Eliomys cf. E. intermedius, Glis sackdillingensis, Microtus (Allophaiomys) cf. M. (A.) ruffoi, Victoriamys chalinei, Apodemus (Sylvaemus) sylvaticus, Apodemus (S.) flavicollis, Apodemus (S.) gr. sylvaticus-flavicollis, and Apodemus (Karstomys) gr. mystacinus-epimelas. An updated description of amphibians, squamates and birds is also provided. Following the chronological data derived from the large and small mammals, the vertebrate assemblage of Monte Argentario can be referred to the Early Pleistocene, Early Biharian, corresponding to the Farneta and Pirro Faunal Units of the Italian biochronological scheme. In addition, the data presented herein support the hypothesis of a biochronological equivalence of these two Italian Faunal Units.