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The Early Miocene muroids (Muroidea, Rodentia) of the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Spain)
Publication . Crespo, Vicente D.; Ríos, María; Marquina-Blasco, Rafael; Montoya, Plini; DCT - Departamento de Ciências da Terra; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT); Pensoft Publishers
The Campisano Ravine in the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Spain, Early Miocene, Biozone C, MN 4) yielded a diverse and abundant assemblage of muroids, comprising five distinct taxa, and nearly 700 remains. The assemblage yielded five muroid taxa: Megacricetodon primitivus, Democricetodon decipiens, Eumyarion weinfurteri, Melissiodon sp., and Muroidea indet. The most abundant taxa were M. primitivus and D. decipiens, with M. primitivus being the most prevalent in the oldest sites and D. decipiens in the most recent ones. E. weinfurteri was exclusively identified in the FS1, MAB3, and MAB5 sites of the most recent biozone (L. ellipticus, see Crespo et al. 2021). In contrast, Melissiodon sp. was confined to the BC-1 and MAB-3 sites. M. primitivus was present in all Iberian basins, whereas D. decipiens exhibited considerable variability, being recorded in the Ca biozone of the Calatayud-Montalbán Basin, the last part of the C biozone of the Vallès-Penedès Basin, and the Buñol site. It can be hypothesised that the studied basin may be a factor in the distribution of this species across the regions in question. Eumyarion was present in the Vallès-Penedès Basin from the first part of the C biozone, subsequently migrating to the studied basin and appearing in the Cb biozone in the Calatayud-Montalbán and Buñol basins. Melissiodon was absent from the latter basin from the MN3 biozone to the last part of the C biozone and from the MN5 biozone in the Vallès-Penedès Basin. The presence of muroid faunas in the Early Miocene suggests that the coastal Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin functioned as a transitional region between the forested areas of west and central Europe and the drier inner Iberian Peninsula basins.
First occurrence of Sivatherium Falconer and Cautley, 1836 (Mammalia, Ruminantia, Giraffidae) in the Iberian Peninsula
Publication . Ríos, María; Montoya, Plini; Morales, Jorge; Romero, Gregorio; GeoBioTec - Geobiociências, Geoengenharias e Geotecnologias; DCT - Departamento de Ciências da Terra; Taylor & Francis
The sivatherine clade includes some of the largest giraffids and emerged during the late Miocene. Sivatherium hendeyi, the earliest known species of the Sivatherium genus, was first described from the lower Pliocene of Langebaanweg (5.15 ± 0.1 Ma, Cape Province, South Africa). Here we describe the first possible occurrence of Sivatherium from western Europe from the lower Pliocene (MN14) of Puerto de la Cadena (4.9 Ma, Murcia, Spain). The new material consists of dental and postcranial remains. The Puerto de la Cadena Sivatherium, together with the presence of Macaca sp. and Debruijnimys sp., indicates a connection between African and European faunas during the early Pliocene and a possible relationship between Sivatherium and the stem Iberian sivatherines Decennatherium and Birgerbohlinia.
Is Hippopotamus antiquus (Mammalia, Hippopotamidae) affected by body size variations? The contribution of the Mosbach (Germany, Middle Pleistocene) specimen
Publication . Martino, Roberta; Ríos, María; Rook, Lorenzo; Pandolfi, Luca; DCT - Departamento de Ciências da Terra; GeoBioTec - Geobiociências, Geoengenharias e Geotecnologias; Springer Verlag
Hippopotamus antiquus is a well-documented species within the Hippopotamidae family, with evidence of its presence in almost all Europe during the Pleistocene. Despite its abundance in the fossiliferous record, there is still much debate surrounding the first and last appearance data of this taxon, as well as its evolutionary trend. In this work we present a well-preserved mandible recovered from Mosbach (Germany) referred to the Middle Pleistocene. The latter period is represented by less H. antiquus remains in comparison to the Early Pleistocene, making the description of this specimen helpful for morphometric and morphological considerations. Early Pleistocene H. antiquus specimens from Upper Valdarno, Collecurti and Durfort display larger dimensions in comparison to those from Middle Pleistocene localities, including Maglianella, Ortona, Ponte Molle and the specimen from Mosbach. A decrease in body size in H. antiquus, most likely correlated to climate fluctuations, is therefore discussed providing news insights into the biogeography, morphology and morphometry of late H. antiquus.
An enduring palaeontological riddle
Publication . Martino, Roberta; Di Patti, Carolina; Ríos, María; Rook, Lorenzo; Di Febbraro, Mirko; Raia, Pasquale; Pandolfi, Luca; DCT - Departamento de Ciências da Terra; GeoBioTec - Geobiociências, Geoengenharias e Geotecnologias; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Hippopotamus pentlandi, although lacking a comprehensive description, is regarded as one of the best known dwarfed hippopotamid species within the Mediterranean region. This study provides a detailed analysis of a hippopotamus mandible from Amoroso Cave (Palermo, Sicily). Morphological and morphometric comparisons with insular and continental species reveal a significant similarity between the Amoroso mandible and some specimens from San Ciro Cave (Palermo, Sicily), as well as with Hippopotamus amphibius. Conversely, material from Cannita Cave (Palermo, Sicily) attributed to H. pentlandi is less robust, more elongated and smaller. 3D geometric morphometric analysis performed on the symphyseal sagittal cross-section further support a closer morphological affinity of the Amoroso mandible to San Ciro Cave specimens and H. amphibius, suggesting an attribution to the latter. Our research reveals the presence of at least two different, potentially coeval, taxa in the Pleistocene of Sicily: the dwarfed Hippopotamus pentlandi primarily known from Cannita Cave, and H. amphibius. While Cannita Cave material has been thoroughly studied over the years, abundant remains from other localities, e.g. San Ciro Cave, require re-evaluation. A thorough analysis of Sicilian hippopotamids is crucial to improve our understanding of their systematics and to provide new insights into the palaeobiogeography, palaeobiology, and palaeoenvironment of Sicily during the Pleistocene.
Early Pleistocene (Epivillafranchian) vertebrates from Portugal
Publication . Estraviz-López, Darío; Grandal-d'Anglade, Aurora; Ríos, María; DCT - Departamento de Ciências da Terra; GeoBioTec - Geobiociências, Geoengenharias e Geotecnologias; Elsevier Masson
The Epivillafranchian (1.2 to 0.8 Ma) fossil vertebrate assemblages of Portugal are extremely poorly known compared with to those from the eastern half of Iberia. We review material from one of the two localities of this age previously known in Portugal, Algoz, and present a new microvertebrate locality, Santa Margarida. Both localities are situated in Algarve (South Portugal). The fauna of Algoz includes Hippopotamus antiquus, Eucladoceros sp., Metacervocerus rhenanus and an indeterminate leporid. There are remains of at least two individuals of each deer species from Algoz, although most of the remains are from the same juvenile individual of Eucladoceros sp., about 6 months old. The age of Algoz is determined to be ∼1.2 Ma given the combination of species and their biometrical and morphological characters. Santa Margarida has at least ten species of microvertebrates: Lacertidae indet., Crocidura sp., Sorex sp., Oryctolagus cf. cuniculus, Eliomys cf. quercinus, Apodemus cf. sylvaticus, Allocricetus bursae, Victoriamys chalinei, Iberomys huescarensis, and Iberomys brecciensis. This is the first occurrence of Victoriamys chalinei and Iberomys huescarensis –two vole species typical from the Early Pleistocene – in Portugal. Santa Margarida is younger than Algoz, ranging between ∼0.9 and ∼0.6 Ma, which means that the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition could be represented by this locality.
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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CEEC IND 2018
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CEECIND/02199/2018/CP1564/CT0009