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Ther11 1 073 074 Lopatin Info.P65 Russian J. Theriol. 11(1): 7374 © RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF THERIOLOGY, 2012 Information Fossil mammals (paleotheriology). IX Congress of the Russian Theriological Society Theriofauna of Russia and adjacent areas, Moscow, 2011 In Russia there is no special professional society mammalian faunas at Pleistocene Holocene transition devoted to studies of fossil mammals or vertebrate (from ca. 24 to ca. 8 ka). This study is based on approx- paleontology. This is why special sessions on paleothe- imately 5800 radiocarbon dated mammalian faunas de- riology in the structure of Russian theriological con- rived from the PALEOFAUNA database, which is be- gresses are among the few nation-wide conferences ing developed by the authors. devoted to fossil mammals. Pavel Nikolskiy (Geological Institute RAS, GIN, The IX Russian Theriological Congress (February Moscow) presented the results of recently defended 14, 2011) was co-organized by the Theriological So- doctoral thesis Phylogeny of Alcini (Cervidae, Mam- ciety of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), malia). This work is a revision of Alcini based on the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, RAS, museum collections and new original materials from and Biological Faculty of the Lomonosov Moscow Eastern Siberia. Its development, traced down to earli- State University. The scientific sessions were held at est Pleistocene (Gelasian) in Eurasia, continued in late the Biological Faculty of the Moscow State University. Early Pleistocene through Late Pleistocene in Eurasia The special session on fossil mammals housed alto- and western Beringia as a single phyletic lineage. This gether fourteen oral presentations. Abstracts of another line includes a sequence of morphologically well-ex- 29 studies were published in the volume of abstracts; pressed chronotaxa Cervalces (Libralces) minor, Cer- some of them were demonstrated as posters. The parti- valces (Libralces) gallicus, Cervalces (Libralces) sp., cipants represented Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Tajiki- Cervalces (Libralces) carnutorum, Cervalces (Lati- stan, and the Netherlands. Paleotheriological studies frons) sp., Cervalces (Latifrons) alaskensis, Cervalces amounted to approximately 8% of the total number of (Latifrons) latifrons, Cervalces (Latifrons) sp.2, Alces abstracts sent to the Congress. In addition, data on brevirostris, Alces americanus. At the Early-Middle fossil mammals were extensively used in contributions Pleistocene transition a phyletic split occurred, which of the sections on systematics, phylogeny and specia- eventually resulted in Late Pleistocene Cervalces (Cer- tion, and morphology of mammals. valces) scotti in extra-Beringian North America. The The lecture Problems and controversies of the mod- final split into two modern species Alces alces and ern systematics of mammals by Alexander Agajanian Alces americanus occurred by the beginning of Ho- & Alexey Lopatin and (Paleontological Institute, Rus- locene. sian Academy of Sciences, PIN, Moscow) was selected Mikhail Tiunov (Biological and Soil Institute, Far for the plenary session of the Congress as being of Eastern Branch of RAS, BSI, Vladivostok) and his special interest to the wide audience of theriologists. colleagues reported the first record of Mimomys in the This morphology-based review of the Class Mammalia Russian Far East. Two isolated molars were identified focused on controversial points of classical morpholog- in Late Pleistocene Holocene deposits of the Med- ical and molecular systems. vezhiy Klyk Cave in Sikhote-Alin Mountains. Hypsod- Results of another high rank analysis (Phylogeny ont form with abundant cementum and resembles Euro- of Mesozoic mammals and the new system of Mamma- pean Late Villanyian forms. According to the authors, lia), devoted to the systematics of Mesozoic mammals this could be a case of refugial survival of this form in based on recent new discoveries in Russia, was report- the region. An alternative hypothesis on a possible ed by Alexander Averianov, Zoological Institute, ZIN, reworking from Early Pleistocene deposits was not St.-Petersburg, & Alexey Lopatin (PIN). discussed. Gennady Boeskorov (Institute of Geology of Dia- Vera Bajgusheva (Azov Reserve Museum, Azov), monds and Noble Metals, IGDPM, Yakutsk) reviewed Vadim Titov (Institute of Arid Zones, Southern Scien- recent finds and preliminary results of investigations of tific Centre of RAS, Rostov-on-Don), and Galina Ti- the frozen remains of the glacial age fauna of Mam- monina (Azov Reserve Museum, Azov) presented a moth in Yakutia, Eastern Siberia. The most spectacu- detailed description of the dental ontogeny of the Cauca- lar finds include the partial corpse of the Yukagir Mam- sian giant rhino or elasmothere (Elasmotherium caucasi- moth (found in 20022004, age ca. 18 ka), the nearly cum). This study is based on new rich material excavated complete body of Oimyakon baby mammoth (2004, in recent years in the type locality Sinyaya Balka on the >41 ka), and a frozen mummy of the Kolyma wooly Taman Peninsula, southern European Russia. rhino (2007, ca. 39 ka). Pavel Kosintsev (Institute of Plant and Animal Ecol- Anastasia Markova (Institute of Geography RAS, ogy, Uralian Scientific Centre of RAS, Yekaterinburg) Moscow) and her colleagues Andrey Puzachenko, Thijs reviewed data on the formation of the modern mamma- van Kolfschoten, Pavel Kosintsev, and Nikolay Smir- lian fauna of the Northern Eurasia from ca. 45 ka to 0.3 nov presented the analysis of changes in European ka. He showed important differences in development of 74 Information large and small mammals. Megamammals are charac- Andrey Shpansky (Tomsk State University, Tom- terized by extinction and irreversible changes of rang- sk) delivered a lecture on morphology and ontogeny of es. Small mammals mostly display irreversible range baby wooly rhinoceroses (Coelodonta antiquitatis). This changes. work is based on material from late Pleistocene Krasnyi Margarita Erbajeva (Geological Institute, Siberian Yar locality and other sites in the Tomsk Region, and Branch of RAS, Ulan-Ude) made a review of her prolif- on a large comparative material. According to this ic work on composition and evolutionary development study, the newborn wooly rhino with the age of several of Asian ochotonids focusing on Transbaikalian Russia months had a shoulder height of 72 cm. The most and Mongolia. Picas (Ochotonidae) are known in the intensive growth occurred at the age of 3-4 years when regional fossil record since mid Oligocene. The family the shoulder height reached 130 cm. is represented by Ochotoninae and Sinolagomyinae. Leonid Voyta (ZIN, St.-Petersburg), Fedor Gole- The main trend in dentition of the group was the grow- nischev (ZIN, St.-Petersburg), and Mikhail Tiunov ing hypsodonty, which resulted in full hypselodonty in (BSI, Vladivostok) reported results of a study focusing most forms by the Early Miocene. Early Miocene was on meadow voles (genus Microtus) from the Late Pleis- the time of the extensive adaptive radiation resulted in tocene-Holocene cave deposits in the south of the Rus- maximal taxonomic diversity in ochotonids. In Pliocene sian Far East. The fossil record of the Medvezhiy Klyk Ochotonidae showed a marked decrease in diversity Cave contains dominant remains of Microtus fortis and probably due to a competition with explosively radiat- Microtus cf. maximowiczii. Much smaller part of the ing voles. Recent fauna of Asia includes 28 species of material resemble in morphology of first lower molar the single genus Ochotona, two more species are known Microtus mongolicus, M. oeconomus, and M. gregalis. in North America. Konstantin Tarasenko (PIN, Moscow) presented a Alexey Tesakov (GIN, Moscow) and his colleagues study of scull and mandibular morphology and feeding Pavel Nikolskiy, Gennady Boeskorov, Alexander Bas- modes in late Sarmatian (Late Miocene) whales from ilyan, Innokentiy Belolyubskiy, Varvara Ivanova, and the Maikop-1 locality (Adygea, south European Rus- Pavel Frolov reported the new data on Early Neopleis- sia). The shallow marine deposits of semi-isolated East- tocene subarctic mammalian fauna of Eastern Siberia. ern Paratethys are rich in remains of Cetotheridae. The The mammalian assemblage of the well-known early author concludes that late Sarmatian cetotheres show Middle Pleistocene fauna of Tanda from the middle some distinctions from Cetotheridae s.str. and were course of the Aldan River (Eastern Siberia) includes adapted for active hunting strategies similar to that of Palaeoloxodon cf. nomadicus, Canis variabilis, Gulo Balaenopteridae. schlosseri, Drepanosorex cf. savini, Microtus midden- Vasiliy Malygin (Moscow State University, MGU, dorffii, Microtus (Stenocranius) gregaloides, Clethri- Moscow), Evgenyi Lykov (MGU, Moscow), and Ni- onomys aff. rutilus, Craseomys major, etc. The fauna kolay Kalandadze (PIN, Moscow) presented an in- of Tanda combines Siberian and typical European triguing material on the aberrant dental variability in Cromerian or Tiraspolian elements. red fox (Vulpes vulpes). A cranial series (n=5) of red foxes raised in captivity in industrial farm shows a Evgeniy Mashchenko (PIN, Moscow) and Gen- unique abnormal tooth-rows with multiple extranumer- nady Boeskorov (IGDPM, Yakutsk) presented an anal- al molars. Compared to the normal set of 40 teeth, the ysis of population structure of the wooly mammoth in studied individuals have up to 62 teeth with up to one the famous Berelekh locality (Yakutia, East Siberia). third showing an abnormal morphology. Some of these According
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