DOCSLIB.ORG

Pleistocene Hippopotamuses of Mediterranean Islands

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pleistocene Hippopotamuses of Mediterranean Islands 18 PLEISTOCENE HIPPOPOTAMUSES OF MEDITERRANEAN ISLANDS: LOOKING FOR ANCESTORS Antonella Cinzia MARRA MARRA, A.c. 2005. Pleistocene Hippopotamuses of Mediterranean islands: looking for ancestors. InALcoVER, J.A. & BOVER, P. (eds.): Pro­ ceedings ofthe International Symposium "Insular Vertebrate Evolution: the Palaeontological Approach': Monografies de la Societat d'His­ tòria Natural de les Balears, 12: 193-204. Resum Al registre fossilífer del Pleistocè de les illes mediterrànies es coneixen hipopòtams que presenten adaptacions als ambients insulars: Hippopotamus pentlandi a Sicília i Malta, Hippopotamus melitensis a Malta, Hippopotamus cteutzburgi a Creta, Phanourios minutus a Xipre. Hi ha incerteses en la recerca dels ancestres dels hipopòtams insulars, les quals es deuen al desenvolupament de caràcters endèmics i a la confusió existent a la sistemàtica de les espècies continentals europees. A aquest treball es compara la morfologia craniana i la biometria dels hipopòtams insulars del Pleistocè amb la de les espècies continentals, i s'introdueix una discussió sobre la seva sistemàtica. Hippopotamus amphibius podria ser l'ancestre d'Hippo­ potamus pentlandi, el qual a la seva volta podria ser l'ancestre d'Hippopotamus melitensis. Hippopotamus antiquus sembla ser ]'ancestre d' Hippopotamus creutzburgi. Les característiques de Phanourios minutus similars a amphibius podrien estar relacionades amb una relació filogenètica amb aquesta espècie. Keywords: Hippopòtams, Pleistocè, illes mediterrànies. Summary Hippopotamuses, having endemic adaptations related to insular environment, are known in the Pleistocene fossil record of Mediterranean islands: Hippopotamus pentlandi in Sicily and Malta, Hippopotamus melitensis in Malta, Hippopo­ tamus creutzburgi in Crete, Phanourios minutus in Cyprus. The uncertainties in searching for ancestors of the insular hippo­ potamuses are caused by the development of endemic characters and by the confusion in the systematics of European main­ land species. In this paper, skull morphology and biometry of Pleistocene insular hippopotamuses are compared with those of mainland species, introducing a discussion on their systematic. Hippopotamus amphibius could be the ancestor of Hip­ popotamus pentlandi, which in its turn could be the ancestor of Hippopotamus melitensis. Hippopotamus antiquus seems to be the ancestor of Hippopotamus creutzburgi. The amphibius-like characters of Phanourios minutus could be related to a relationship with this species. Keywords: Hippopotamuses, Pleistocene, Mediterranean islands. INTRODUCTION ANCESTORS The Pleistocene record of Mediterranean Islands The search for ancestors of Pleistocene hippopota­ often released hippopotamus remains: Hippopotamus muses starts from mainland forms. Two species of hip­ pentlandi in Sicily and Malta, Hippopotamus melitensis popotamus are commonly thought to be present in the in Malta, Hippopotamus creutzbuigi in Crete, Phanou­ Pleistocene of Europe: Hippopotamus antiquus and tios minutus in Cyprus (Fig. 1). The real problem in stud­ Hippopotamus amphibius. ying hippopotamuses of the islands is in distinguishing Hippopotamus antiquus was present in Europe the endemic features from the phylogenetic ones. Fur­ from the beginning of the Lower Pleistocene to the thermore, uncertainty in systematics of the mainland early Middle Pleistocene (Mazza, 1991, 1995; Guérin, species causes confusion in naming possible ancestors. 1996; Gliozzi et al., 1997). Certain authors consider it as In this paper, morphology and biometry ofthe insu­ a subspecies of H. amphibius: Hippopotamus amphi­ lar species skull. are compared with those of the main­ bius antiquus (e.g., Kahlke, 1987). It was a large-sized land species. Considerations on the possible ancestors hippopotamus. Its cranium has an elongated face and are done. The possible ancestors spread in Europe elevated orbits. The neurocranium is short if compared during Pleistocene are: Hippopotamus antiquus (= H. to the face; the sagittal crest is steep. A rather develo­ major; Faure, 1983), Hippopotamus amphibius (H. incog­ ped diastema is present between P' and P3. The mandi­ nitus; Faure 1983, 1984; Guérin, 1996) and Hippopota­ ble typically has an elongated and low horizontal mus tiberinus (Mazza, 1991, 1995). branch. PLEISTOCENE HIPPOPOTAMUSES OF MEDITERRANEAN ISLANDS ¡:::=========- 193 Cranium LPN ]2rosthion - nuchal crest lenght LPOc ]2rosthion - occi)2ital condyle lenght LCN canine alveolus - nuchal crest length LnnOr nasal notch - orbital cavi!}' lenght teo- canine alveolus - orbital cavi!}' lenght HZOr �gomatic arch - orbital height HO]2A o]2isthion - akrocranion height HBA basion - akrocranion height HFm height of the foramen magnum BFm breadth of the foramen magnum Mediterranean Islands mentioned in the text. Fig.1. BN breadth of the nuchal crest Botot otion - otion breadth Fig. 1. Illes mediterrànies esmentades al text. BOc breadth across the occypital condyles BTl breadth between the tem]2orallines Bee euryon - eu!:}'on breadth still in Africa, is Hippopotamus amphibius, living BF frontal breadth recorded in from the Middle Pleistocene to the Europe BZ zygomatic breadth Late Pleistocene Its cra­ (Mazza, 1995; Guérin, 1996). BOrOr breadth between the orbital cavities nium is shorter than that of it Hippopotamus antiquus, BiOr infraorbital breadth has a cranium and less elevated orbits. It has a longer Be breadth across the canine alveoli long face, with a marked constriction of the muzzle at Bea breadth between the canine alveoli first molar-fourth premolar level. The mandible has a Blla breadth between the fust incisor alveoli short and high horizontal branch. BI2 breadth across the second incisor alveoli Mazza (1991, 1995) recognized a new species of BI2a breadth between the second incisor alveoli hippopotamus in Europe, Hippopotamus tiberinus, BP2 breadth between the second ]2remolar alveoli showing differences from the skulis of both H. antiquus BMI breadth between the fust molar alveoli and H. amphibius: more protruding occipital condyles, BM3 breadth between the third molar alveoli Mandible very short postorbital region and sagittal crest, and very elevated and forward directed orbits. H. tiberinus could LGce gonion caudalis - canine alveolus length - be derived from the European H. antiquus stock Lce mandibular condyle canine alveolus length LGcM3 caudalis - border of the M/3 alveolus (Mazza, 1991, 1995). Mazza (1991, 1995) observed that gonion 2osterior length LM31 border of the M/3 alveolus - incisor alveolus length the morphology of Hippopotamus antiquus is similar to 2osterior LS leng!h of the mandibular sym]2hysys the most primitive representatives of the Hippopota­ Be breadth of the two halves across the condyles mus gorgops lineage of East Africa (Olduvai Bed I and II, BCo breadth of the two halves across the coronoid ]2rocesses Coryndon, 1970), while H. tiberinus shows similarities Ban breadth of the two halves across the angular ]2rocesses to the most derived forms. to According Coryndon BFo outer breadth of the rostral fan 1977a and and Mazza H. has a (1970, b) (1991), gorgops BFi inner breadth of the rostral fan clear trend from the found in Bed which I, - specimens HGvc gonion ventralis condyle height show characters and - primitive amphibius-like (short HGvs gonion ventralis sygmoid incisure heígth skull, rather - depressed fairly long postorbital region, HGvco gonion ventralis coronoid ]2rocess heígth low reduced PZ_P3 to the orbits, very diastema), speci­ H3M heígth of the horizontal ramus at level of M/3 mens from more recent levels, which show an increa­ H4P heígth of the horizontal ramus at level of PI4 sing specialization (elongation of the face, shortening H2P heígth of the horizontal ramus at level of P12 of the postorbital region, uplifting of the nuchal crest, Teeth steepening of the parietal profile, elevation of the P/2 second u]2]2er ]2remolar orbits, elongation of the diastema between second and P/3 third u]2]2er ]2remolar third premolar). Although showing affinities with H. P/4 fourth u]2]2er ]2remolar MIl fust molar gorgops from Bed IV; H. tiberinus seems an autochtho­ u]2]2er M/2 second molar nous offspring from the European H. antiquus, on the u]2]2er M/3 third molar basis of morphological characters. The two species u]2]2er P21 second lower could have formed a line somewhat parallel to that of ]2remolar P31 third lower H. gorgops in Africa (Mazza, 1991). ]2remolar P41 fourth lower ]2remolar H. antiquus, present in Europe before the beginning MIl fust lower molar of Elsterian, seems to evolve to H. tiberinus, that appears M21 second lower molar in the Villafranchian-Galerian transition. In the course M31 third lower molar of the Middle Pleistocene H. tiberinus in Cen­ dispersed OL outer length tral at the of Europe, apparently disappearing beginning IL inner length the to more Saalian, withdrawing southern areas (e.g., AB anterior breadth In the transition to the Late Italy). Pleistocene, H. tiberi­ PB ]2osterior breadth nus returned to Central from which Europe, definitively Lpt lenght of the posterior tubercle CM3) disappeared before the fist glacial. H. amphibius spread Table 1. List of measurements of tables 2-5 (after Mazza, 1995). in Europe from Africa in the course of Eemian and moved away during the first part of the first Pleniglacial. Taula 1. Llista de les mesures de les taules 2-5 (a partir de Mazza, 1995). 194 ----------_... INSULAR VERTEBRATE EVOLUTION Faure (1984) thought that the Pleistocene H. amphi­ the following Late Pleistocene fauna (Bonfiglio
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Vegetation and the Initial Human Setflement Of
    (993l. of BiogeographY 20'39H12 lourrtal 2 Gd" ilty {iammals, vegetation and the initial human setflement of palaeoecological tne Mediterranean islands: a approach 'rofion: l Afric¿, S c s Ü I a Institut Ur- und F rühgeschich¡e, Albert-Ludn'igs- Universit¿it, D7800 F re i. llins. \\ rl r, r. M für iburg Br., Gennant' ' ¡on. II1. J, shop qt .ur A, ¿l carbon of the lack of carnivores. the genetically fixed behaviour bon patterns for flight and attack are lost in island endemics. +7. u.s. During the Middle (Corso-Sardinia) and Upper Pleistocene, suspected or established (Sardinia, Cyprus, A Sicily) invasions of Homo sp. led to the near-complete ry extinction of the unwary endemic fauna. Some islands \rc$. as are the reasons for the extinction of the (Sicily, Corso-Sardinia) were repopulated by swimming t)uatcrìaü fauna. Small arboricole mammals may have ungulates which were exterminated by later human inva- n,,checi the islands on vegetation-rafts. Some larger mam- sions. For lack of game, a permanent human settlement mirls, like Myotragus on the Balearic Islands, Prolagus on was nearly impossible before the Neolithic. All extant wild Srrdinia, and possibly endemic deer on the Aegean islands, ungulates on the Mediterranean islands are feral domestic irruld be relics of the desiccation of the Mediterranean on animals, or continental game with intact behavioural pat- rhc Mio/Pliocene border. Hippos, elephants and giant deer terns introduced for religious or hunting purposes during alched the islands by swimming. At the a¡rival of new the Neolithic or later. None of them has Pleistocene ances- rpcies, older endemic species became extinct by ecologi- tors on the islands.
    [Show full text]
  • Generality and Antiquity of the Island Rule Mark V
    Journal of Biogeography (J. Biogeogr.) (2013) 40, 1427–1439 SYNTHESIS Of mice and mammoths: generality and antiquity of the island rule Mark V. Lomolino1*, Alexandra A. van der Geer2, George A. Lyras2, Maria Rita Palombo3, Dov F. Sax4 and Roberto Rozzi3 1College of Environmental Science and ABSTRACT Forestry, State University of New York, Aim We assessed the generality of the island rule in a database comprising Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA, 2Netherlands 1593 populations of insular mammals (439 species, including 63 species of fos- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, 3Dipartimento di Scienze sil mammals), and tested whether observed patterns differed among taxonomic della Terra, Istituto di Geologia ambientale e and functional groups. Geoingegneria, Universita di Roma ‘La Location Islands world-wide. Sapienza’ and CNR, 00185, Rome, Italy, 4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Methods We measured museum specimens (fossil mammals) and reviewed = Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, the literature to compile a database of insular animal body size (Si mean 02912, USA mass of individuals from an insular population divided by that of individuals from an ancestral or mainland population, M). We used linear regressions to investigate the relationship between Si and M, and ANCOVA to compare trends among taxonomic and functional groups. Results Si was significantly and negatively related to the mass of the ancestral or mainland population across all mammals and within all orders of extant mammals analysed, and across palaeo-insular (considered separately) mammals as well. Insular body size was significantly smaller for bats and insectivores than for the other orders studied here, but significantly larger for mammals that utilized aquatic prey than for those restricted to terrestrial prey.
    [Show full text]
  • The Biogeography of Large Islands, Or How Does the Size of the Ecological Theater Affect the Evolutionary Play
    The biogeography of large islands, or how does the size of the ecological theater affect the evolutionary play Egbert Giles Leigh, Annette Hladik, Claude Marcel Hladik, Alison Jolly To cite this version: Egbert Giles Leigh, Annette Hladik, Claude Marcel Hladik, Alison Jolly. The biogeography of large islands, or how does the size of the ecological theater affect the evolutionary play. Revue d’Ecologie, Terre et Vie, Société nationale de protection de la nature, 2007, 62, pp.105-168. hal-00283373 HAL Id: hal-00283373 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00283373 Submitted on 14 Dec 2010 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. THE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF LARGE ISLANDS, OR HOW DOES THE SIZE OF THE ECOLOGICAL THEATER AFFECT THE EVOLUTIONARY PLAY? Egbert Giles LEIGH, Jr.1, Annette HLADIK2, Claude Marcel HLADIK2 & Alison JOLLY3 RÉSUMÉ. — La biogéographie des grandes îles, ou comment la taille de la scène écologique infl uence- t-elle le jeu de l’évolution ? — Nous présentons une approche comparative des particularités de l’évolution dans des milieux insulaires de différentes surfaces, allant de la taille de l’île de La Réunion à celle de l’Amé- rique du Sud au Pliocène.
    [Show full text]
  • Los Mamíferos Del Plioceno Y Pleistoceno De La Península Ibérica
    94 investigación Los mamíferos del Plioceno y Pleistoceno de la Península Ibérica Bienvenido Martínez-Navarro | IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), ICREA Sergio Ros-Montoya, María-Patrocinio Espigares | Dpto. de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga Joan Madurell-Malapeira | Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont Paul Palmqvist | Dpto. de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga URL de la contribución <www.iaph.es/revistaph/index.php/revistaph/article/view/4203> RESUMEN España es el país con mayor número de yacimientos bien conservados, cantidad y calidad de fósiles de todo el continente europeo. Aquí se describe el patrimonio paleobiológico correspondiente al Plio-Pleistoceno (últimos 5,3 millones de años) registrado en los principales yacimientos con presencia de fósiles de grandes mamíferos de la Península Ibérica. Ningún otro país de nuestro entorno al norte del Mediterráneo ofrece mayores posibilidades para el estudio y disfrute de los registros paleontológicos del Plioceno y Pleistoceno. En este contexto destacan las principales cuencas sedimentarias como las de Besalú-Bañolas, Vallés, Calatayud-Teruel, o ya en el sur las cuencas intrabéticas, donde merece especial interés la de Baza y Guadix, con localidades emblemáticas como Baza 1 para el Plioceno, y como los yacimientos de Orce (Fuente Nueva 1 y 3, Venta Micena o Barranco León, entre otros) para el Pleistoceno inferior. También se hace referencia a otro tipo de yacimientos, como son los maares volcánicos pliocénicos del Camp dels Ninots en Cataluña, o el de las Higueruelas en la Mancha, a las terrazas fósiles de los grandes ríos peninsulares, así como a los extraordinarios registros kársticos, donde destaca el de Atapuerca en Burgos.
    [Show full text]
  • The Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Hippopotamidae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla): a Review Based on Morphology and Cladistic Analysis
    Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKZOJZoological Journal of the Linnean Society0024-4082The Lin- nean Society of London, 2005? 2005 143? 126 Original Article J.-R. BOISSERIEHIPPOPOTAMIDAE PHYLOGENY AND TAXONOMY Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 143, 1–26. With 11 figures The phylogeny and taxonomy of Hippopotamidae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla): a review based on morphology and cladistic analysis JEAN-RENAUD BOISSERIE1,2* 1Laboratoire de Géobiologie, Biochronologie et Paléontologie Humaine, UMR CNRS 6046, Université de Poitiers, 40 avenue du Recteur, Pineau 86022 Cedex, France 2Laboratory for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Integrative Biology, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Science Building, Berkeley, CA 94720-3160, USA Received August 2003; accepted for publication June 2004 The phylogeny and taxonomy of the whole family Hippopotamidae is in need of reconsideration, the present confu- sion obstructing palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography studies of these Neogene mammals. The revision of the Hip- popotamidae initiated here deals with the last 8 Myr of African and Asian species. The first thorough cladistic analysis of the family is presented here. The outcome of this analysis, including 37 morphological characters coded for 15 extant and fossil taxa, as well as non-coded features of mandibular morphology, was used to reconstruct broad outlines of hippo phylogeny. Distinct lineages within the paraphyletic genus Hexaprotodon are recognized and char- acterized. In order to harmonize taxonomy and phylogeny, two new genera are created. The genus name Choeropsis is re-validated for the extant Liberian hippo. The nomen Hexaprotodon is restricted to the fossil lineage mostly known in Asia, but also including at least one African species.
    [Show full text]
  • Madagascar Conservation & Development
    MADAGASCAR CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1 — JUNE 2012 PAGE 23 ARTICLE http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/mcd.v7i1.5 Early Holocene fauna from a new subfossil site: A first assessment from Christmas River, south cen- tral Madagascar Kathleen M. MuldoonI,II, Brooke E. CrowleyIII, Laurie Correspondence: R. GodfreyIV, Armand RasoamiaramananaV, Adam Kathleen M. Muldoon AronsonVI, Jukka JernvallVII, Patricia C. WrightVI and Department of Anatomy, The Geisel School of Medicine at Elwyn L. SimonsVIII Dartmouth, HB 7100, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755 U.S.A. E - mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT les écosyst�mes modernes qui sont dans un état de bouleverse-bouleverse- We report on faunal remains recovered during recent explo- ment écologique. Certaines plantes endémiques, par exemple, rations at ‘Christmas River’, the only subfossil locality known ont perdu d’importantes esp�ces mutualistes, des animaux from Madagascar’s south central plateau. Recovered remains ont été obligés d’exploiter d’autres ressources ou habiter des of several extinct taxa date to approximately 10,000 14C years endroits auxquels ils sont mal adaptés. La diversité des plantes before present (BP), including crocodiles, tortoises, the elephant et des animaux a diminué, est menacée ou a même compl�te- bird Aepyornis, the carnivoran Cryptoprocta spelea, the lemurs ment disparue de certaines routes de dissémination. Bien que Archaeolemur majori, Pachylemur insignis, and Megaladapis l’Homme soit largement incriminé dans son rôle de déclencheur edwardsi, and abundant remains of the dwarf hippopotamus, de ces extinctions massives, les transformations anthropiques Hippopotamus lemerlei. The presence of southern - limited, qui ont contribué au changement du climat sont controversées.
    [Show full text]
  • Sobre La Paleobiología De Hippopotamus Antiquus Desmarest,1822: ¿Un Megaherbívoro Acuático Sin Análogos Vivientes?
    Sobre la paleobiología de Hippopotamus antiquus Desmarest,1822: ¿Un megaherbívoro acuático sin análogos vivientes? Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenidoa; Madurell-Malapeira, Joan b; Ros-Montoya, Sergioc,d; Espigares, M. Patrocinioc,d; Figueirido, Borjac; Guerra-Merchán, Antonioc; Palmqvist, Paulc a ICREA, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social-IPHES, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Campus Sescelades, 43007 Tarragona, España. [email protected] b Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, España c Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, España d Museo de Prehistoria y Paleontología, 18858 Orce, España Los hipopótamos se encuentran representados hoy día por dos especies africanas, Hippopotamus amphibius, el hipopótamo común, de vida semiacuática, y Choeropsis liberiensis, el hipopótamo pigmeo, de hábitos más terrestres (Boisserie, 2005). Los hipopótamos comunes se desenvuelven en zonas de aguas tranquilas y someras, que abandonan durante la noche para pacer vegetación terrestre (Nowak 1999). Por ello, sus poblaciones experimentan una mortalidad acusada durante las sequías prolongadas, debido a la escasez de pastos en las inmediaciones de las pozas de barro a las que se ven confinados (Eltringham, 1999). Los hipopótamos no nadan, se desplazan caminando por el fondo de los ríos y lagos; por ello, sus huesos, cortos y robustos, presentan la cavidad medular rellena de tejido esponjoso, para regular su flotabilidad. Por sus condiciones ecológicas de alta dependencia del medio acuático y al no soportar temperaturas frías extremas, los hipopótamos resultan excelentes indicadores climáticos y ecológicos, mostrando una estrecha relación con los homininos donde ambos coexisten. Hippopotamus antiquus es una especie extinta con un amplio registro en los yacimientos del Villafranquiense superior y el Galeriense de Europa y Asia occidental.
    [Show full text]
  • World Atlas of Biodiversity
    WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITY EARTH'S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21st CENTURY ^ > (\ X >r BRIAN GROOMBRIDGE and MARTIN D. JENKINS UNEP WCMC World Atlas of Biodiversity addresses the remark- ible growth in concern at all levels for living things and the environment and the increased appreciation ' the links between the state of ecosystems and the state of humankind. Building on a wealth of re- search and analysis by the conservation community worldwide, this book provides a comprehensive and accessible view of key global issues in biodiver- sity. It outlines some of the broad ecological relationships between humans and the rest of the iterial world and summarizes information on the health of the planet. Opening with an outline of some fundamental aspects of material cycles and energy flow in the biosphere, the book goes on to discuss the expansion of this diversity through geo- logical time and the pattern of its distribution over the surface of the Earth, and analyzes trends in the condition of the main ecosystem types and the species integral to them. Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from UNEP-WCIVIC, Cambridge Iittp://www.arcliive.org/details/worldatlasofbiod02groo World Atlas of Biodiversity Published in association witli Ihe contents of this volume do not UNEP-WCMC by the University of necessarily reflect the views or policies of California Press UNEP-WCfvIC, contributory organizations, University of California Press editors or publishers. The designations Berl<eley and Los Angeles, California employed and the presentations do not imply University of California Press, Ltd. the expression of any opinion whatsoever on London, England the part of UNEP-WCIvIC or contributory organizations, editors or publishers © 2002 UNEP World Conservation concerning the legal status of any country, Monitoring Centre territory, city or area or its authority, or UNEP-WCMC concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or 219 Huntingdon Road boundaries or the designation of its name or Cambridge CB3 DDL, UK allegiances.
    [Show full text]
  • Guidebook Alexandra Van Der Geer & George Lyras 9Th Annual Meeting Heraklion, Crete, Greece 14-19 June, 2011
    European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists 9th Annual Meeting Heraklion, Crete, Greece 14-119 June, 2011 Guidebook Alexandra van der Geer & George Lyras 9th Annual Meeting Heraklion, Crete, Greece 14-19 June, 2011 Field Trip Guidebook by Alexandra van der Geer1 & George Lyras1 field trip leaders John de Vos1 & Charalambos Fasoulas2 1 Nederlands Centrum voor Biodiversiteit Naturalis 2Natural History Museum of Crete Cover figure: The Katharo basin. Photograph courtesy Charalambos Fassoulas This field guide is partly based on the book: Van der Geer A, Lyras G, De Vos J, Dermitzakis M. 2010. Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing The publication of the guide was made possible through the financial support of Heracles General Cement Co. Table of Contents PART 1: VERTEBRATE PALAEONTOLOGY OF CRETE 2 Palaeogeography of Crete 2 Faunal units 4 The mainland fauna of Middle and Late Miocene 4 The insular fauna of Early-early Middle Pleistocene 6 The insular fauna of late Middle - Late Pleistocene 9 PART 2: FIELD TRIP STOPS 18 Katharo Plateau 18 Geology of Katharo 18 Palaeontology of Katharo 19 Prassas section 25 PART 3: LITERATURE 28 1 PART 1: VERTEBRATE PALAEONTOLOGY OF CRETE Palaeogeography of Crete Crete, the largest island of Greece, is mainly known for its Pleistocene endemic taxa, amongst which are dwarf deer, dwarf proboscideans, dwarf hippopotamuses and large mice. However, Crete was not always an island. Up to the Vallesian age of the Late Miocene, Crete was connected to the mainland. This is evidenced by fossil remains of mainland faunas (van der Made, 1996; Athanassiou, 2004; Poulakakis et al., 2005; see figure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Megantereon Whitei
    Available online at www.sciencedirect.com C. R. Palevol 7 (2008) 601–606 Systematic palaeontology (vertebrate palaeontology) The African species Megantereon whitei from the Early Pleistocene of Monte Argentario (South Tuscany, Central Italy) a, ,c a b Raffaele Sardella ∗ , Mauro Petrucci , Lorenzo Rook a Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy b Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy c Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Piazza Mincio 2, 00198 Roma, Italy Received 1st September 2008; accepted after revision 24 September 2008 Available online 12 November 2008 Written on invitation of the editorial board Abstract A partial skull and articulated postcranial elements of Megantereon whitei have been recorded during the 1950s from a karst deposit in the Monte Argentario area (Grosseto). These fossils recently became available for study. The bones are quite well preserved, included in a hard reddish matrix with calcareous clasts. The fossil is part of a faunal assemblage referred to the Late Villafranchian (Early Pleistocene). M. whitei from Monte Argentario is characterised by elongated upper canines, stronger than those of the Upper Valdarno (Tuscany) specimens and similar to the Pirro Nord (Apulia) fossil. The manus is robust, the first phalanges are quite long in comparison to the metacarpals. The Early Pleistocene European M. whitei represents an African element that took part in the faunal dispersal from Africa to Europe that occurred at the Plio-Pleistocene transition. To cite this article: R. Sardella et al., C. R. Palevol 7 (2008). © 2008 Académie des sciences.
    [Show full text]
  • Pleistocene Terrestrial Mammal Faunas from the North Sea
    Pleistocene terrestrial mammal faunas from the North Sea Th van Kolfschoten Institute of Prehistory, Leiden University. P.O. Box 9515,2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands C. Laban Rijks Geologische Dienst, P.O. Box 157,2000 AD Haarlem, the Netherlands Van Kolfschoten, Th. & Laban. C., 1995: Pleistocene terrestrial mammal faunas from the North Sea - Meded. Rijks Geol. Dienst, 52. p. 135-151 Manuscript: received April 26.1994; accepted after revision June 6,1994 Keywords: North Sea, Pleistocene, stratigraphy, terrestrial larger mammal faunal associations Abstract Many thousands of (sublfossil mammalian remains have been collected trom the bottom of the North Sea by fishermen using beamtrawls. The larger mammal fossils have been found mainly in a restricted area in the southern pan of the North Sea notably the Deep Water Channel and the Brown Bank. The list of mammal species are divided into two main groups: a group which Itve in a marine envi- ronment and a group of terrestrial mammals. The terrestrial mammals from the North Sea are di- vided in four fauna-associations which are regarded as groups of larger mammals with a compar- able age although not necessarily regarded as contemporaneous. Heavily mineralized mammalian remains are referred to fauna-associations I and II. Fauna-association I, with Anancus arvernensis and Mammuthus meridionalis, of Early or Middle Villafranchian age is correlated with the Tigliart. Fauna-association II with e.g. Mammuthus meridionalis {advanced type!. Mammuthus trogomherii, Hippopotamus antiquus and Cervalces latifrons, of Late Villafranchian age is correlated with the late Early/early Middle Pleistocene. The fossil remains referred to fauna-association / originate most probably from the IJmuiden Ground Formation and fauna-association II from the Yarmouth ffoads Formation.
    [Show full text]
  • Hippopotamus Pentlandi)
    NATURA RERUM - 1 (2011): 5-20 New data on the Middle Pleistocene endemic Sicilian hippo (Hippopotamus pentlandi) Daria Petruso & Fabrizio Taschetta Department of Earth and Sea Science - Via Archirafi, 22 - 90123 Palermo; [email protected] Abstract. The skeletal and dental remains of a Late Middle Pleistocene-Late Pleistocene hippo coming from site K22 (Capo San Vito Peninsula - Trapani) in Western Sicily have been studied and the biometric data have been compared with other fossil Sicilian taxa with the aim of detect- ing possible morphological differences. Keywords: Hippopotamus pentlandi, Westernmost Sicily, late Middle Pleistocene-Late Pleisto- cene, Mammalia. INTRODUCTION The taxonomic relationship of fossil endemic mammals on Mediterranean islands with their continental counterparts is a question debated by paleontologists since the last two cen- turies. Among large mammals, hippos inhabited western and eastern Mediterranean islands during Pleistocene times. Apart the size - being the endemites smaller - numerous morpho- logical characters distinguish the island inhabitants from their continental forerunners. The Sicilian hippo has been firstly informally described by Pentland (1832) who consid- ered the taxon peculiar for Sicily similar to the living hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius) but of reduced size and demanded a formal attribution. In the same year the Sicilian hippo received its formal name Hippopotamus pentlandi von Meyer 1832. Moreover in Malta was found a smaller taxon named Hippopotamus minutus Blainville 1847 nowadays considered synony- mous pro parte of Hippopotamus melitensis Major 1902. Falconer (1868) and Woodward (1886) considered the smaller Maltese form different from the Sicilian one and attributed all the Maltese taxa to H. minutus and the Sicilian ones to H.
    [Show full text]