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The Second Complete Skeleton of Archidiskodon Meridionalis (Elephantidae, Proboscidea) from the Stavropol Region, Russia

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The Second Complete Skeleton of Archidiskodon Meridionalis (Elephantidae, Proboscidea) from the Stavropol Region, Russia Quaternary Science Reviews 30 (2011) 2273e2288 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quascirev The second complete skeleton of Archidiskodon meridionalis (Elephantidae, Proboscidea) from the Stavropol Region, Russia E.N. Maschenko a,*, A.K. Schvyreva b, N.P. Kalmykov c a Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul. 123, Moscow 117997, Russia b Stavropol Museum of Natural History, Dzerjinskogo ul. 135, Stavropol 355035, Russia c Institute of Arid Zones, Southern Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect Chekhova 41, Rostov-on-Don 344006, Russia article info abstract Article history: The skeleton of Archidiskodon meridionalis (Nesti, 1825) from the Rodionovo locality (Stavropol Admin- Received 26 November 2009 istrative Region, Russia) is described in detail. It represents the second discovery of an almost complete Received in revised form skeleton of a fossil elephant in the Northern Caucasus. The age of the fossil is estimated as Early Pleis- 10 May 2010 tocene (upper Apsheronian, late Middle Villafranchian). Attribution of the skeleton to this species, widely Accepted 6 June 2011 distributed in Eurasia during the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene, is based on the tooth characters (M3/ m3 enamel thickness and lamellar frequency). Validity of the genus Archidiskodon Pohlig, 1888 is discussed. Keywords: Ó Archidiskodon meridionalis 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Early Pleistocene Stavropol Region Russia 1. Introduction Russia. The first skeleton of Archidiskodon meridionalis (Nesti, 1825) was found in the Georgievsk (Early Pleistocene, Psekups fauna) Quarry excavations at the Rodionovo homestead in the Novoa- sand pit in 1960 (Garutt and Safronov, 1965). The locality of the leksandrovskii Administrative District of the Stavropol Region, second skeleton was at 45150 44" N, 41 270 8" E. Russia on August 27, 2007 exposed a fossil elephant skeleton The authors recognize the genus Archidiskodon, separate from (Fig. 1). The salvage operations were organized in Septembere the genus Mammuthus, within the family Elephantidae Gray, 1821. October in the same year by the team from the Stavropol Museum Elephants of the genus Archidiskodon are characterized by M3/m3 of Natural History (Prozritelev and Prave State Stavropol Historical, molars composed of very broad, widely spaced lamellae, the Cultural, Natural and Landscapes Museum-Preserve) and led by Dr. interlamellar distance reaching up to 35.0e40.0 mm (Osborn, A.K. Shvyreva. Reconstruction and study of the bones found in the 1942; Garutt, 1998a). Archidiskodon was a relatively large-bodied quarry confirmed that the find represented the almost complete genus of the Elephantidae, widely distributed in Eurasia (Garutt skeleton of an elephant belonging to the genus Archidiskodon and Tikhonov, 2001). A. meridionalis was widely distributed in (Pohlig, 1888). Eurasia, including the northern Caucasus where is represented by Finds of complete fossil elephant skeletons are very rare. The at least two local forms (subspecies), A. m. meridionalis and A. m. discovery of two complete skeletons from the same region, the tamanensis. In the Early Pleistocene the genus Archidiskodon gave Stavropol Region, is a unique circumstance for the territory of rise to the genus Mammuthus Brookes, 1828, which became the most common proboscidean taxon in the Holarctic. The evolu- tionary changes in elephants of the mammoth lineage are Abbreviations: SM, Stavropol Museum of Natural History (Prozritelev and Prave State Stavropol Historical, Cultural, Natural and Landscapes Museum-Preserve); BX, particularly evident in tooth morphology, including a gradual specimens belonging to the skeleton of the A. meridionalis from the Rodionovo increase in the lamellar number and hypsodonty of the cheek locality; PIN RAN, Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, teeth (Dubrovo, 1964). Moscow, Russia; ZIN RAN, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint The discovery of postcranial skeletal material of this genus is Petersburg, Russia. particularly significant in developing a better understanding of * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ7 495 339 9633; fax: þ7 095 339 1266. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (E.N. Maschenko), [email protected] the evolution of proboscidean lineages (Maschenko and (A.K. Schvyreva), [email protected] (N.P. Kalmykov). Kalmykov, 2008). 0277-3791/$ e see front matter Ó 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.06.003 2274 E.N. Maschenko et al. / Quaternary Science Reviews 30 (2011) 2273e2288 valley and contains a series of deposits (Fig. 2C). The lithostratig- raphy from the top down is as follows: 1) recent soil (0.5 m thick); 2) yellow-brown non-layered, carbonized light clay (0.7e1.0 m thick); 3) yellow-brown horizontally layered carbonized light clay with flat pebbles up to 1 cm in diameter (2.3e2.5 m thick); 4) red- brown lumpy carbonized clay with large pebbles and gypsum crystal clusters up to 2.5e3.0 cm in diameter (2.5e2.7 m thick; upper boundary of this unit poorly defined); 5) clayey pebbles: upper portion composed of large, smooth-surfaced pebbles; lower portion composed of small pebbles mixed with coarse sand (0.8e0.9 m thick). The elephant carcass was deposited in the allu- vial deposits of the upper part of the lowest unit (layer 5), 7 m below the surface. The bones were included in a sandy-clay lens filled with small-sized pebbles; the lens was resting on large pebbles cemented by coarse sand (Shvyreva, 2007). The depth of the alluvial deposits at the fossil site, in relation to their depth at the river bed, demonstrates a high rate of accumu- lation resulting from increased and irregular drainage, increased sediment load, and decreased volume of drifting material in the stream. All these processes are indicative of fluvial erosion of floodplain terraces. The predominance of floodplain alluvium is Fig. 1. Locations of Archidiskodon meridionalis (Nesti, 1825) remains in the Stavropol characteristic of open ground environments (savanna, steppe, etc.). Region, Novoaleksandrovskii Administrative District, Russia. 1. The Rodionovo locality (the Tverdova gully); 2. The Georgievskii sand pit. The predominance of fluvial erosion at the fossil site was bound to low-energy stream flow of the ancient Egorlyk River forming 2. Geological setting alluvial lenses and layers that covered the elephant’s carcass. The lithological features of the 4th stratigraphic layer (lumpy texture, The Rodionovo locality is located on the left bank of the Tver- multicolored layers with predominance of yellow-brown colors, dova gully. This is a large quarry that opens into the Egorlyk River presence of gypsum crystal clusters) indicate subaerial formation, Fig. 2. Excavations at the Rodionovo locality, Stavropol Region, Novoaleksandrovskii Administrative District, Russia. A. Position of the bones of the A. meridionalis skeleton in situ. B. Anatomical position of the 17the19th thoracic vertebrae in situ. C. The excavation pit section of the Rodionovo locality (in cm). 1. Modern soil; 2. Yellow-brown unstratified loam; 3. Multilayered yellow-brown loam deposits with carbonated nodules; 4. Red-brown lumpy clay with druses of gypsum and ferrous manganese dendrites; 5. Lens of clays and sands with small-sized gravel; 6. Large gravel cemented by carbonates; 7. Crossbedded sands; 8. Position of the elephant skeleton. E.N. Maschenko et al. / Quaternary Science Reviews 30 (2011) 2273e2288 2275 and the presence of red colored clays and gypsum concretions and has its nasal opening located higher in relation to the upper (“roses”) indicates relatively warm climate and well-drained border of the orbits. conditions. The incorporation of all proboscideans of the mammoth lineage The skeleton was resting on its right side with most of its bones into the genus Mammuthus was proposed by Aguirre (1969) who disarticulated. The bones covered an area of about 35 m2 (Fig. 2A) considered that lamellar density, hypsodonty and other characters (Shvyreva, 2007). According to the location of the cranial bones that of the molars and the skull pattern are diagnostic for this genus. were broken during excavation, the skull originally rested on its This viewpoint was supported by Maglio (1973) and Lister (1996). molars. The mandible, also damaged during excavation, was located On the other hand, Garutt (1998a), Garutt and Tikhonov (2001), and in situ, in front of the premaxillae. Some of the bones, including the present authors regard the above characters as criteria of vertebrae and a few ribs, were also found in situ in anatomical generic differentiation between the Archidiskodon and Mammuthus position (Fig. 2B). This incomplete set of articulated bones indicates lineages. that the carcass was moved at most only a short distance from the place of death, and was gradually buried under alluvial deposits. A. meridionalis (Nesti, 1825) Presumably most parts of the distal limbs were lost during burial. E. meridionalis Nesti 1825, p. 195e216, pl. 1, fig1e3; The Tverdova gully deposits belong to the Burunduksk Forma- Elephas antiquus: Falconer et Cautley 1845e1849 (partium), tion which has yielded fossils indicative of the Psekups Fauna pl. 14 B, fig. 17e18; pl. 42, fig19; (Lebedeva, 1978). The age of this late Middle Villafranchian fauna is Elephas planifrons: Falconer et Cautley 1846, p. 38. pl. 2, fig. estimated as earliest Pleistocene (Garutt and Safronov, 1965; 5a, 5b; Kahlke et al., 2011).
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