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Home , Deinotheriidae, Platybelodon

Contributions to the study of the Neogene representatives of Ordo (Mammalia) from Eastern Europe

A. Lungu1, T. Obada2 1State University, Tiraspol, Republic of Moldova 2Institute of Zoology, Academy of Science, Kishinau, Republic of Moldova [email protected]

SUMMARY: In recent years, remains of various proboscideans were collected from paleontological deposits. The stratigraphic position of these deposits is more definite now. The proposed biostratigraphical scheme (Table) is the result of field and bibliographical research on Neogene Proboscideans from Eastern Europe.

Within the Neogene fauna from Eastern Astaracian. In Meotsian, Z. turicensis Schinz is Europe, the fossil remains of diverse forms of met within the land fauna with Mammut bor- proboscideans are known. These pro- soni Hays. Both belong to the same boscideans can be referred to the following phylogenetic branch. At the beginning of families: Gomphotheriidae, Mastodontiidae, Pontsian, Z. turicensis Shinz disappears, but M. and Elephantiidae. Many borsoni Hays survives until upper Pliocene questions concerning phylogeny, ecology, (MN 16 biozone). appearance time and stratigraphical spreading One of the characteristic elements of the of different forms of Ordo Proboscidea from Hipparion fauna is longirostris the Orient Paratethys regions are disputable Kaup. This form from the fauna of early till present. Vallesian (MN 9 biozone), in comparison with At the beginning of Bessarabian, within the forms of this species in the Hipparion fauna the land fauna from Eastern Europe, the fol- of Turolian type, is characterized by some lowing forms of proboscideans were archaic morphological features which bring it present: angustidens Cuvier, near to Gomphotherium angustidens Cuvier. It sp., bavaricum can be viewed as G. angustidens-longirostris Meyer. These forms, probably, also existed in intermediate form. At the beginning of the fauna of Volhonian (upper Astaracian MN Vallesian in some regions G. angustidens is met 8 biozone). Within the Hipparion fauna they together with T. longirostris. can be considered as relic forms of the It is possible that grandin- Anchitherium fauna. cisivum Schlesinger descended from T. lon- Some proboscideans, such as Tetralophodon girostris Kaup in Meotsian. Both T. longirostris longirostris Kaup, turicensis Kaup and S. grandincisivum Schlesinger disap- Schinz, Deinotherium giganteum Kaup, existed peared at the beginning of Pontsian. In parallel with the forms mentioned in the fauna Meotsian, they are met together. of early Vallesian from Bessarabian (MN 9 bio- In the Hipparion fauna from Eastern Europe zone). They were also widely spread in the pentelici Gaudry et Laertet Hipparion fauna of Turolian type. was widely spread. It appears at the beginning Zygolophodon turicensis Schinz is also of Vallesian (MN 9 biozone) together with the known from Central Europe in the fauna of first representatives of Hipparion . 119 The World of - International Congress, Rome 2001

Tab.1 - Ordo Proboscidea (Mammalia) in the Neogene of Eastern Europe:a biostratigraphical scheme.

This form, possibly, migrated from Southern Choerolophodon pentelici Gaudry et Lartet, D. Europe and Anterior Asia. In these regions it is giganteum Kaup were characteristic of the also met within the fauna of upper Astaracian. fauna of late Vallesian (MN 10 biozone) within At present, it is possible to distinguish an Chersonian. It is to be mentioned that D. gigan- archaic form of Choerolophodon pentelici teum Kaup reaches gigantic sizes similar with Gaudry et Lartet, which is characteristic of the those of D. gigantissimum Stefanescu is a syn- fauna of early Vallesian, and more progressive, onym of D. giganteum Kaup. more specialized one, which is met in the fauna In the fauna of Meotsian, next to the men- of Meotsian. tioned forms, appear the following new forms In the fauna of early Vallesian, Deinotherium of proboscideans: M. borsoni Hays, S. grandin- giganteum Kaup is met together with D. bavar- cisivum Schlesinger, which prove to be much icum Meyer. more sopecialized. The representative of the genus Platybelodon The validity of Mammut praetypicum and M. recently descovered in the settlement Hirova, obliquelophus is a particular problem. Republic of Moldova (paleomagnethical deter- At the Meotsian-Pontsian boundary in mermed age is about 11 mln.) is the relictive Eastern Europe takes place the change of land- form of the Anchitherius fauna (Lungu, Obada, sacape-climatic conditions, which caused dis- 2001 a, b). appearing T. longirostris Kaup, S. grandinci- At the end of Bessarabian (MN 9 biozone), in sivum Schlesinger, Z. turicensis Schinz, Ch. the fauna of early Vallesian disappear the fol- pentelici Gaudry et Lartet in the land fauna and lowing forms: Platybelodon sp., Deinotherium appearing some new forms. bavaricum Meyer, Gomphotherium angusti- As for the family the validity of dens Cuvier. This event was, probably, bound Archidiskodon rumanus Stefanesco species, the up with the change of landscape-climatic con- most ancient in Europe, was success- ditions in Eastern Europe. fully confirmed and it emphasized the necessi- Tetralophodon longirostiris Kaup, ty of spotlighting a neotype and a stratotype for 120 Contributions to study of the Neogene representatives of Ordo Proboscidea (Mammalia) from Eastern Europe

“Scortselian” faunistic complex. The validity the Zagielloian University of Cracow, of A. gromovi Garutt et Alexeeva was con- Poland. Acta Zool.Cracoviensia 13: 305- firmed, and two archaic types of forest ele- 324. phants – sp. type I (for MN 16 Lungu, A. & Cemartan, G. 1989. K istorii biozone) and Palaeoloxodon sp. type II (for razvitiya gipparionovoy fauny pozdnego MN 17-18 biozones) – were made evident. sarmata severnykh oblastey continental’ In recent years, diverse forms of pro- nogo obramleniya Vostochnogo Paratetisa. boscideans were collected from the deposits of Trudy Gosud. Craevedch. muzeya 3: 48-66. land fauna. The stratigrgraphic position of [In Russian]. these deposits is more definite now. These facts Lungu, A. & Obada, Th. 1998. Proboscideele are the basis of concretizing in the fauna of pro- faunei Neogene de pe teritoriul Republicii boscideans from Eastern Europe. Moldova. Facultatea de Geografie la 60 de The proposed biostratigraphical scheme ani. Dezvoltarea geografiei in Republica (Tab. 1) is an analysis result of field and biblio- Moldova: Kishinau. graphical research on Neogene Proboscideans Lungu A. & Obada,Th., 2001a. Discovery of from Eastern Europe. The bibliographical Platybelodon Borissiak, 1928 (Proboscidea, sources used in the research are quoted here. Mammalia) a representative genus in the territory of the Republic of Moldova. REFERENCES An.Ins. Geol. Rom. 72, Suppl. 28-29. Lungu A., Obada, Th., 2001b. New data on Early Belyaeva, E.I. 1948. Catalog mestonakhozh- Vallesian fauna from Moldova. Analele deniy tretichnykh nazemnych mleco- Università ii de Stat din Republica Moldova. pitayushikh na territorii SSSR. Trudy Seria “Chimico-biologice”: 51-55. Paleontol. In-ta AN SSSR 15(3): 114. [In Mein, P. 1990. Updating of MN zones., In Russian]. Lindsay, E.H., Fahlbusch, V. & Mein, P. Dubrovo, I.A. & Kapelist, K.V. 1973. Ca- (eds.), European Neogene talog mestonakhozhdenii tretichnykh Chronology: 73-90. New York: Plenum pozvonochnykh USSR: Moskva: Nauka. [In Press. Russian]. Kubiak, H. 1972. The Skull of Mammut pral- typicum (Prohosciodea, Mammalia) from

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