New data on Early Pleistocene vertebrates from Monte Argentario (Central Italy). Paleoecological and biochronological implications

Late Messinian mollusks and vertebrates from Moncucco Torinese, north-western Italy. Paleoecological and paleoclimatological implications

“…The lower incisor is bicuspulate, with a tendency to develop a third distal tiny cuspule. These morphological features, but also the size of the examined dental elements, fit well with those reported for P. hungarica (Reumer, 1984;Rzebik-Kowalska, 1989, Marchetti et al, 2000Popov, 2003;Siori et al, 2014). The size of the teeth is larger than that of Petenyia dubia, a species reported in several Miocene and Pliocene localities of Europe (Bachmayer and Wilson, 1970;Furió et al, 2014), whereas Petenyia katrinae is only documented in the early Yushean (early Pliocene) of Eastern Asia (Qiu and Storch, 2000).…”

New insights into the onset and evolution of the central Apennine extensional intermontane basins based on the tectonically active L’Aquila Basin (central Italy)

“…This species is also present in sites of more recent age in Germany and France(?) (Kahlke, 1997;Croitor, 2009 Siori et al (2014). In summary, from a paleontological perspective, the small assemblage from the BAR 20 section (with the addition of Mammuthus meridionalis; Agostini et al, 2012) belongs to the Pirro Nord FU (ca.…”

Synchrotron radiation reveals the identity of the large felid from Monte Argentario (Early Pleistocene, Italy)

“…In this regard, it is worth mentioning two other cases of misleading identification involving the same taxa. The first concerns Pietrafitta, a central Italian site with an age comparable to that of Monte Argentario 25 , the second the slightly older locality of Ellera di Corciano 26 . The scarce felid material from the two sites were referred in the past to P .…”

“…The outcropping Permian-Triassic limestones and dolomites 43 were subjected by karst processes in recent geological times. Karst cavities and fissures are filled by strongly cemented conglomerates and red clay-sand layers 25 . In the locality of “Miniera della Polveriera” 17 , the latter layers yielded a diversified assemblage of terrestrial vertebrates referred to the Late Villafranchian LMA (Farneta-Pirro Faunal Units; ~1.5 Ma) 25 , 44 .…”

“…Karst cavities and fissures are filled by strongly cemented conglomerates and red clay-sand layers 25 . In the locality of “Miniera della Polveriera” 17 , the latter layers yielded a diversified assemblage of terrestrial vertebrates referred to the Late Villafranchian LMA (Farneta-Pirro Faunal Units; ~1.5 Ma) 25 , 44 . The assemblage includes the following taxa: Large mammals 18 , 44 – 46 — Ursus etruscus , Canis sp., Pachycrocuta brevirostris , Lynx issiodorensis , Acinonyx pardinensis , Homotherium sp., Megantereon whitei , Stephanorhinus cf.…”