The late Miocene mammal fauna from Gorna Sushitsa, southwestern Bulgaria, and the early/middle Turolian transition

Spassov, Nikolay; Geraads, Denis; Hristova, Latinka; Марков, Георги

doi:10.1127/njgpa/2019/0804

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Colour code: brown -browser, blue -mixed-feeder, light green -folivore, dark green -grazer, red -frugivore, no colour -no data available Dietary preferences were inferred based on the literature : Geraads & Koufos, 1990 ;Geraads et al, 2001 ;Giaourtsakis, 2003Giaourtsakis, , 2009Koufos, 2006b;Merceron et al, 2006 ;Geraads & Spassov, 2009 ;Koufos et al, 2009 ;Solounias et al, 2010 ;Clavel et al, 2012 ;Ataabadi et al, 2013 ;Hristova et al, 2013 ;Spassov et al, 2019…”

Section: Southeastern Mediterranean Late Miocene Localities Studiedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Miocene rhinocerotids from the Balkan-Iranian province: ecological insights from dental microwear textures and enamel hypoplasia

et al. 2022

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The late Miocene is a period of increasing aridity and habitat openness 22 in the south-eastern Mediterranean region. The impact of these changes has not 23 been fully explored regarding rhinocerotids' ecology, although rhinoceroses were 24 a major and diverse component of the Miocene mammalian faunas. Here we 25 investigate the palaeoecology of rhinocerotid specimens coming from 12 26 localities throughout the Balkan-Iranian zoogeographic province, and covering a 27 large part of the late Miocene (MN9 to MN13). Microwear textures confirmed 28 the hypothesised niche partitioning between the two main rhinocerotid species -29 Ceratotherium [Ce.] neumayri (mixed-feeder including grasses) and Dihoplus 30 pikermiensis (browser) -but highlighted dietary overlap between Ce. neumayri 31 and the co-occurring chilothere species at Maragheh, Samos and Pentalophos-1. 32 Although microwear did not reveal clear spatiotemporal differences, we found 33 obvious discrepancies regarding hypoplasia prevalence: Vallesian rhinocerotid 34 teeth displayed more defects (Xirochori and Pentalophos-1: 16.26 % of teeth 35 affected) than Turolian specimens (all other localities: 9.72 %). Similarly, 36 rhinocerotid teeth from eastern localities (Samos and Maragheh; supposedly more 37 arid), had a higher hypoplasia prevalence (13.52 %) than their western 38 counterparts (6.90 %). Insights from rhinocerotids' ecology thus challenged space 39 and time homogeneity within Balkan-Iranian province, and the associated 40 savanna habitat, at least regarding the sample studied here.

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Section: Southeastern Mediterranean Late Miocene Localities Studiedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Miocene rhinocerotids from the Balkan-Iranian province: ecological insights from dental microwear textures and enamel hypoplasia

et al. 2022

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“…Forty‐six specimens are attributed to M. pentelicus from Pikermi (type‐locality, Greece, N = 26), Kalimantsi (Bulgaria, N = 16), and Gorna Sushitsa (Bulgaria, N = 4; Spassov et al. 2019). Koufos (2009) considered specimens from Perivolaki (Greece, N = 4) and Vathylakkos‐2 (Greece, N = 1) as intermediate forms between M. delsoni and M. pentelicus .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…pentelicus , one specimen is attributed to M. pentelicus from Gorna Sushitsa (Bulgaria; Spassov et al. 2019), and one to M. aff. delsoni from Hadjidimovo (Bulgaria).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ravin des Zouaves-5 is dated from MN11 (de Bonis et al 1990), whereas Hadjidimovo is located at the end/second half of MN11 (Li and Spassov 2017;Spassov et al 2018). Forty-six specimens are attributed to M. pentelicus from Pikermi (type-locality, Greece, N = 26), Kalimantsi (Bulgaria, N = 16), and Gorna Sushitsa (Bulgaria, N = 4; Spassov et al 2019). Koufos (2009) considered specimens from Perivolaki (Greece, N= 4) and Vathylakkos-2 (Greece, N = 1) as intermediate forms between M. delsoni and M. pentelicus.…”

Section: Dental Microwear Texture Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Five previously investigated specimens (Thiery et al 2017) are attributed to M. pentelicus from Pikermi (type-locality, Greece), two specimens from Azmaka (Bulgaria) that are under study will be considered here as M. cf. pentelicus, one specimen is attributed to M. pentelicus from Gorna Sushitsa (Bulgaria; Spassov et al 2019), and one to M. aff. delsoni from Hadjidimovo (Bulgaria).…”

Section: Dental Topographic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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From leaves to seeds? The dietary shift in late Miocene colobine monkeys of southeastern Europe

et al. 2021

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Extant colobine monkeys are specialized leaf eaters. But during the late Miocene, western Eurasia was home to colobines that were less efficient at chewing leaves than they were at breaking seed shells. To understand the link between folivory and granivory in this lineage, the dietary niche of Mesopithecus delsoni and Mesopithecus pentelicus was investigated in southeastern Europe, where a major environmental change occurred during the late Miocene. We combined dental topographic estimates of chewing efficiency with dental microwear texture analysis of enamel wear facets. Mesopithecus delsoni was more efficient at chewing leaves than M. pentelicus, the dental topography of which matches an opportunistic seed eater. Concurrently, microwear complexity increases in M. pentelicus, especially in the northernmost localities corresponding to present‐day Bulgaria. This is interpreted as a dietary shift toward hard foods such as seeds or tubers, which is consistent with the savanna and open mixed forest biomes that covered Bulgaria during the Tortonian. The fact that M. delsoni was better adapted to folivory and consumed a lower amount of hard foods than M. pentelicus suggests that colobines either adapted to folivory before their dispersal to Europe or evolved adaptations to leaf consumption in multiple occurrences.

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New evidence for the unique coexistence of two subfamilies of clawed perissodactyls (Mammalia, Chalicotheriidae) in the Upper Miocene of Romania and the Eastern Mediterranean

Kampouridis

Rățoi

Ursachi³

2023

J Mammal Evol

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Chalicotheres are a peculiar group of large herbivorous mammals, closely related to extant tapirs, rhinoceroses, and horses, but with large claws instead of hooves. The family Chalicotheriidae consists of two subfamilies, the Schizotheriinae and the Chalicotheriinae. Herein we present chalicothere remains from the Upper Miocene locality of Pogana 1 in Romania, identifying the schizotheriine Ancylotherium pentelicum and an indeterminate chalicotheriine that were both found in the same stratigraphic layer. Thus, the Pogana 1 locality represents one of the very few confirmed cases of the co-occurrence of the two subfamilies within one fossiliferous horizon in the same fossil site. A detailed review of all localities where the two subfamilies have been reported to co-occur shows that this is a rare phenomenon that is almost exclusively observed in the Turolian of the Balkan-Iranian zoogeographical province. This is probably due to provincial differences in the palaeoenvironment. The data presented here support the hypothesis of a diverse mosaic environment in the Balkan-Iranian province with both closed environments and open habitats that was able to sustain a rich and diverse large mammal fauna.

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The late Miocene mammal fauna from Gorna Sushitsa, southwestern Bulgaria, and the early/middle Turolian transition

Cited by 14 publications

References 10 publications

Late Miocene rhinocerotids from the Balkan-Iranian province: ecological insights from dental microwear textures and enamel hypoplasia

Late Miocene rhinocerotids from the Balkan-Iranian province: ecological insights from dental microwear textures and enamel hypoplasia

From leaves to seeds? The dietary shift in late Miocene colobine monkeys of southeastern Europe

New evidence for the unique coexistence of two subfamilies of clawed perissodactyls (Mammalia, Chalicotheriidae) in the Upper Miocene of Romania and the Eastern Mediterranean

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