Carmelo Petronio

BIOCHRONOLOGY OF SELECTED MAMMALS, MOLLUSCS AND OSTRACODS FROM THE MIDDLE PLIOCENE TO THE LATE PLEISTOCENE IN ITALY. THE STATE OF THE ART

The Authors have elaborated four range charts of mammalian (large and micro), molluscs and fresh-water and brackish ostracodes faunas, for the selected Plio-Pleistocene fossiliferous localities of the Italy. A new Mammal Age (Aurelian) correlatable to late Middle and Late Pleistocene has been defined. Inside this age two Faunal Units (Torre in Pietra and Vitinia) have been defined as characteristic for Early and Middle Aurelian, while no gisements have been chosen for the late Aurelian. Biochronological units are calibrated on magnetostratigraphic and isotopic scales and by radiometric datings.

Biochronology and palaeoenvironmental changes from the Middle Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene in Central Italy

ABSTRACT Paleoenvironmental variations that occurred in Italy from the Middle Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene are described. The number of large mammal species seems increased moderately, especially from the Galerian to the Late Aurelian biochronological units. On the contrary, the paleobotanical data show a decrease of the forest cover from the Middle Pliocene to the late Early Pleistocene and an increase of lands occupied by prairies and steppes. This change is also supported by the appearance of hypsodont taxa among mammals. The distribution of mammal faunas between the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian sides of Central Italy, during the Middle and Late Pleistocene, seems not to be influenced by climatic and environment differences. When the Adriatic data are more complete, it is possible, in fact, to observe a trend that is fairly close to that of the Tyrrhenian. The majority of megaherbivorous taxa has an Asian origin, and it can be hypothesized that in the interglacial phases, the Tosco-Emilian Apennines allowed the taxa coming from the northeast to enter and spread out into the more diversified Tyrrhenian side, whereas during the glacial periods the narrow Ligurian corridor were followed. This research supports the role of the Italian Peninsula as a refuge area for continental Europe; this particular condition permits the Italian mammal faunas to develop endemic lineage (such as Elephas antiquus italicus Osborn, 1931, Cervus elaphus rianensis Leonardi & Petronio, 1974, C. e. aretinus Azzaroli, 1947, etc.). At last, biodiversity sharply dropped during the last 30 000 years, probably due to the anthropic activities and the strong climatic cooling of the last pleniglacial.

Bos primigenius Bojanus, 1827 from the Early Late Pleistocene Deposit of Avetrana (Southern Italy) and the Variation in Size of the Species in Southern Europe: Preliminary Report

Very abundant remains of Bos primigenius have been recovered in the early Late Pleistocene site of Avetrana (southern Italy). The site is characterized by a karst filling originated from a series of almost coeval depositional events. This discovery represents a rare record in the early Late Pleistocene of southern Europe. Biometrical analysis of the metapodial bones of aurochs from Avetrana gave the cue to examine the evolutive trend of the species in southern Europe, from the Middle Pleistocene to Holocene. This trend is characterized by an increase in size of the metapodial bones from Middle Pleistocene to early Late Pleistocene and to a decrease in size of the same during the late Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Also, the variations in size are competed by change in shape of the metapodial bones. These variations seem to be related with climatic fluctuations and competitions with Homo and Bison. At least, five evolutive stages are recognized; they constitute an important tool for the biochronological correlations among the Pleistocene sites of southern Europe.

STEPHANORHINUS ETRUSCUS (FALCONER, 1868) FROM PIRRO NORD (APRICENA, FOGGIA, SOUTHERN ITALY) WITH NOTES ON THE OTHER LATE EARLY PLEISTOCENE RHINOCEROS REMAINS OF ITALY

During the late Early Pleistocene (latest Villafranchian-earliest Galerian), a marked faunal turnover occurred in Italy, with a progressive disappearance of Villafranchian species and the gradual arrival of new species that later characterized the Middle Pleistocene. Two rhinoceros species are reported during this time: Stephanorhinus etruscus and S. hundsheimensis . The morphological and morphometrical analysis of the rhinoceros remains unearthed in the quarries of Pirro Nord (Pirro Faunal Unit, about 1.3-1.6 My) show a great affinity with S. etruscus , in particular with its second evolutionary stage. This stage is characterized by a general variation in body size and proportions. Other rhinoceros remains, found in Italian sites chronologically correlated with Pirro Faunal Unit (FU), are also ascribed to the second evolutionary stage of S. etruscus . In addition, in Italy, the presence of S. hundsheimensis is unknown before the Colle Curti FU (about 1 My). This is likely related to the scarcity of sites chronologically referable to the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition or to a delay in the dispersal event of this species in Italy. Furthermore, the occurrence of S. hundsheimensis in Europe and in Italy may be related to the climatic deterioration of the latest Early Pleistocene, as may be the variation in proportions and size of S. etruscus .

THE MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS OF THE ROMAN BASIN (LATIUM, ITALY):AN INTEGRATED APPROACH OF MAMMAL BIOCHRONOLOGY AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY

The biochronological setting proposed for the Plio-Pleistocene large mammal faunas of the Italian peninsula is based on the definition of faunal units (FUs) and mammal ages (MAs). Many evidences suggest that a multidisciplinary approach could enable us to better understand the actual meaning of a given faunal assemblage taking into account sedimentological and physical stratigraphic studies of the sedimentary successions in which local mammal faunas occur. The Pleistocene deposits of the Roman Basin can be considered a significant model to test this integrated approach. The detailed study of this sedimentary succession, in terms of facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy, sets some physical and temporal constrains to the occurrence of faunal complexes because the allocyclic control (climate and eustatic variations) on both landscape and stratigraphical evolution can affect the association type of mammal faunas. A correlation scheme between the Roman Pleistocene sequence-stratigraphic units and the mammal biochrons has been proposed; this approach constitutes a first tentative to connect the mammal fauna remains to the sedimentary processes which are responsible of their transport, stock and potential preservation in the depositional environments and to collocate this fauna in the systems tracts of the fourth-order depositional sequences recognised in the local Roman Basin Pleistocene succession.

CATASTROPHIC DEATH ASSEMBLAGES FROM THE LATE PLEISTOCENE OF ITALY: THE CASE OF AVETRANA KARST FILLING (TARANTO, SOUTHERN ITALY)

New and detailed taphonomic and stratigraphical analyses have been carried out at the early Late Pleistocene site of “La Grave”, nearby Avetrana (Taranto, Southern Italy). These, together with population analyses of the principal species represented ( Bos primigenius , Dama dama , Cervus elaphus , Sus scrofa and Stephanorhinus hemitoechus ), suggest that the fossiliferous deposits were probably accumulated rapidly, over a short time span, by exceptional events of heavy rainfall with overbank flooding. These results are supported particularly by comparison of the mammalian death assemblages from Avetrana with data from recent and Pleistocene catastrophic death assemblages documented in the literature. Furthermore, population analysis of species pinpoints the time of death between late autumn and winter. Periods with abundant and heavy rainfall are recorded in Late Pleistocene Mediterranean marine cores by the presence of sapropel levels, and in continental pollen diagrams covering the same time. Finally, observations on the morphometric variations in the bones of Bos primigenius reveal an increase in size of the species during the early Late Pleistocene and a decrease in size during the late Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. SHORT NOTE-NOTA BREVE

THE SMALL-SIZED RHINOCEROSES FROM THE LATE PLEISTOCENE OF APULIA (SOUTHERN ITALY)

In this paper, rhinoceros remains from Apulian sites of the late Pleistocene have been analysed. The majority of these remains have been attributed to Rhinoceros mercki by several previous authors and later to Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis . The results of our analysis show how the remains are all referable to S. hemitoechus . This species, with the exception of Coelodonta antiquitatis , represent the only rhinoceros species occurring in Apulia from approximately 100.000 to 40.000 years BP. Furthermore, the considered specimens are relatively smaller than those referred to S. hemitoechus from several late Pleistocene European sites. However, the small size of the Apulian rhinoceroses seems not to be accompanied by variation in proportions and morphology. We propose that the presence of these small-sized rhinoceroses can be due to a weak effect of endemism, related to the geographic characteristics of Apulia.

Short remarks on the occurrences of continental Hippopotamus (Mammalia, Hippopotamidae) in Italy

Several Pleistocene hippopotamid remains have been collected from the Italian Peninsula, but some of them lack any stratigraphic datum or details about the fossiliferous localities. The continental Hippopotamus was present in Italy and Western Europe from the latest Villafranchian, whereas the more ancient records of the genus (Costa San Giacomo and Chiusi basin) need to be confirmed by further evidence. Hippopotamus antiquus was recorded in Italy until MIS 15, while H. amphibius occurred during the late Middle Pleistocene (MIS 13 or 11). The latter species survived in Southern Italy during MIS 4/3.

The Aggradational Successions of the Aniene River Valley in Rome: Age Constraints to Early Neanderthal Presence in Europe

We revise the chronostratigraphy of several sedimentary successions cropping out along a 5 km-long tract of the Aniene River Valley in Rome (Italy), which yielded six hominin remains previously attributed to proto- or archaic Neanderthal individuals, as well as a large number of lithic artefacts showing intermediate characteristics somewhere between the local Acheulean and Mousterian cultures. Through a method of correlation of aggradational successions with post-glacial sea-level rises, relying on a large set of published 40Ar/39Ar ages of interbedded volcanic deposits, we demonstrate that deposition of the sediments hosting the human remains spans the interval 295–220 ka. This is consistent with other well constrained ages for lithic industries recovered in England, displaying transitional features from Lower to Middle Paleolithic, suggesting the appearance of Mode 3 during the MIS 9-MIS 8 transition. Moreover, the six human bone fragments recovered in the Aniene Valley should be regarded as the most precisely dated and oldest hominin remains ascribable to Neanderthal-type individuals in Europe, discovered to date. The chronostratigraphic study presented here constitutes the groundwork for addressing re-analysis of these remains and of their associated lithic industries, in the light of their well-constrained chronological picture.

FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THE GENUS ARVERNOCEROS HEINTZ, 1970 FROM THE LATE EARLY PLEISTOCENE OF ITALY

Remains of the large-sized deer Arvernoceros from the sites of Madonna della Strada and Selvella (late Early Pleistocene, central Italy) are described. At present, these records represent the first occurrence of this genus in Italy. These remains show morphological and morphometric characters comparable to the species Arvernoceros giulii and quite different from other Early Pleistocene large-sized deer. A. giulii was a typical species of a savannah-like environment and it seems to have evolved on the plains of central Asia. The dispersal of the species into Western Eurasia is probably caused by transformations of the eastern Paratethys during the Early Pleistocene and its occurrence in Italy may also have been favoured by climatic changes and by the geographical position of the peninsula.