Giuseppe Santi

Permian tetrapod footprintsfrom W Orobic Basin (Northern Italy). Biochronological and evolutionary remarks

Abstract Numerous tetrapod footprints have been found in the Permian deposits of the Western Orobic Prealps(Upper Gerola Valley, Sondrio and Lecco Provinces, Lombardy, Italy). The footprints come from the uppermost levels of the Collio Fm. and are ascribed to Amphisauropus latus Haubold 1970, A. imminutus Haubold 1970, Dromopus lacertoides ( Geinitz 1861) and Varanopus curvidactylus Moodie 1929. The association is closely comparable to the association known from the lower portion of the Collio Fm. cropping out within the Collio Basin, in the Brescia region and to the similar and coeval Early Permian associations of Central Europe and North America.

Ichnosystematics of the Lower Permian Invertebrate Traces from the Collio and Mt. Luco Basins (North Italy)

The Lower Permian ichnofauna in the Collio Formation (Artinskian) in the Val Trompia (Brescian Prealps, North Italy) has been studied for a long time, but the studies have focused mainly on vertebrate prints. In this study, the invertebrate ichnofauna of the Collio Formation, and in the epiclastites of the Monte Luco Formation (Artinskian) cropping out in the Monte Luco area (Trentino Alto Adige region), is systematically analyzed for the first time. This ichnocoenosis consists of: Permichnium isp., Paleohelcura tridactyla, Diplichnites gouldi (Types A and B), Diplopodichnus biformis, Circulichnis montanus, Helminthopsis hieroglyphica, Gordia marina, Acripes cf. multiformis, Cruziana cf. problematica, Cochlichnus anguineus, Palaeophycus tubularis, Planolites isp. and ?Scoyenia isp. The ichnoassociation from the Collio Formation belongs to the Scoyenia ichnofacies, while that from the Mt. Luco Formation belongs to the Mermia ichnofacies. The latter, because of the lack of complete data, can be linked only to one of several submersion phases of the intravolcanic basin and is not referred to the complete continental Permian sequence in this zone. The composition of the ichnoassociation here analysed is similar to those of other European (especially France and Germany) and extra-European areas (especially North America and Argentina).

A Short Critique of the Ichnotaxonomic Dualism Camunipes-Erpetopus, Lower Permian Ichnogenera from Europe and North America

Recently, numerous ichnites belonging to Camunipes cassinisi (Ceoloni et al., 1987) were discovered in Lower Permian strata cropping out in the South-Alpine region (Northern Italy). However, in North America, morphologically similar footprints are classified as Erpetopus willistoni Moodie 1929. On the basis of documented cases and newly accepted taxonomies, the possibility that the ichnotaxa could be synonyms but that the ichnospecies C. cassinisi (“E.” cassinisi) and E. willistoni should be considered different entities is discussed.

Variation in the Ichnofauna of the Collio Formation (Lower Permian) in the South-Alpine Region (Northern Italy)

In the Collio Formation (Lower Permian) of the South-Apine region (North Italy) paleobiodiversity consists of tetrapod footprints, invertebrate traces and rarer plants, and is characterized by an absolute poverty of taxa that becomes more acute from the lower to the upper part of the Collio Formation. Regionally, the drop in diversity can be explained by joint tectonic and climatic change; humid evergreen environments became mainly dry. Examination of ichnofossil distribution supports this hypothesis.

Pennsylvanian floras from Italy: an overview of the main sites and historical collections

The paper provides an overview of the main Pennsylvanian sites in Italy yielding associations rich in plants and/or palynomorphs. So far in Italy, the principal outcrops are located in the Southern Alps, Tuscany and Sardinia. In the Western Southern Alps and bordering Switzerland, Westphalian outcrops are small and scattered. Nevertheless they yielded an abundant fossil flora, stored at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Milan-, (Venzo and Maglia Collection). In the Carnic Alps-, (Eastern Southern Alps)-, continental deposits of Moscovian to Gzhelian age also occur near the border with Austria. They have produced a high number of preserved plant fossils, presently stored in the Museo Friulano di Storia Naturale of Udine. In Tuscany, the two main sections yielding Westphalian to Autunian floras are those of the Iano and Pisani Mountains. A rich collection of plant fossils from those sites is hosted at the Museo di Storia Naturale of Florence University and at the Museum of Natural History of Pisa University. In Sardinia, plant fossil sites are located in the south west and central east parts of the island. The San Giorgio Basin (Iglesiente subregion) and the Tuppa Niedda section (Arburese subregion) are late Westphalian – early Stephanian in age. In the Barbagia at Seui-Seulo and the Gerrei subregions, other continental basins yielded transitional “Stephanian- Autunian” fossil plant associations. The slabs are stored as part of the Lovisato Collection at the Lovisato Museum of the Chemical and Geoscience Department of Cagliari University. Smaller historical outcrops of Carboniferous age are also known from other Italian regions, such as Liguria.

Dental pathologies in the mandibles of cave bears from Grotta delle Pale Rosse (Passo Brocon, Trentino Alto Adige – North Italy)

Often Late Quaternary remains of cave bears (now have been recognized at least three species or subspecies in the Alps: Ursus spelaeus eremus, U. ladinicus and U. ingressus s. HOFREITER et al. (2004), RABEDER et al. (2004), RABEDER & HOFREITER (2004) show clear evidence of pathologies particularly so in some of the dental components. The kind of diet and the old age attained thanks to the paucity of natural enemies is evidenced by pronounced signs of wear of the teeth, resulting in fractures, infections and tooth falls. Although these conditions did not directly result in the animals death, as shown by the closure of the alveoli of the teeth lost during the animal’s life, they did make it more difficult for the bear to eat and importantly prepare for winter hibernation when food was abundant during late summer and autumn. In the mandibular remains from the Grotta delle Pale Rosse (Passo Brocon, Trentino Alto Adige region, North Italy) the dental pathologies are more frequent in 4th premolars and first molars, probably due to the structural fragility linked to the conformation of these teeth. Apical infections of the last molars as consequence of the opening of the pulpar cavity are also discussed. A rare agenesia of a mandibular premolar has been also found.

The first directly dated cave bear from the Covoli di Velo Cave (Verona Province, Veneto, northern Italy) with some discussion of Italian Alps cave bears

Absolute dates of cave bears from Northern Italy are rare. The first radiocarbon date from Covoli di Velo Cave (Verona Province, Veneto, N. Italy) from a cave bear first phalanx is reported; its value is 29,130 ± 0.90 14C yr BP. The date, combined with morphological features of dentition suggest that cave bear populations that lived in Northern Italy were relatively underived compared to other European populations, hinting at patters of migration. Comparison of dental morphology suggest that the Covoli di Velo bear is Ursus spelaeus.

A Rare Occurrence of Permian Tetrapod Footprints: Ichniotherium cottae and Ichniotherium sphaerodactylum on the Same Stratigraphic Surface

ABSTRACT Ichniotherium Pohlig, 1892 is a principal morphotype of Carboniferous-Permian tetrapod footprints referred to diadectomorphs. Though these tracks are relatively abundant in paleoequatorial regions of Pangea, the Cisuralian Bromacker locality in central Germany, is the only known place with co-occurring Ichniotherium ichnospecies. Ichniotherium cottae Pohlig, 1885 and Ichniotherium sphaerodactylum Pabst, 1895 are well studied from the German fossil site but tracks of the two ichnospecies have reported to be almost exclusively preserved on separate specimens. Here, we describe two rare cases where I. cottae and I. sphaerodactylum tracks occur close each other on the same slab coming from the Bromacker quarry. In order to explain the exceptional occurrence of the two Ichniotherium ichnospecies and the higher relative abundance of I. sphaerodactylum at the Bromacker site, various reasons are discussed, from which the paleoecological ones linked to the time of impression (Hypothesis A) or to the trackmaker areal distribution (Hypothesis B) seem to be the most likely.