Paul Mazza

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.

The Late Pliocene Site of Poggio Rosso (Central Italy): Taphonomy and Paleoenvironment

Abstract Taphonomic, paleobiological, and paleoecological analyses have been conducted on a rich bone accumulation on Poggio Rosso in the Upper Valdarno basin (Tuscany, central Italy). Fossil mammalian remains from the Upper Valdarno, including the type specimens of important European Villafranchian taxa, have been collected from the Renaissance through the present, mostly with little concern for stratigraphy. Because the specimens, elements, skeletal parts, and even entire skeletons generally were found in isolation, a great deal of information on taxonomic co-existence, population dynamics, proportions of limb segments, and other metrics, was precluded. The discovery of the latest Pliocene Poggio Rosso site, where bones are preserved in a sandy floodplain bed, has provided opportunity to rectify these omissions. The bone accumulation largely consists of limb bones (mostly articulated) and skulls, many of which are associated with mandibles. Axial skeletal elements are strongly underrepresented. Several bones were bimodally oriented. The specimens are slightly weathered, and have common bite and gnaw marks. Some coprolites also occur. Because of its complex genesis, Poggio Rosso does not match conventional taphonomic categories. The bimodal arrangement of the elements and sedimentologic evidence indicate that an unconfined flood flow contributed to the assemblages final arrangement. The role of carnivores, however, was far more substantial. The occurrence of skulls, limb bones, bite and gnaw marks, and coprolites and the comparative rarity of axial skeletal parts, attest to the presence and activity of carnivores—hyenas in particular, represented in the Upper Valdarno by Pachycrocuta brevirostris. Poggio Rosso thus is a sort of den with characteristics of a kill site. The proportionally high amount of carnivore remains, especially skulls, intimates that the hyaenids might have had cubs at the time. General wastage and incompletely consumed carcasses indicate surplus killing as well as actively transported prey elements; all of which, along with specific paleobiological speculations, suggest that the bone accumulation was formed by a cooperative group of hyenas preying on debilitated game populations in a moment of great environmental stress (possibly a period of drought). Sedimentological and palynological analyses confirm arid environmental conditions and reveal that the bones accumulated over a short time. Moreover, these same data indicate that the changes in the floodplain occurred during a major climatic fluctuation, with an increasingly arid phase that ended close to the fossil-bearing layer, which was then followed by wetter conditions.

On the possible origin of the Giant Deer genus Megaceroides

The Giant Deer genusMegaceroides, originally proposed as a subgenus by Joleaud in 1914 and redefined by Azzaroli in 1979, was presumably derived from the Chinese, late PlioceneEucladoceros boulet, through an intermediate form from the early Pleistocene of the Kuban valley, North of the Caucasus. A newly discovered species from the latest Villafranchian of Central Italy is a primitive representative ofMegaceroides which still retains several ancestral features.RiassuntoMegaceroides, un genere di cervi giganti originariamente descritto da Joleaud nel 1914 come sottogenere e ridefinito da Azzaroli nel 1979, sembra discendere daEucladoceros boulet, del Pliocene superiore della Cina, attraverso l’intermediario di un cervide del Pleistocene inferiore del bacino del Kuban, a Nord del Caucaso. Una specie rcentemente scoperta nel Villaifranchiano terminale dell’Italia centrale è un rappresentante primitivo diMegaceroides e conserva vari caratteri ancestrali.

Cesi, an early Middle Pleistocene site in the Colfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennine), central Italy

Near the village of Cesi, at the head of the Chienti River, in the Colfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennines, central Italy), fluvio-lacustrine deposits have yielded mammal fossil remains. The results of a multidisciplinary investigation indicate that the vertebrate-bearing sediments date about 700 ka and accordingly provide a fossil assemblage for the Middle–Late Galerian. Palynological investigations carried out from sediments underlying the fossiliferous level suggest predominantly cold and dry conditions, whereas the fauna suggests a slight climatic amelioration towards cool and moist conditions in the uppermost part of the sequence.

Miocene Vertebrate remains from Scontrone, National Park of Abruzzi, Central Italy

In the outskirts of Scontrone, in the National Park of Abruzzi, the uppermost beds of marine sequence outcrops have yielded fossil remains of reptiles (crocodiles and chelonians) and continental mammals (a carnivore and perhaps four artiodactyls). The vertebrate-bearing sediments are tentatively dated to the Tortonian or Messinian. Artiodactyls point to a relationship with the Early Pliocene endemic fauna of the Gargano promontory, thus raising an intriguing problem of Late Neogene paleogeography.RiassuntoI termini superiori di una serie marina che affiora nei pressi di Scontrone, nel Parco Nazionale degli Abruzzi, hanno restituito resti tossili di rettili (coccodrilli e cheloni) e mammiferi (un carnivoro e forse quattro artiodattili). I livelli a vertebrati sono al momento attribuiti al Tortoniano-Messiniano. Gli artiodattili indicano una relazione con la fauna endemica del Pliocene inferiore del promontorio del Gargano, sollevando cosi un interessante problema di paleogeograiia del tardo Neogene.

POGGIO ROSSO (UPPER VALDARNO, CENTRAL ITALY), A WINDOW ON LATEST PLIOCENE WILDLIFE

Abstract The record of fossil mammalian remains from Poggio Rosso, Upper Valdarno, represents one of the richest samples for deciphering paleobiological information on latest Pliocene land faunas of central Italy. The taphonomic imprinting of this bone accumulation formed by Pachycrocuta brevirostris is investigated to determine the time-averaging of the assemblage, the structure of the paleocommunity from which it originated, and the interactions among some of the species represented in it, as well as the paleobiology and paleoethology of the hyenas. The bones were accumulated in a short time (within a year) during an episode of severe drought. The harsh environmental conditions debilitated the fauna and exposed it to predators. Harsh conditions also forced clans of Pachycrocuta hyenas, which under normal circumstances would have been primarily scavengers, to turn into killers of prey that now were easier to subdue. Thus portions of killed prey were added to the scavenged carcass parts usually taken to the dens. Furthermore, the remains at Poggio Rosso seems to add weight to the hypothesis that middle latitude P. brevirostris might have had seasonal breeding and parental care of cubs.

Ethological inferences on Pleistocene rhinoceroses of Europe

The skulls of the five living species,Diceros bicornis (L.),Ceratotherium simum (Burchell),Rhinoceros unicornis L., R.sondaicus Desmarest andDicerorhinus sumatrensis (Fischer) are carefully examined to recognize the characters which may give evidence on specific life habits. The state of these characters is analysed in the skulls of Pleistocene rhinocerotids of Europe, namelyStephanorhinus etruscus (Falconer),S. hundsheimensis (Toula),S. kirchbergensis (Jäger),S. hemitoechus (Falconer),Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach) andElasmotherium sibiricum Fischer.S. etruscus andS. hundsheimensis lived in relatively open environmental conditions, somewhat similar to those of the present day black rhinoceros, and seem to have been poorly aggressive rhinoceroses, or had realised a high ritualization of their contentions. They were apparently equipped with a strong, prehensile upper lip. The skulls ofS. hemitoechus andC. antiquitatis show evidence of the occurrence of a weak, semi-prehensile upper lip, whereasS. kirchbergensis seems to have been a grazing «squarelipped» rhinoceros like the present dayCeratotherium simum. It is suggested here thatCoelodonta may not only have used horn sweeping for seeking food, but also as part of fighting ritualisation.E. sibiricum apparently had a strong, prehensile upper lip. The most convincing explanation of the use of the great front horn of this species is sexual display. The possible reasons for the ossification of the nasal septum are also investigated. The strengthening of the nasal area was probably needed to support the efforts of intense and frequent horn-sweeping, a habit which could have been quite diffused among Pleistocene rhinoceroses, rather than to support the weight of the nasal horn.RiassuntoI crani delle cinque specie viventi,Diceros bicornis (L.),Ceratotherium simum (Burchell),Rhinoceros unicornis L.,R. sondaicus Desmarest eDicerorhinus sumatrensis (Fischer) sono esaminati in dettaglip per individuare i caratteri che riflettano specifiche abitudini di vita. Lo stato di questi caratteri è osservato nei crani di rinocerotidi pleistocenici europei,Stephanorhinus etruscus (Falconer),S. hundsheimensis (Toula),S. kirchbergensis (Jäger),S. hemitoechus (Falconer),Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach) edElasmotherium sibiricum Fischer.S. etruscus eS. hundsheimensis vissero in ambienti relativamente aperti, in qualche modo simili a quelli dell’attuale rinoceronte nero, e sembrano essere stati rinoceronti poco aggressivi, o avevano raggiunto un alto livello di ritualizzazione delle loro contese. Apparentemente avevano un labbro superiore forte e prensile. I crani diS. hemitoechus e C.antiquitatis mostrano evidenze della presenza di un labbro superiore debole e semiprensile, mentreS. kirchbergensis sembra essere stato un rinoceronte pascolante «a labbro squadrato» come l’attualeCeratotherium simum. È avanzata l’ipotesi che inColedonta lo spazzare il terreno con il corno servisse non solo per la ricerca del cibo, ma fosse anche parte del rituale di combattimento.E. sibiricum era apparentemente dotato di un labbro superiore forte e prensile. Viene ipotizzato che l’enorme corno frontale di questa specie avesse il solo scopo di parata sessuale. Sono inoltre ricercate le possibili ragioni dell’ossificazione del setto nasale in queste specie. L’irrobustimento dell’area nasale era probabilmente imposto dalla necessità di sopportare gli sforzi legati all’intenso e frequente uso di spazzare il terreno con il corno anteriore, un’abitudine che doveva essere alquanto diffusa fra i rinoceronti pleistocenici, piuttosto che quelli dovuti al peso del corno nasale.

Toward an optimised laser cleaning procedure to treat important palaeontological specimens

Abstract In previous laser cleaning tests and analyses carried out on fossil bones, we demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the laser approach. Based on these results, we designed a cleaning procedure employing fibre-optic-delivered Nd:YAG laser radiation, integrated with other conventional cleaning techniques, such as micro-sandblasting and chemical cleaning. The procedure has been optimised for application on important specimens, such as the fossil human “skull of Buia”, recently discovered by a research expedition of the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Florence and presently preserved in the Museum of Asmara (Eritrea). Here, we report laser cleaning tests where this procedure has been applied on samples of other mammalian bones from the Danakil depression and the site of Matassino (Italy).

Taphonomic analysis of Tapirus arvernensis remains from the lower valdarno (Tuscany, central Italy)

The present investigation describes the taphonomic evidence that can be observed on the remains of two Tapirus arvernensis individuals, a prime-aged adult and a juvenile, recovered at Casenuove (Empoli), in the Lower Valdarno marine Pliocene sediments. The spatial arrangement of the bones on the fossiliferous surface suggests the action of one or two currents, and seems to agree with the tentative reconstruction of the shoreline at the Early-Mid-Pliocene transition. Reference to the biology and ethology of presently living Asian tapirs leads to interpret the two individuals as a female, presumably at its first breeding experience, and its cub.

A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Analysis of Multifactorial Land Mammal Colonization of Islands

A highly debated question that engages paleontologists, zoogeographers, and zoologists is how terrestrial mammals colonize islands. The questions oversimplification and the subjective and partial responses to it have led to reductionist models. Insular faunas and fossil assemblages result from a complex interaction of geological, biological (in a broad sense), climatic, eustatic, taphonomic, and historical processes. Insular assemblages and their accompanying variables should be investigated on a case-by-case basis. In this article, we discuss not only common misconceptions and their potential origins but also the key issues that should be addressed when dealing with the colonization of islands by land mammals. We call for the implementation of multi- and interdisciplinary research programs and teamwork, involving paleontological, geological, and stratigraphic information; climatological factors; sea-level evolution; sampling and analytical biases; ecological, physiological, taphonomic, and environmental factors; behavioral characters and ecological preferences; genetics; phylogeography; densities of colonizing populations; and historical reports of human-mediated faunal introductions.