Reappraisal of some species of the giant galericine Deinogalerix (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Erinaceomorpha, Erinaceidae) from the Miocene of south-eastern Italy, with a review of the genus

A revision of the remains of Deinogalerix from the Terre Rosse of Gargano, stored at the Department of Earth Sciences of Florence, improved our knowledge of the genus. The goals of this study are to clear the taxonomic status of the specimens and to tackle several issues connected with the evolutionary relationships of the different species. The sample of dental remains of Deinogalerix freudenthali provides new information, which confirms that this species belongs to the most primitive members of the genus, alongside D. masinii. It is now clear that D. freudenthali is very close to the hypothetical ancestor of all other Gargano species, except D. masinii. Nonetheless, the oldest fissures of the Gargano Terre Rosse contain also primitive species of unsettled taxonomic and phylogenetic position. The present analysis shows the systematic validity of D. minor and D. intermedius, whose status was debated. Moreover, the study verifies the consistency of the two phyletic lineages Deinogalerix minor–D. brevirostris and Deinogalerix intermedius–D. koenigswaldi, as well as the co-occurrence of members of the two lines at least in the most recent Terre Rosse fissures. The enhanced information contributes to our understanding of the genus Deinogalerix and especially of the most ancient phases of colonisation of the Apulia Platform. Nonetheless, the fossil record of the genus remains imperfect, with many gaps blurring the origins of its various evolutionary lines

NEW LIGHT ON PARASOREX DEPERETI (ERINACEOMORPHA: ERINACEIDAE: GALERICINI) FROM THE LATE MESSINIAN (MN 13) OF THE MONTICINO QUARRY (BRISIGHELLA, FAENZA, ITALY)

A large-sized species of Parasorex is common in the MN 13 mammal assemblages from the uppermost Messinian sandy-marly fissure fillings within the Gessoso Solfifera Formation at Brisighella (Northern Apennine). This erinaceid has been classified as Galerix sp. in the first papers on the Brisighella fauna. Later, it was described in detail in an unpublished Ph.D. dissertation by Fanfani (1999), who referred it to Galerix depereti. Van den Hoek Ostende (2001) included G. depereti in the genus Parasorex, Parasorex depereti has been described by Crochet (1986) on scarce material from a few Early Pliocene (MN 14–15) localities of southern France and Spain. Parasorex cf. depereti has been reported from the Early Pliocene fauna of Capo Mannu (Mandriola, Sardinia; Furió and Angelone 2010). The species seems actually distributed in south-western Europe, where it represents the youngest occurrence of the genus Parasorex. The very abundant sample of P. depereti from fissure filling BRS 25 enables a more accurate and comprehensive description of the species. It also permits inspection of the mesial elements of the dentition, which were lacking in the material examined by Crochet (1986). The systematic position of the species has been revisited and compared with those of other Galericini of the Parasorex group

Parasorex depereti (Crochet, 1986) (Lipotyphla, Mammalia), from the Upper Messinian (MN13) fissure filling of Brisighella (Faenza, Northern Apennine, Italy)

A large-sized species of Parasorex is rather common in the MN13 mammal assemblages from the uppermost Messinian sandy - marly fissure fillings within the Gessoso Solfifera Formation at Brisighella (Northern Apennine). This erinaceid had been originally classified as Galerix sp. in the first papers on the Brisighella fauna. Later on, it was described in detail in an unpublished dissertation by Fanfani (1999) who referred it to Galerix depereti. Unfortunately, the study remained virtually unknown to the scientific community. Hoek Ostende (2001) included G. depereti in the genus Parasorex, while Ziegler (2005) accommodated it in Schizogalerix. Hoek Ostende’s (2001) opinion is followed here. Parasorex deperetihas been described by Crochet (1986) on rather scarce material from a few Early Pliocene (MN14-15) localities of southern France and Spain. Parasorex cf. depereti is represented in the Italian Messinian/Zanclean deposits of Borro Strolla, (Val d’Elsa Basin, Tuscany) by a single M3 (Abbazzi et al,, 2008). Several other remains from the Early Pliocene fauna of Capo_Mannu (Mandriola, Sardinia) have been referred to Parasorex depereti (Furio and Angelone, 2011). The species seems actually distribute in south-western Europe, where it represents the youngest occurrence of genus Parasorex. The very abundant sample of P. depereti from fissure filling BRS25 enables a more accurate and comprehensive biometrical description of the species. It also permits to inspect the mesial traits of the dentition which Crochet (1986) had failed to describe. The systematic position of the species can also be revisited and compared with those of other European Galericini taxa. Abbazzi, L., Benvenuti, M., Ceci, M. E., Esu, D., Faranda, C., Rook, L. & Tangocci, F., 2008. The end of the Lago-Mare time in the SE Valdelsa Basin (Central Italy): interference between local tectonism and regional sea-level rise. Geodiversitas, 30 (3) : 611-639. Crochet, P.Y.,1986. Insectivores Pliocènes du sud de la France (Languedoc-Roussillon) et du nord-est de l’Espagne. Palaeovertebrata, 16: 145-171. Fanfani F., 1999. Revisione degli Insettivori tardo neogenici e quaternari dell’Italia Peninsulare. PhD Dissertation in Paleontological Sciences, University of Modena, 282 pp. Furió M. & Angelone C.,2010. Insectivores from the Pliocene of Capo Mannu D1 Mandriola, central-western Sardinia, Italy). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, 258: 229-242. Van den Hoek Ostende L.W., 2001. A revised generic classification of the Galericini (Insectivora, Mammalia) with some remarks on their palaeobiogeography and phylogeny. Geobios, 34 (6): 681 695. Ziegler R., 2005.Erinaceidae and Dimylidae (Lipotyphla) from the Upper Middle Miocene of South Germany. Senckenebergiana lethaea, 85: 131-152 KW: Parasorex, MN13, taxonomy, biometry Acknowledgments: This research was financially supported by PRIN (Research Projects of National Interest) 2009 MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research) grants

A new small mammal assemblage from the M013 Terre Rosse fissure filling (Gargano, South-Eastern Italy)

The taxonomic study of the small mammal assemblage from fissure M013, sampled by a team of the University of Torino during the 2005\u20132009 excavations in the Dell\u2019Erba Quarry (Apricena, Foggia) is presented. The assemblage includes the Echinosoricinae Apulogalerix cf. pusillus and the Crocidosoricinae ?Lartetium cf. dehmi; the Myomiminae species Stertomys simplex and Stertomys lyrifer; a new genus and species of Cricetodontinae and a single specimen of Hattomys cf. nazarii. Muridae include Mikrotia cf. parva, Mikrotia sp. 1 and a new genus and species of Murinae, phylogenetically related to Mikrotia. The occurrence of the new Murinae, the new Cricetodontinae, the two species of glirids and the Crocidosoricinae, as well as the absence of Apodemus and Prolagus, indicates M013 as the oldest Gargano\u2019s faunal assemblage known to date, despite the occurrence of Hattomys cf. nazarii, Mikrotia cf. parva and Mikrotia sp. 1, which most probably results from infiltrations from younger fissure fillings. The M013 assemblage is an absolute novelty for the Abruzzo-Apulian Palaeobioprovince, opening new perspectives for the timing and mode of dispersal of the forerunners of the Gargano fauna