Can Pallars i Llobateres: A new hominoid-bearing locality from the late Miocene of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula)

In the Iberian Peninsula, Miocene apes (Hominoidea) are generally rare and mostly restricted to the Vallès-Penedès Basin. Here we report a new hominoid maxillary fragment with M2 from this basin. It was surface-collected in March 2017 from the site of Can Pallars i Llobateres (CPL, Sant Quirze del Vallès), where fossil apes had not been previously recorded. The locality of provenance (CPL-M), which has delivered no further fossil remains, is located very close (ca. 50 m) to previously known CPL outcrops, and not very far (ca. 500 m in NW direction) from the classical hominoid-bearing locality of Can Poncic 1. Here we describe the new fossil and, based on the size and proportions of the M2, justify its taxonomic attribution to Hispanopithecus cf. laietanus, a species previously recorded from several Vallesian sites of the Vallès-Penedès Basin. Based on the associated mammalian fauna from CPL, we also provide a biochronological dating and a paleoenvironmental reconstruction for the site. The associated fauna enables an unambiguous correlation to the Cricetulodon hartenbergeri – Progonomys hispanicus interval local subzone, with an estimated age of 9.98–9.73 Ma (late Vallesian, MN10). Therefore, CPL-M is roughly coeval with the Hispanopithecus laietanus-bearing localities of Can Llobateres 1 and Can Feu 1, and minimally older than those of La Tarumba 1 and Can Llobateres 2. In contrast, CPL-M is younger than the early Vallesian (MN9) localities of Can Poncic 1 (the type locality of Hispanopithecus crusafonti) as well as Polinyà 2 (Gabarró) and Estació Depuradora d’Aigües Residuals–Riu Ripoll 13, where Hispanopithecus sp. is recorded. The associated fauna from CPL indicates a densely forested and humid paleoenvironment with nearby freshwater. This supports the view that Hispanopithecus might have been restricted to dense wetland forests soon before its extinction during the late Vallesian, due to progressive climatic deterioration. Coupled with the existence of other fossiliferous outcrops in the area, this find is most promising for the prospect of discovering additional fossil hominoid remains in the future

El Miocè inferior de la conca del Vallès-Penedès : un registre excepcional dels canvis climàtics i faunístics

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. Les tasques de camp es van poder dur a terme gràcies al suport del Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya (projecte 2014/100584) i la National Geographic Society (beca d'exploració ref. 9640-15).Les intervencions paleontològiques recents han mostrat que el registre de vertebrats continentals del Miocè inferior de la conca del Vallès-Penedès és molt més ric i continu del que es pensava. Avui dia es coneixen una vintena de jaciments que han lliurat tant microvertebrats com macrovertebrats. Els nostres estudis biostratigràfics han permès una datació precisa dels diferents jaciments i també dels principals esdeveniments faunístics i climàtics

Early Miocene cricetids from the Vallès- Penedès Basin (Catalonia): taxonomy, biostratigraphy and paleoecological implications

El registre de rosegadors del Miocè inferior i principis del Miocè mitjà (des de finals del Ramblià fins a l’Aragonià mitjà; ca. 19-15 Ma) del Vallès-Penedès (Catalunya, Nord-Est d’Espanya) és molt més ric i continu del que es pensava. Aquesta tesi està centrada en la descripció de la fauna de cricètids durant aquesta època i en les seves implicacions biostratigràfiques, paleobiogeografiques i paleoambientals. El cos principal d’aquesta tesi es centra en l’estudi sistemàtic dels cricètids de totes les localitats de la conca del Vallès-Penedès durant el Miocè inferior i principis del Miocè mitjà. El material estudiat consta de prop d’unes 1000 dents aïllades, així com fragments de mandíbules i maxil·les i també un crani parcial. Al registre de rosegadors de la conca del Vallès-Penedès hi trobem quatre gèneres diferents durant el Miocè inferior i principis del Miocè mitjà (final del Ramblià – Aragonià mitjà, MN3-MN5). El cricètid arcaic Melissiodon dominans és comú durant la zona A del Ramblià (ca. 19.3-17.2 Ma), abans de la dispersió dels anomenats ‘cricètids moderns’dels gèneres Democricetodon i Megacricetodon. Aquests cricètids moderns són components dominants de l’Aragonià (ca. 16,5-15 Ma) i inclouen quatre espècies del gènere Democricetodon (D. hispanicus, D. cf. decipiens, D. gracilis, D. sp. 4) i un del gènere Megacricetodon (M. primitivus). El paracricetodontí Eumyarion weinfurteri i els últims Melissiodon dominans completen l’associació de cricètids, però ambdues espècies són generalment rares. En general, la successió de cricetids del Miocè inferior mostra diverses afinitats amb la de la zona de tipus de l’Aragonià, la conca de Calatayud-Montalbán (Aragó, centre-est d’Espanya), permetent l’ús de la mateixa biostratigrafia local d’alta resolució, amb només petites diferències. A més, les faunes del Vallès-Penedès també presenten algunes semblances amb les d’Europa central. Els resultats biostratigràfics es combinen amb noves dades magnetostratigràfiques que permeten precisar l’edat de alguns esdeveniments biòtics importants que caracteritzen el Miocè inferior, incloent esdeveniments de dispersió d’altres continents vers a Europa occidental. Finalment, es reconstrueixen les condicions paleoclimàtiques regionals entre ca. 19 i 15 Ma en base a la fauna de petits mamífers i es comparen amb altres registres d’Europa occidental. Els patrons de paleoprecipitació inferits a partir de l’estructura de la comunitat de petits mamífers indiquen una aridificació regional coincidint amb l’Òptim Climàtic del Miocè mitjà entre fa 16,5 i 15 Ma. A més, el Vallès-Penedès és reconegut a més com a àrea de transició entre la bioprovincia de centreeuropa més boscosa i humida, i la bioprovincia centreibèrica més àrida i amb estacionalitat en el règim de precipitacions. Aquesta situació, que ja havia estat reconeguda anteriorment per al Miocè mitjà i inicis del Miocè tardà, ja existia al començament d’aquesta època.El registro de roedores del Mioceno inferior y principios del Mioceno medio (finales del Rambliense hasta el Aragoniense medio; ca. 19-15 Ma) del Vallès-Penedès (Cataluña, Nordeste de España) es mucho más rico y continuo de lo que se pensaba. Esta tesis esta centrad en la descripción de la fauna de cricétidos durante esta época y en sus implicaciones bioestratigráficas, paleobiogeográficas y paleoambientales. El cuerpo principal de esta tesis se centra en el estudio sistemático de los cricétidos de todas las localidades de la cuenca del Vallès-Penedès durante el Mioceno inferior y principios del Mioceno medio. El material estudiado consta de casi unos 1000 dientes aislados así como de fragmentos maxilares y mandibulares y también de un cráneo parcial. En el registro de roedores de la cuenca del Vallès-Penedes encontramos cuatro géneros diferentes durante este tiempo (final del Rambliense – Aragoniense medio, MN3-MN5). El cricétido arcaico Melissiodon dominans es común en la zona A dl Rambliense (ca. 19.3-17.2 Ma), antes de la dispersión de los llamados “cricétidos modernos” de los géneros Democricetodon y Megacricetodon. Estos cricétidos modernos son componentes dominantes de las faunas Aragonienses (ca. 1.5-15 Ma) e incluyen cuatro especies del genero Democricetodon (D. hispanicus, D. cf. decipiens, D. gracilis, D. sp. 4) y una del género Megacricetodon (M. primitivus). El paracricetodontino Eumyarion weinfurteri y los últimos Melissiodon dominans completan la asociación de cricétidos aunque las dos son especies generalmente raras. En general, la sucesión de cricétidos del Mioceno inferior muestra varias afinidades con la zona tipo del Aragoniense, la cuenca de Calatayud-Montalbán (Aragón, España), permitiendo así el uso de la misma bioestratigrafía local de alta definición, incluyendo solo unas pocas modificaciones. A demás, las faunas del Vallès-Penedès presentan algunas similitudes con las faunas de Europa central. Los resultados bioestratigraficos combinados con los magnetoestratigráficos permiten la precisar la edad de algunos eventos bióticos importantes que caracterizan el Mioceno inferior, incluyendo eventos de dispersión de especies de otros continentes a Europa occidental. Finalmente, se reconstruyen les condiciones paleoclimáticas regionales entre ca. 19 y 15 Ma en base a la fauna de pequeños mamíferos y se compara con otros registros de Europa occidental. Los patrones de paleoprecipitación inferidos a partir de la estructura de la comunidad de pequeños mamíferos indica una aridificación regional coincidiendo con el Óptimo Climático del Mioceno medio de entre hace 16.5 y 15 Ma. A demás el Vallès-Penedès es conocidos como una área de transición entre la bioprovíncia de centro Europa, más boscosa e húmeda, y la bioprovíncia centro Ibérica, más árida y con estacionalidad mascada en el régimen de precipitaciones. Esta situación que ya era conocida anteriormente en el Mioceno medio e inicios del Mioceno superior ya existía al principio de esta época.The early and early middle Miocene (late Ramblian to middle Aragonian; ca. 19-15 Ma) rodent record of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, north-eastern Spain) is far richer and more continuous than previously thought. This thesis is centered in the description of the cricetid fauna from this time interval and its biostratigrahical, paleobiogeographical and paleoenvironmental implications. The systematic study of the cricetid fauna of all known early and early middle Miocene sites from the Vallès-Penedès Basin defines the main body of this work. The studied material comprises nearly 1,000 isolated molars as well as some mandibular fragments and even a partial skull. Four cricetid genera occur in the early to early middle Miocene (late Ramblian-middle Aragonian, MN3-MN5) record of the Vallès-Penedès Basin. The archaic cricetid Melissiodon dominans is common during Ramblian zone A (ca. 19.3-17.2 Ma) a before the dispersal of the so-called ‘modern cricetids’ of the genera Democricetodon and Megacricetodon. Modern cricetids are dominant components ofAragonian zone C and early zone D faunas (ca. 16.5-15 Ma) and include four species of the genus Democricetodon (D. hispanicus, D. cf. decipiens, D. gracilis, D. sp. 4) and one of the genus Megacricetodon (M. primitivus). The paracricetodontine Eumyarion weinfurteri and the last Melissiodon dominans complete the cricetid assemblage, but both species are generally rare. Overall the early Miocene cricetid succession shows several affinities with that from the Aragonian type area, the Calatayud-Montalbán Basin (Aragon, east-central Spain) allowing the use of the same high-resolution local biostratigraphy, with only minor differences. Moreover, Vallès-Penedès faunas also show a few similarities with the central European ones. Biostratigraphical results are combined with novel magnetostratigraphic data allow constraining the age of several major regional to continental bioevents that characterize the early Miocene, including dispersal events from other continents into Western Europe. Finally, small mammal faunas are used to reconstruct regional paleoclimate between ca. 19 and 15 Ma and to compare it with other Western Europe records. Rainfall patterns are inferred from small-mammal community structure and indicate regional aridification coinciding with the height of the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum between 16.5 and 15 Ma. The Vallès-Penedès is further recognized as a transitional area between the forested and humid central European bioprovince and the more arid and rainfall seasonal inner Iberian bioprovince. Such situation, which had previously been recognized for the middle and early late Miocene already existed at the beginning of this epoch.Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Biodiversita

The aberrant hamster Melissiodon (Cricetidae, Rodentia) from the early Miocene of Echzell and other German and French localities

Melissiodon is a rare cricetid with a long stratigraphic range, present from the Oligocene until the Miocene, only found in western and central Europe except some specimens recovered in Anatolia. What makes Melissiodon special is its unique dental and mandible morphology that has led to many questions regarding its relationship to other cricetid genera and its type of diet. In this work, we have studied new material attributed to Melissiodon from the German localities Echzell (MN4) and Petersbuch (MN3 and MN4), and from the French locality Beaulieu (MN3). Moreover, we compared these specimens with the already published material from other localities across western and central Europe during the early Miocene (MN3 and MN4). In conclusion, the studied specimens and the comparison with other material from different European localities allow us to ascribe this new material as Melissiodon dominans, a widely dispersed species across Europe during the early Miocen

Dispersal and early evolution of the first modern cricetid rodents in Western Europe : new data from the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia)

Modern cricetids originated in Asia and dispersed into Western Europe by the end of the early Miocene, where they quickly became major components of the rodent faunas. Here we review the early Miocene rodent record of the genera Democricetodon Fahlbusch, 1964 and Megacricetodon Fahlbusch, 1964 in the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, Spain). Democricetodon is represented by four species in the studied sites (D. hispanicus Freudenthal, 1967, D. cf. decipiens (Freudenthal & Daams, 1988), D. gracilis Fahlbusch, 1964 and a large-sized undetermined species) and Megacricetodon by one (M. primitivus (Freudenthal, 1963)). The cricetid succession bears several similarities with that of the nearby Calatayud-Montalbán Basin (East-Central Spain) to the point that the same detailed local biostratigraphy could be extended to the Catalan basin. The rare presence of certain Democricetodon species (D. gracilis) and other small mammal taxa also reveal affinities with regions beyond the Iberian Peninsula and indicate that the Vallès-Penedès Basin was more humid and forested than inland Iberian basins during the early Miocene.Les cricétidés modernes sont originaires d'Asie et se sont dispersés en Europe occidentale à la fin du Miocène inférieur. Nous passons ici en revue les signalements du Miocène inférieur des genres Democricetodon Fahlbusch, 1964 et Megacricetodon Fahlbusch, 1964 du bassin du Vallès-Penedès (Catalogne, Espagne). Democricetodon est représenté par quatre espèces (D. hispanicus Freudenthal, 1967, D. cf. decipiens (Freudenthal & Daams, 1988), D. gracilis Fahlbusch, 1964 et une espèce indéterminée de grande taille) et Megacricetodon par une (M. primitivus (Freudenthal, 1963)). La succession de cricétidés présente plusieurs similarités avec celle du bassin voisin de Calatayud-Montalbán (Centre-Est de l'Espagne), à tel point que la même biostratigraphie locale détaillée pourrait être étendue au bassin catalan. La rare présence de certaines espèces de Democricetodon (D. gracilis) ainsi que celle d'autres taxons de petits mammifères révèle également des affinités avec des régions au-delà de la Péninsule Ibérique et indique que le bassin du Vallès-Penedès était plus humide et boisé que les bassins ibériques intérieurs durant le Miocène inférieur

Cricetid, eomyid and murid fauna from the Middle Miocene site (MN6) of Devínska Nová Ves - Bonanza (Slovakia)

Rodents play an important role in all current and extinct ecosystems. In this study we present the fossil record of cricetids, eomyids and murids from Devínská Nová Ves-Bonanza (Vienna Basin, Slovakia). A detailed morphometric analysis revealed the presence of Eumyarion cf. latior, Democricetodon vindobonensis, Karydomys sp., Anomalomys sp., Neocometes brunonis, Keramidomys carpathicus, and Eomyops sp. This species association with other taxa available from the locality indicates an early MN6 age, probably slightly younger than the neighbouring locality Devínská Nová Ves-Štokeravská vápenka = Neudorf an dem March - die Spaltenfüllung or Zapfe's Fissures. Paleoenvironmental specificities of the locality dated after the peak of the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum are discussed. This faunal assemblage, together with geological setting, suggests a mixed insular or peninsular area with subtropical forests close to freshwater bodies in the vicinity of a saltwater sea

Early Miocene remains of Melissiodon from Mokrá-Quarry (Moravia, Czech Republic) shed light on the evolutionary history of the rare cricetid genus

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaBackground: Melissiodon is a rare cricetid genus endemic to Europe, known from the Early Oligoceneto the Early Miocene. It is usually a very rare find, and even in the few localities where Melissiodon remains are found, those are scarce and fragmentary. Only a few Central European localities have yielded rich remains of the genus. Currently, two species are known from the Early Miocene: Melissiodon schlosseri, which is based on two teeth from the MN2 German locality of Haslach and only found in two other sites of similar age (Ulm-Uniklinik and La Chaux, from Germany and Switzerland respectively); and Melissiodon dominans, found in MN3 and MN4 localities across Europe, even though the scarce and fragmentary remains make some of these attributions dubious. For that reason, Melissiodon dominans has become a catch-all species. However, Mokrá-Quarry represents one of the best documented findings of Melissiodon remains from MN4 localities of Europe. Methods: The Melissiodon assemblage from Mokrá-Quarry has been studied thoroughly, providing metrics and detailed descriptions of all teeth positions, as well as complete comparisons with other MN3 and MN4 localities bearing Melissiodon remains. Results: In this work, new remains of Melissiodon have been identified as a new morphotype that clearly differs from Melissiodon dominans by its unique m1 morphology but still shows some resemblance with Melissiodon schlosseri. Based on that, we here propose the hypothesis of an evolutionary lineage starting from Melissiodon schlosseri, diverging from the lineage leading towards Melissiodon dominans. With this finding, there are at least two different taxa of Melissiodon known during the Early Miocene, prior to the genus extinction. This study arises the certainty that the evolution history of the genus is more complex than previously thought and that more studies are necessary to elucidate it, including a complete revision of the type material of Melissiodon dominans and Melissiodon schlosseri in the light of current knowledge of the genus, which will help to elucidate the attribution of the populations from Mokrá-Quarry. For the time being, the assemblage presented here is referred as Melissiodon aff. schlosseri

The Middle to Late Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage from Cova 120 (Alta Garrotxa, Eastern Pyrenees)

Cova 120 is a karstic originated horizontal gallery of approx. 25m located in the southern side of the Eastern Pyrenees at 460m a.s.l. Field surveys conducted from 1985 to 1989 and, more recently, from 2003 to 2006 enabled us to describe a long chronological sequence comprised between the Bronze Age (layers II-III) and the Middle-Late Pleistocene (layers IV-IX, from 57,9 Ka to MIS7) (Agustí et al. 1991; Martín and Terradas, 2007). Here we describe, for the first time, the vertebrate assemblage from the lower layers of the assemblage (MIS4-7). The preliminary faunal list is composed by: Panthera pardus, Lynx pardinus, Felis sylvestris, Ursus spelaeus s.l., Crocuta sp., Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes, Capra pyrenaica, Cervus elaphus, Bos/Bison, Marmota marmota, Oryctolagus cuniculus, Microtus oeconomus, M. nivalis, M. arvalis-agrestis, M. duodecimcostatus, Pliomys lenki, Glis glis, Eliomys quericinus, Apodemus sylvaticus and Spermophilus sp. The mammal assemblage is composed basically by more than 70% remains of Capra and secondarily carnivores, specifically P. pardus (3%) and Ursus (6%). The primary taphonomic analyses suggest that this accumulation was produced, mainly by leopards as happened in the really close Cova S’Espasa site (Sauqué et al., 2018), however other accumulation agents as hominins or small carnivores as Lynx or Vulpes are not a priori discarded.Peer reviewe

Les Cases de la Valenciana, a new early Miocene small-mammal locality from the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, Spain)

The Valles-Penedes Basin (Catalonia, Spain) is classical area for the study of Miocene land mammal faunas. Nevertheless, the early Miocene part of the record has deserved little attention as compared to younger intervals. Most notably, the small mammals of this age have not been described in detail, consequently hampering the correlation of the Valles-Penedes record with other chronological schemes. In this work we describe the rich and diverse small mammal fauna from Les Cases de la Valenciana site (Gelida, Alt Penedès) which includes marsupials, eulipotyphlans, lagomorphs and rodents. On the basis of the presence of the cricetids Megacricetodon and Democricetodon this site is correlated with European Neogene zone MN4, yielding an age of 17–16 Ma. However, the rodent assemblage is comparable to that of chronologically close localities of the Calatayud-Montalbán Basin (Aragon, Spain), indicating that the same biochronological scheme can be applied to both areas. In this way, the coexistence of the eomyids Ligerimys ellipticus and Ligerimys florancei coupled with the presence of Megacricetodon primitivus indicates a correlation with local biozone Ca of the Calatayud-Montalban Basin, ranging from 16.3 to 16 Ma. Finally, the correlation of other early Miocene sites of the Valles-Penedes Basin is discussed and refined