First occurrence of Sivatherium Falconer and Cautley, 1836 (Mammalia, Ruminantia, Giraffidae) in the Iberian Peninsula

Funding Information: The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article. MR thanks the Stimulus of Scientific Employment, Individual Support?2018 Call grant by the Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia (Portugal, CEECIND/02199/2018) and GeoBioTec. We want to thank P. Perez and S. Fraile (MNCN-CSIC, Madrid, Spain), L. Celia and D. DeMiguel (ICP, Barcelona, Spain), P. Montoya and Ana Garc?a Froner (MUVHN, Valencia, Spain), J. Galkin, J. Meng and E. Westwig (AMNH; New York, U.S.A.), P. Brewer and S. Pappa (NHMUK, London, U.K.), C. Argot and S. Peigne (MNHN, Paris, France) and their respective home institutions for giving us access to their giraffid fossil collections. We thank E. Cantero, B. G?mez and P. Gutierrez for the preparation of the BAT10 fossils. We also deeply thank the reviewers and editors of this paper for increasing significantly the value and relevance this study. Funding Information: MR thanks the Stimulus of Scientific Employment, Individual Support – 2018 Call grant by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal, CEECIND/02199/2018) and GeoBioTec. We want to thank P. Perez and S. Fraile (MNCN-CSIC, Madrid, Spain), L. Celia and D. DeMiguel (ICP, Barcelona, Spain), P. Montoya and Ana García Froner (MUVHN, Valencia, Spain), J. Galkin, J. Meng and E. Westwig (AMNH; New York, U.S.A.), P. Brewer and S. Pappa (NHMUK, London, U.K.), C. Argot and S. Peigne (MNHN, Paris, France) and their respective home institutions for giving us access to their giraffid fossil collections. We thank E. Cantero, B. Gómez and P. Gutierrez for the preparation of the BAT10 fossils. We also deeply thank the reviewers and editors of this paper for increasing significantly the value and relevance this study.The sivatherine clade includes some of the largest giraffids and emerged during the late Miocene. Sivatherium hendeyi, the earliest known species of the Sivatherium genus, was first described from the lower Pliocene of Langebaanweg (5.15 ± 0.1 Ma, Cape Province, South Africa). Here we describe the first possible occurrence of Sivatherium from western Europe from the lower Pliocene (MN14) of Puerto de la Cadena (4.9 Ma, Murcia, Spain). The new material consists of dental and postcranial remains. The Puerto de la Cadena Sivatherium, together with the presence of Macaca sp. and Debruijnimys sp., indicates a connection between African and European faunas during the early Pliocene and a possible relationship between Sivatherium and the stem Iberian sivatherines Decennatherium and Birgerbohlinia.publishersversionpublishe

Venta del Moro: un yacimiento clave para conocer la historia del límite Mio-Plioceno en el área mediterránea

Este trabajo se ha realizado en el marco del proyecto CGL2008-05813-C02-01, MICINN y del Grupo de Investigación BSCH-UCM 910607

Hipparion mediterraneum Roth & Wagner, 1855 (Perissodactyla, Mammalia7 del yacimiento de Turoliense inferior de Crevillente (Alicante, España)

Se realiza un análisis comparativo, desde un punto de vista morfológico y morfométrico, de la población de Hipparion de Crevillente (Alicante) con otras poblaciones Europeas. Se sitúa taxonómicamente como Hipparion mediterraneum Roth & Wagner y se incluye en el Morfotipo 2 (Alberdi, en prensa) que infiere una edad Turoliense inferior para esta localidad.This paper deals with the morphological and morphometrical study of Hipparion from Crevillente (Alicante), and its comparison with material from other European localities. It is determined as Hipparion Mediterraneum Roth & Wagner, and it corresponds to Morphotype 2 (Alberdi, in press) inferring an lower Turolian age for the fauna of this locality.Este trabajo ha sido posible, en parte, gracias a la subvención de la IVEI (lnstitució Valenciana d'Estudis i Investigació) 1987 recibida por uno de los firmantes (P.M.)

EOMYIDS FROM THE RIBESALBES-ALCORA BASIN (EARLY MIOCENE, IBERIAN PENINSULA) AND THEIR BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC AND PALAEOECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS.

Two species of the family Eomyidae are identified in the Early Miocene localities of the Araia d’Alcora outcrop (Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin, Iberian Peninsula): Ligerimys florancei and Ligerimys ellipticus. The first is rarer than the second, which is one of the most abundant mammals in the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin assemblages. Due to its abundance, we are able to describe its variability in dental morphology, showing characteristics never previously observed, including the presence of a mesoloph or other features previously described only in ancient assemblages of this species, such as the presence of the anteroloph, which appears in younger assemblages in the Araia sequence. Furthermore, based on the eomyids, we divide the record of the Campisano Ravine section into two long local biozones, depending on the species present. In addition, each local biozone is divided into two smaller sub-biozones, depending on the abundance of each species. We retrospectively compare and correlate the assemblages studied here with other Ligerimys assemblages from the other basins in the Iberian Peninsula. We classify these sites based on the abundance and species of the genus Ligerimys. Additionally, we discuss the palaeoecological preferences of these specie

Old-timers and newcomers: The shrews and heterosoricids from the ribesalbes-alcora basin (east of spain)

The zone of Araia d’Alcora in the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Spain, early Miocene, biozone C, MN 4) yielded a relatively rich assemblage of shrews for an Iberian site, composed by Oligosorex thauensis, cf. Soricella discrepans, Paenelimnoecus micromorphus and Heterosorex neumayrianus. The fossils of O. thauensis, the most abundant taxon, significantly increase our knowledge regarding the morphology of the species. It signals the last known occurrence of this shrew and extending its record to a MN4 site. This species is competing with other shrews in the studied sites. Paenelimnoecus micromorphus is recorded for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula. Soricella discrepans is a typical species from Central Europe; if its occurrence is confirmed in Ribesalbes-Alcora, it would represent the only record of this species in MN4 from the Iberian Peninsula. The material of Heterosorex neumayrianus, a species relatively common in the Iberian Peninsula but always poorly represented, constitutes the best Spanish collection described. When dimylids are present Heterosorex is uncommon.© October 2019 Paleontological Society.Fil: Crespo Roures, Vicente Daniel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Museu Valencia d'Història Natural; España. Museo Paleontológico de Alpuente; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Fagoaga, Ana. Universidad de Valencia; España. Museu Valencia d'Història Natural; EspañaFil: Montoya, Plini. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Ruiz Sánchez, Francisco Javier. Museu Valencia d'Història Natural; Españ

New constraints on the closure of the Betic Seaway and the western Mediterranean palaeoclimate during the Messinian Salinity Crisis from the Campo Coy Basin (SE Spain)

The Campo Coy Basin (SE Spain) exposes >1 km of sedimentary succession with a variety of rocks including a thick evaporitic succession previously associated with the Messinian time. These evaporites were supposedly deposited in a restricted Mediterranean-Atlantic seaway connecting the Lorca and Guadix-Baza basins, although no chronological or geochemical data existed. Here we use palaeomagnetism together with vertebrate and foraminifera biostratigraphy to constrain the age of the Campo Coy succession between <9 Ma and 4.7 Ma. We use geochemistry (δ34S, δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr values) of the gypsum deposits to evaluate their marine or continental origin. In addition, we describe the underlying and overlying lithostratigraphic units to reconstruct the palaeogeographic evolution of this region. Our results show that the sediments were deposited in a continental environment, indicating that the Betic Seaway was already closed in this region during the late Tortonian and that the neighbouring marine basins of Guadix-Baza and Lorca were disconnected during that time. The δ34S, δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr values of the gypsum indicate recycling from the Triassic sulphates. Sedimentary facies of the evaporites point to an environment dominated by a saline lake with continental sabkha episodes developed during the driest periods. Well-defined and laterally continuous evaporitic cyclicity suggests an orbital forcing and high sedimentation rates preceding the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). Alluvial deposits are contemporaneous with the MSC indicating a dry continental environment in this region during the Mediterranean restriction. Overlaying lacustrine carbonates are rich in small vertebrate fauna including African species that migrated to Europe during the MSC. These carbonates have low δ18O and δ13C values characteristic for freshwater input in an open lake just after the Zanclean flood, suggesting that a wet climate followed the MSC.Funding was provided by the grants CGL-2016-79458 and PID2020-118999GB-I00 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN)/ State Research agency of Spain (AEI)/10.13039/501100011033, and by the Catalonian Government Actions 21-SGR-829 and PGC2018-094122-B-100

The early Miocene lake of Foieta la Sarra-A in eastern Iberian Peninsula and its relevance for the reconstruction of the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin palaeoecology

The Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Castelló Province, Spain) contains two lower Miocene units that are rich in fossils. The Unit B contains oil-shale and laminated bituminous dolomicrite related to a palaeolake, whereas the Unit C is composed of sandstone and mudstone beds from distal deltaic and shallow lacustrine environments. The La Rinconada and San Chils localities from the Unit B have yielded a fossil assemblage of plants, molluscs, arthropods, and vertebrates, while the localities from the Unit C in the Campisano ravine (Araia/Mas d'Antolino outcrop) are rich in mammalian record. Here we study a new palaeolake deposit of laminated lacustrine limestone beds in the Unit C named Foieta la Sarra-A. This new locality has provided an assemblage of charophytes, terrestrial plants, molluscs, arthropods, and teleosteans. The latter represent the only known fish record from the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin to date. Although the specimens are generally poorly preserved, the presence of soft-body preservation due to the action of microbial mats at the lake bottom allows considering the Foieta la Sarra-A locality as a Konservat-Lagerstätte. The Foieta la Sarra-A palaeolake had a different water chemistry compared to that represented in the Unit B. Its depth was about a few metres and the water level suffered periodic fluctuations. This new locality sheds light on the palaeoenvironmental dynamics of the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin during the early Miocene and provides a new approach to the palaeoecological reconstruction of the basin

The Ventian mammal age (Lastest Miocene): present state

La edad de mamíferos terrestres Ventiense incluye la mayoría de las faunas españolas de la unidad biocronológica MN 13. Se correlaciona con el Messiniense, aunque su parte fi nal puede incluir faunas de edad Plioceno basal. El Ventiense comienza con la primera aparición del genero de Muridae Stephanomys (7 Ma; datación paleomagnética de El Bunker, cuenca de Teruel), y termina con la aparición de Promimomys (ca. 5 Ma), ambas registradas en la cuenca de Teruel. En este trabajo proponemos una nueva organización del Ventiense. Una primera división correspondiente a la zona M (Dam et al., 2001), y una nueva zona denominada N, equivalente a la zona con Celadensia (Mein et al., 1990; Dam et al., 2001) más la parte de la zona con dos Paraethomys (Dam et al., 2006) en la que Celadensia ha desaparecido y aún no se registra Promimomys. El Ventiense es ahora reconocido con límites y divisiones precisas, de forma que puede ser fácilmente reconocible en las cuencas continentales Ibéricas con sedimentos Mio-Pliocenos permitiendo unas correlaciones intra e inter cuenca detalladas

Estudio preliminar de la microfauna del yacimiento del Pleistoceno Medio de La Salema (Facheca, Alicante)

El yacimiento de La Salema se ubica cerca de la localidad de Facheca situado en el norte de la provincia de Alicante, en la comarca del Condado de Cocentaina (Comunidad Valenciana). En los depósitos del yacimiento de La Salema se han localizado restos de microvertebrados fósiles de edad Pleistocena. La lista faunística preliminar establecida para este yacimiento incluye los siguientes taxones: Miniopterus cf. schreibersii, Rhinolophus hipposideros, Myotis sp., Arvicola sp., Microtus agrestis, Iberomys brecciensis, Eliomys quercinus, Apodemus sylvaticus, Oryctolagus sp., Chalcides bedriagai, Tarentola sp. y Timon cf. lepidus. Del análisis de los datos aportados por los taxones de micromamíferos presentes, podemos concluir que este yacimiento contiene una fauna correspondiente al Pleistoceno Medio, pudiendo estimarse una edad de entre 450.000 y 200.000 años.El jaciment de La Salema s’ubica prop de la localitat de Fageca situat en el nord de la província d’Alacant, a la comarca del Comtat de Cocentaina (Comunitat Valenciana). En els dipòsits del jaciment de La Salema s’han localitzat restes de microvertebrats fòssils d’edat Plistocena. La llista faunística preliminar establerta per a aquest jaciment inclou els següents taxons: Miniopterus cf. schreibersii, Rhinolophus hipposideros, Myotis sp., Arvicola sp., Microtus agrestis, Iberomys brecciensis, Eliomys quercinus, Apodemus sylvaticus, Oryctolagus sp., Chalcides bedriagai, Tarentola sp. i Timon cf. lepidus. De l’anàlisi de les dades aportades pels taxons de micromamifers presents, podem concloure que aquest jaciment conté una fauna corresponent al plistocè mitjà, podent estimar-se una edat d’entre 450.000 i 200.000 anys.The site of La Salema is situated near the town of Facheca located in the north of the province of Alicante, in the region of Cocentaina (Valencia). In the deposits of La Salema have been located remains of fossils microvertebrates of Pleistocene age. The preliminary faunal list established for this site includes the following taxa: Miniopterus cf. schreibersii, Rhinolophus hipposideros, Myotis sp., Arvicola sp., Microtus agrestis, Iberomys brecciensis, Eliomys quercinus, Apodemus sylvaticus, Oryctolagus sp., Chalcides bedriagai, Tarentola sp. and Timon cf. lepidus. By the analysis of the data provided by the mammal taxa, we can conclude that this locality contains faunas of the Middle Pleistocene and its age can be estimated between 450.000 and 200.000 years

Early Pliocene continental vertebrate Fauna at Puerto de la Cadena (SE Spain) and its bearing on the marine-continental correlation of the Late Neogene of Eastern Betics

In this paper, we synthesize sedimentological, magnetostratigraphic and paleontological data from the continental vertebrate site of Puerto de la Cadena (Murcia, SE Spain), in order to clarify its age. The study site is located on the northern edge of the Carrascoy mountain range, in the upper part of the Cigarrón Unit. The end-Messinian discontinuity has been detected at the base of this unit, which indicates it has an early Pliocene age. Abundant remains of small and large vertebrates, including rodents, lagomorphs, primates, carnivorans, perissodactyls, artiodactyls, proboscideans, testudines, squamats, and crocodiles, have been found in this area. Some of these elements are of African origin, such as Debruijnimys sp., Macaca sp., and Sivatherium cf. hendeyi, and their presence is related to the Messinian Salinity Crisis. In addition, remains found at this site verify the persistence of Crocodylia in the European record beyond the late Miocene. The association includes typical elements of the early Ruscinian terrestrial record (MN14), like Apocricetus cf. barrierei, Sivatherium, Gazella aff. baturra, and Hipparion fissurae. The Puerto de la Cadena site is located in a reversed geomagnetic chron that has been correlated with C3n.3r (from 4.997 to 4.896 Ma). According to this correlation, the MN13/MN14 boundary has a minimum age of 4.9 Ma.This manuscript is the result of the excavations carried out annually under the research project 11891/PHCS/09, funded by the Fundación Séneca - Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia. We would also like to thank the inestimable collaboration of the Demarcación de Carreteras del Estado in Murcia (Ministerio de Fomento), and the Dirección General de Bienes Culturales of the Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia. This research has also been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CGL2016-80000-P; CGL2015-68333-P; CGL2016-76431-P; FPDI-2013-18986), the Generalitat de Catalunya (CERCA Program, 2014 SGR 901 and 2014 SGR 416 GRC), and University of the Basque Country/EHU (GIU15/34). P.P. is supported by an FPU Predoctoral Fellowship (FPU12/02668) with the financial sponsorship of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, Spain