Pleistocene foxes (Vulpes,Canidae, Carnivora) from the Taurida Cave,Crimea

Doklady Biological Sciences - A mandible fragment and four isolated teeth of the fossil foxes, Vulpes alopecoides (Del Campana, 1913), Vulpes cf. vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) and Vulpes sp., are...     

Early Pleistocene Lynx issiodorensis (Felidae,Carnivora) from the Taurida Cave,Crimea

Doklady Biological Sciences - The cranial and mandibular remains of two adult individuals of Lynx issiodorensis (Croizet et Jobert, 1828) are described from the Early Pleistocene locality of the...     

Early Pleistocene Spiral-Horned Antelopes (Artiodactyla,Bovidae) from the Taurida Cave (Crimea,Russia)

Paleontological Journal - The article describes fossil remains of two spiral-horned antelope species Gazellospira torticornis (Aymard, 1854) and Pontoceros ambiguus Vereschagin, Alexejeva, David et...     

Megantereon adroveri from the Early Pleistocene of Taurida Cave,Crimea, and the European Lineage of Dirk-toothed Cats

Recent field surveys performed in the newly-discovered Taurida Cave (Crimea, Russia, Late Villafranchian, 1.8–1.5 Ma) enabled us to unearth dentognathic remains of the dirk-toothed cat Megantereon. Here we describe in detail the recovered remains further comparing it anatomically and biometrically with coeval Eurasian and African sites. The performed analysis suggests the inclusion of the Taurida remains in the hypodigm of the Villafranchain European species Megantereon adroveri, a medium-sized saber-toothed cat poorly known in Europe as a consequence of the scarcity and fragmentary nature of the known remains. Our results and the putative transitional characters displayed by the Taurida specimen support the idea put forward by previous authors of a continuous European lineage of dirk-toothed cats.

     

The Large Porcupine Hystrix refossa (Rodentia,Hystricidae) from the Early Pleistocene Taurida Locality in Crimea

Doklady Biological Sciences - The remains of large porcupines (an incomplete skull, cranial and mandibular fragments, isolated teeth and postcranial bones) from the Early Pleistocene Taurida cave...     

Early Pleistocene White-toothed Shrew Crocidura kornfeldi (Lipotyphla,Soricidae) from Crimea

Doklady Biological Sciences - The remains of the white-toothed shrew Crocidura kornfeldi Kormos, 1934 (one skull fragment with almost complete dentition, the fragmental rostral part of a skull with...     

Mammalian Carnivore Coprolites from the Sopas Formation (Upper Pleistocene,Lujanian Stage), Uruguay

Continental tetrapod coprolites from Uruguay are described for the first time. These remains come from the Piedra Pintada locality (Artigas Department), northern Uruguay, where the Sopas Formation crops out (Upper Pleistocene, Lujanian Stage). It was possible to identify several attributes indicative of a coprolitic origin, such as anisopolar shape, extrusion marks, pointed ends, sutures, gas bubbles, and inclusions. These specimens are assigned to carnivorous mammals, probably large felids, based on morphological attributes and inclusions of rodent bones and teeth.     

Pachycrocuta (hyaenids) from the Pliocene of east Africa

Hyaenas belonging to the genusPachycrocuta were the largest hyaenas known. They had a wide distribution in the Plio-Pleistocene, having been found throughout Eurasia and in South Africa. The genus has been reported several times from east Africa, but these finds have been poorly documented. I here describe newly identified specimens ofPachycrocuta from the Turkana Basin, Kenya. It is concluded that although there are certain differences between east and South African specimens, these are of a nature that can be explained by individual variation, and therefore all African specimens are assigned to the Eurasian speciesPachycrocuta brevirostris. The migration patterns of the species are discussed and although these are still equivocal, I speculate that the species originated in Asia and migrated from there to Africa ca. 3.5 Ma and to Europe ca. 1.6 Ma.     

Ancient Mitochondrial DNA Analyses of Ascaris Eggs Discovered in Coprolites from Joseon Tomb

Analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) extracted from Ascaris is very important for understanding the phylogenetic lineage of the parasite species. When aDNAs obtained from a Joseon tomb (SN2-19-1) coprolite in which Ascaris eggs were identified were amplified with primers for cytochrome b (cyt b) and 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene, the outcome exhibited Ascaris specific amplicon bands. By cloning, sequencing, and analysis of the amplified DNA, we obtained information valuable for comprehending genetic lineage of Ascaris prevalent among pre-modern Joseon peoples.     

Miocene ants (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) from Crimea

Ant imprints, new and previously known, from Middle Miocene deposits near Kerch (Crimean Peninsula, Russia) are described or redescribed. A new Myrmicinae species, Solenopsis atavinus sp. nov., is described based on a wingless female. A winged female similar to the earlier described Dolichoderus tauricus Dlussky, 1981 is found: due to the excellent preservation of this specimen, the new specimen and the holotype of D. tauricus are redescribed and can be reclassified as Ponerites tauricus (Dlussky, 1981), comb. nov. Oecophylla taurica sp. nov. is described based on a partly preserved imprint of a female thorax with a forewing, the venation of which allows it to be positively identified as a weaver ant. Two other species are transferred from the formal genus Camponotites to Oecophylla based on forewing venation: O. kraussei (Dlussky et Rasnitsyn, 1999), comb. nov. (Early Eocene, United States) and O. macroptera (Dlussky, 1981), comb. nov. (Middle Miocene, Stavropol, Russia). One of the studied forewing imprints is similar in venation to Paraphaenogaster microphthalmus Dlussky, 1981, described from the Middle Miocene of Vishnevaya Balka (Stavropol province, Russia) and so is attributed to this species. Dolichoderus tavridus sp. nov. is described based on a forewing.     

New analysis of the Pleistocene carnivores from Petralona Cave (Macedonia, Greece) based on the Collection of the Thessaloniki Aristotle University

New taxonomic study of the “old collection” of Carnivora from Petralona Cave, associated to the well-known hominid skull, housed in the Geology School of the Thessaloniki Aristotle University since 1960, revealed 11 species (Canis arnensis, Lycaon lycaonoides, Vulpes praeglacialis, Ursus deningeri, U. spelaeus, U. arctos, Pliocrocuta perrieri, Pachycrocuta brevirostris, Crocuta crocuta, Panthera leo spelaea, and Felis silvestris), which are described in detail. The species composition is typical of the eastern part of the European Mediterranean and may be divided into three biostratigraphic assemblages: early Middle Pleistocene, late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene.     

Human molars from later Pleistocene deposits of Witkrans Cave,Gaap Escarpment,Kalahari Margin

Human molars from travertine deposits of Witkrans Cave (Gaap Escarpment, northern Cape Province, South Africa) are described. The Witkrans molars were discovered in direct association with later Pleistocene faunal remains and a sample of Middle Stone Age artifacts (Peabody, 1954; Clark, 1971; Sampson, 1974; Klein, 1984; Volman, 1984). The morphology and dimensions of the Witkrans molars resemble remains from other localities of similar age in southern Africa (Singer & Wymer, 1982; Grine & Klein, 1985; Grine et al., 1991; Rightmire & Deacon 1991) but exhibit differences from later Pleistocene occurrences in northern Africa (McBurney et al. 1953; Vallois & Roche, 1958; Ennouchi, 1969; Hublin & Tillier, 1981). These results offer further support for the existence of later Pleistocene human populations south of the Sahara which were distinct from contemporaneous peoples of Mediterranean Africa (Howell, 1978; Brauer, 1984; Rightmire, 1984; Klein 1992).     

New materials of Chalicotherium brevirostris (Perissodactyla,Chalicotheriidae) from the Tunggur Formation,Inner Mongolia

Chalicotherium brevirostris was named by Colbert based on a skull lacking mandibles from the late Middle Miocene Tunggur Formation, Tunggur, Inner Mongolia, China. Here we describe new mandibular materials collected from the same area. In contrast to previous expectations, the new mandibular materials show a long snout, long diastema, a three lower incisors and a canine. C. brevirostris shows some sexual dimorphism and intraspecific variation in morphologic characters. The new materials differ from previously described C. cf. brevirostris from Cixian County (Hebei Province) and the Tsaidam Basin, which may represent a different, new species close to C. brevirostris. The diagnosis of C. brevirostris is revised.     

Taphonomic Analysis of the Faunal Assemblage Associated with the Hominins (Australopithecus sediba) from the Early Pleistocene Cave Deposits of Malapa,South Africa

Here we present the results of a taphonomic study of the faunal assemblage associated with the hominin fossils (Australopithecus sediba) from the Malapa site. Results include estimation of body part representation, mortality profiles, type of fragmentation, identification of breakage patterns, and microscopic analysis of bone surfaces. The diversity of the faunal spectrum, presence of animals with climbing proclivities, abundance of complete and/or articulated specimens, occurrence of antimeric sets of elements, and lack of carnivore-modified bones, indicate that animals accumulated via a natural death trap leading to an area of the cave system with no access to mammalian scavengers. The co-occurrence of well preserved fossils, carnivore coprolites, deciduous teeth of brown hyaena, and some highly fragmented and poorly preserved remains supports the hypothesis of a mixing of sediments coming from distinct chambers, which collected at the bottom of the cave system through the action of periodic water flow. This combination of taphonomic features explains the remarkable state of preservation of the hominin fossils as well as some of the associated faunal material.     

Early Pleistocene Dicerorhinus sumatrensis remains from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave, Guangxi, China

The Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave is very famous for its rich mammalian fauna and Gigantopithecus fossils. The Gigantopithecus Cave Fauna has been regarded as the typical Early Pleistocene fauna in South China. The majority of the fossils unearthed has been studied and published during the past decades. The only group remaining unpublished is the rhinoceros, which is studied in this paper. The rhino materials available today are only mandibles and lower cheek teeth. The dimensions of the tooth rows and the isolated teeth fall well within the range of the recent Dicerorhinus sumatrensis. Therefore, the rhino fossils from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave can be referred to this living species. The reduced lower incisors and the U-shaped lingual contour of the mandible also support this taxonomic determination. The rhino materials from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave represent the earliest known record of this species and the smallest Pleistocene rhinocerotid in China.     

Dentition Anomalies in Nesophontidae (Lipotyphla,Mammalia) from the Pleistocene of Cuba

Doklady Biological Sciences - The study of the remains of Nesophontes micrus Allen, 1917 and N. major Arredondo, 1970 from El Abrón Cave (Republic of Cuba, Pinar del Río...     

Dental Replacement in Nesophontidae (Lipotyphla,Mammalia) from the Pleistocene of Cuba

Doklady Biological Sciences - The presence of deciduous premolars and erupting C1, P2, P4, I1, I2, I3, P2, and P4 in Nesophontidae is established for the first time on the fossil remains of...     

Cold-climate rodent indicators for the Late Pleistocene of Central Iberia: New data from the Buena Pinta Cave (Pinilla del Valle,Madrid Region,Spain)

In the Iberian Peninsula, the Late Pleistocene record of small mammal indicators of cold climates is largely restricted to two sets of sites at the eastern and western ends of the Pyrenees. Some assemblages from other sites at the Peninsular centre have, however, recently yielded such taxa. This work describes the remains of three such rodent species from the Buena Pinta Cave, a site in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains in the Spanish Central System. Excavation campaigns in the cave have taken place every summer since 2003. Thermoluminescence analyses of sediments from levels 2–5 of the site suggest an age corresponding to the middle of the Late Pleistocene, within Marine Isotope Stage 4 or the beginning of Marine Isotope Stage 3. Sieve-washing and picking out of the small fossils contained in the sediments of levels 2–5 yielded several thousand small mammal teeth and other remains, dominated by Microtus arvalis. Smaller numbers of remains belonging to other rodents typical of cold climates were also identified, such as Microtus oeconomus, Microtus gregalis and Chionomys nivalis. Thus, the small mammal record of the Buena Pinta Cave shows that rodent indicators of cold climates reached the centre of the Iberian Peninsula during the mid-Late Pleistocene, i.e., well before the Last Glacial Maximum. These findings represent one of the southernmost Pleistocene records for M. oeconomus in Europe, and the most southerly for M. gregalis.