Remains of Late Pleistocene reindeer from Chmielewo,northeast Poland

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) remains in Europe are well represented in Late Pleistocene sites in France, Germany, Ukraine, Poland and other countries. In a chalk mine at Chmielewo (near niardwy Lake, NE Poland) four antlers were recovered. Radiocarbon assays date the fossils to the end of the Pleistocene. All antlers belong to male reindeer. One of the discovered specimens is an uncast antler of the tundra reindeer form, while the others are of the woodland reindeer form. The uncast antler has distinctly visible parieto-frontal fixation of the beam to the skull that confirms its parallel position in relation to the ground.     

Morphometric study of the skull of a Late Pleistocene mummy of the Bilibino horse from the western Chukchi Peninsula

The skull of a mummy horse from the Late Pleistocene of the western Chukchi Peninsula is described. This is the seventh horse mummy recorded during the past 150 years in the Pleistocene permafrost of Siberia. Because of unique preservation (the skeleton is covered by soft tissues and skin) and young individual age (1–1.5 years of age), it is presently impossible to provide its correct species allocation of this specimen. Morphological features of the skull proportions and dentition of the Bilibino horse apparently reflect both species and individual characteristics of the structure and development.     

Middle to Late Pleistocene herpetofauna from Scladina and Sous-Saint-Paul caves (Namur,Belgium)

For the first time, the fossil herpetofauna from the Middle and Late Pleistocene of Scladina and Sous-Saint-Paul caves (Sclayn, Belgium) is described. The amphibians and squamate reptiles are represented by one salamander (Salamandra salamandra), three anurans (Pelodytes punctatus, Bufo bufo and Rana temporaria), two lizards (Lacerta cf. agilis and Anguis fragilis) and two snakes (Zamenis longissimus and Vipera cf. berus). The occurrence of the Parsley Frog (Pelodytes punctatus) and the Aesculapian Snake (Zamenis longissimus), which are not currently represented in Belgium, is of particular interest. Scladina also represents one of the northernmost fossil mentions for the Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra) although it is within its current distribution in Europe. Finally, the presence of the Adder (Vipera cf. berus) is very probably attested in Scladina whereas today this snake is infrequent and classified as endangered in Belgium.     

A catshark (Neoselachii, Carcharhiniformes, Scyliorhinidae) from the Late Jurassic of Germany

A new genus and species of catshark (Neoselachii, Carcharhiniformes, Scyliorhinidae) —Bavariscyllium tischlingeri n. gen. n. sp. — is described from the Late Jurassic (Tithonian) Plattenkalke of South Germany. The new taxon is known from a single articulated skeleton having the skull, the trunk and all of the fins preserved. The position of the first dorsal fin in relation to the pelvic fins and the dental morphology shows that the specimen belongs into the neoselachian family Scyliorhinidae. Two isolated tooth crowns from the Kimmeridgian of North Germany are identified asBavariscyllium sp. and represent the oldest unambigious fossil record of the Scyliorhinidae known so far.     

Biodiversity and community structure of Late Pleistocene foraminifera from Kish Island, Persian Gulf (Iran)

The raised coral reef sequences at Kish Island provide a rare window into the depositional setting and paleoenvironment of a high-latitude, shallow-water coral reef that developed under turbid conditions in the Persian Gulf during Marine Isotope Stage 7 (~200 to 250?ka). Six sedimentary facies and eight foraminiferal assemblages can be identified throughout the sequence. A ninth assemblage can be defined for the modern subtidal realm. At the base of the sequence is a marl rich in hyaline foraminifera (Elphidium, Ammonia, Asterorotalia, Bulimina, Nonion, and Quinqueloculina) and ostracods, which was deposited in about 30–40?m water depth in a turbid deltaic setting. Shallowing resulted in the marl becoming sandy, and changing to a mollusc-rich facies with rare foraminifera (mostly smaller miliolid taxa) that formed the substrate for coral recruitment. The coral marl layer contains many large corals embedded in situ in an aggregate and coralline algae-rich marl. Two abundance peaks in the foraminifera occur at the base and mid-way through this layer, which also correspond to a change from Murrayinella-dominated to Placopsilina-dominated assemblages, indicating deepening and more open-marine conditions, but elevated turbidity. Towards the top of the layer, abundance of foraminifera decreases and miliolid foraminifera become dominant. The top-most layer is dominated by coral and mollusc fragments and has an Amphistegina-rich reef-related assemblage. Of the Late Pleistocene foraminiferal assemblages, the Murrayinella-, Pararotalia-, and Placopsilina-dominated assemblages are no longer present in the modern gulf for unknown reasons. Of the other five assemblages, only the Amphistegina assemblage is found within proximity to the modern Kish Island. The Elphidium and Asterorotalia-Bulimina assemblages are from deeper areas of the gulf. The Ammonia and Quinqueloculina assemblages occur in lagoonal sediments on the Arabian side of the gulf. Like the modern Persian Gulf, the diversity of foraminifera was low (~80 common species) during the Pleistocene and does not correlate with foraminiferal abundance.     

A new species of Late Pleistocene rail (Aves: Rallidae) from Abaco, the Bahamas

We describe a new species of rail from the Sawmill Sink blue hole on Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas. Known from abundant, beautifully preserved Late Pleistocene fossils, Rallus cyanocavi sp. nov. was a medium-sized, flightless species that probably was endemic to the Little Bahama Bank, which is a carbonate platform surrounded by deeper water. We are uncertain whether R. cyanocavi survived into the Holocene, when higher sea levels transformed the Little Bahama Bank from a single large, Late Pleistocene island (ca. 12000 km²) to the scattering of smaller islands seen today, the largest of which is Abaco (1681 km²). Fossils of additional extinct, flightless species of Rallus probably await discovery on some of the 21 other carbonate banks that span the Bahamian Archipelago.     

Carnivores from the Early Pleistocene hominid-bearing Trinchera Dolina 6 (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain).

The carnivores from Trinchera Dolina level 6 (TD6) in Sierra de Atapuerca include Ursus sp., Crocuta crocuta, Mustela palerminea, Lynx sp., Canis mosbachensis and Vulpes praeglacialis. Approximately 80 human remains belonging to Homo antecessor were found in the Aurora Stratum (AS): located in the upper part of the TD6 level (TD6, T36-43). The carnivores from AS are taxonomically similar to the rest of the TD6 level, differing only in the occurrence of Lynx sp. The spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) inhabited the Atapuerca Sierra during the Early Pleistocene and up to the Middle Pleistocene, after which it is absent. According to palaeomagnetic, U/Th and ESR results, the fossils from TD6 are dated to the Early Pleistocene, which is the earliest certain occurrence in Europe of Crocuta crocuta. It is associated with Mimomys savini, the arrival of which in Europe can be correlated with the beginning of the Early Biharian. Crocuta crocuta may have arrived during the late Early Pleistocene ("Bavelian complex"), and subsequently invaded the rest of the continent during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Atapuerca TD6-AS represents the most ancient deposits in Europe where Homo and spotted hyaenas coexisted and, they probably competed ecologically. The carnivores from TD6 are biochronologically consistent with the end of the Early Pleistocene or early Cromerian (corresponding with the Biharian biochron). The timespan could correspond with oxygen isotope stages 19, 20 or 21.     

Late Pleistocene small mammals from the Wannenköpfe volcanoes (Neuwied Basin, western Germany) with remarks on the stratigraphic range of Arvicola terrestris

Redeposited loess sediments from a Pleistocene crater filling in the Neuwied Basin (western Germany) yielded a small mammal fauna mainly composed of arvicoline rodents. The occurrence of rare faunal elements such as Sorex minutissimus, Sicista subtilis, and a species of Microtus (Terricola) is remarkable. Based on the evolutionary level of Arvicola terrestris, the biostratigraphic age of the fossiliferous horizon is transitional between late Eemian and early Weichselian. This conclusion is partly supported by the generalized ecological requirements of a few dominant rodent species. The fauna contributes to the knowledge of this time period, which is poorly documented in western Germany. A new character of the m1 is proposed for the discrimination of Sicista betulina and S. subtilis. To avoid further confusion in the specific assignment of transitional Arvicola specimens from the late Middle Pleistocene to early Late Pleistocene, we propose the formal taxonomic boundary between chronospecies A. mosbachensis and A. terrestris to be shifted from SDQ value 100 to SDQ value 120.     

New material of Carnivora (Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of Axios Valley,Macedonia, Greece

A new collection of carnivores from the Late Miocene deposits of Axios Valley, Macedonia, Greece was collected in 2004–2009 at the localities named Xirochori 1 (XIR) and Ravin de la Pluie (RPl), dated to the Late Vallesian (MN 10), as well as at Ravin des Zouaves 5 (RZO), dated to the Early Turolian (MN 11). The studied material is described and compared morphologically and biometrically with other materials from Greece and its neighboring area. The following species are determined: XIR: Dinocrocuta sp.; RPl: Eomellivora wimani, Adcrocuta eximia leptoryncha, ?Hyaenictis sp., Metailurus parvulus; RZO: Plioviverrops orbignyi, Machairodus giganteus. This collection is interesting because it includes the upper deciduous dentition of A. eximia and Dinocrocuta, which are only known from limited material until now, especially the latter taxon. E. wimani is recognized for the first time in Greece and the Balkans, while M. parvulus is identified for the first time in the Vallesian of Greece. The possible presence of Hyaenictis in RPl is the first indication of its presence in the Vallesian. The guild structure diagrams of the carnivore fauna from the three studied localities provide some indications of their palaeoenvironment, which fits quite well with the results of previous studies on the palaeoenvironments of these localities and of the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.     

The human cranial remains from Gran Dolina Lower Pleistocene site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain).

In this article we study the cranial remains of the late Lower Pleistocene human fossils from Gran Dolina (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain), assigned to the new species Homo antecessor. The cranial remains belong to at least five individuals, both juveniles and adults. The most outstanding feature is the totally modern human morphology of the very complete face ATD6-69, representing the earliest occurrence of the modern face in the fossil record. The Gran Dolina fossils show in the face a suite of modern human apomorphies not found in earlier hominids nor in contemporary or earlier Homo erectus fossils. There are also traits in the Gran Dolina fossils shared with both Neandertals and modern humans, which reinforce the hypothesis that Neandertals and modern humans form a clade, and that the Gran Dolina fossils are a common ancestor to both lineages.     

A new species of Golunda (Rodentia, Muridae) from the Late Pleistocene of Indian Himalaya

The youngest fossil Golunda (Rodentia, Muridae) is described from the Late Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine deposits, exposed at Dulam (Bageshwar), Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, India. The age of fossiliferrous horizon is estimated as 31,000 yr BP. A new species, Golunda dulamensis nov. sp. has highly derived characters, e.g., antero-posteriorly stretched molars, upper molars with more length and less width, stephanodonty, cusps in M₃ strongly inclined backward giving the molars a very stretched aspect, and metaconid and entoconid in M₃ forming almost straight lingual row of the cusps. G. dulamensis nov. sp. is most similar to present day G. ellioti but differs from the later slightly by larger size, a thin connection between t₄ and t₅ in M¹, and comparatively larger entoconid and very weakly developed antero-labial cusp in M₃. We suggest that highly specialized molars of G. dulamensis nov. sp. and present day G. ellioti are derivable through G. kelleri. We also propose that Golunda migrated from Asia to Africa, not from Africa to Asia as was thought by earlier workers.     

Late embryos and bony skull development in Bothropoides jararaca (Serpentes,Viperidae)

In recent years, developmental anatomy received increasing interest as a potential new source for phylogenetic research. For skeletal development, studies mainly rely on the first appearance of ossification centers. However, informative events occur during the whole course of skeletogenesis; interactions between external and internal development occur and morphometric changes take place – all of which present potential sources for phylogenetic analyses. Therefore, the Standard Event System (SES) was used to traceably describe the external development of the snake species Bothropoides jararaca and external measurements were analyzed. We then applied micro-computed tomography (μCT), clearing and double-staining, and 2D and 3D morphometric methods to describe, illustrate, and analyze the development of the head in great detail. We found a 3D flattening of the skull during ontogeny, a pattern that is not reflected in external development. This may be explained by a different relationship of skeletogenesis and external characters to the developing jaw musculature or simply by the different type of data. Clearing and double-staining and μCT-scanning revealed a broadly similar sequence in the onset of ossification. Minute differences may be due to the treatment of embryos. Bones of the dermatocranium are among the first to ossify and the development of the calcified endolymph may reflect its function as a calcium source during development. The value of phylogenetic observations using the sequence of first ossifications is critically discussed. The related heterochronic changes are interpreted to contribute at least to the very first phase of divagating skull formation among taxa.     

The Pleistocene fauna (other than Primates) from Asbole, lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia, and its environmental and biochronological implications

The Asbole area in the Lower Awash Valley yielded a diverse fauna of large and small mammals, associated with an Acheulean industry. The most notable forms are a potentially new species of herpestid, a large collection of Kolpochoerus majus, and the earliest known Bos in Africa. Biochronologically, this fauna belongs to the earliest Middle Pleistocene, and is roughly contemporaneous with the Bodo site further south. Paleoenvironmentally, the fauna suggests a mosaic of landscapes among which humid environments, grasslands and forests, are predominant.     

Hand and foot remains from the Gran Dolina Early Pleistocene site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain).

We report here the study of the 22 hand and foot remains from the Early Pleistocene level TD6 of the Gran Dolina site at Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) recovered from 1994 to 1996. These remains are paratypes of Homo antecessor. All of the elements are briefly described and compared with other fossil hominids. The capitate has a constricted neck, well developed head, strong attachment for the ligamentum interosseum trapezoid-capitate, a palmarly placed trapezoid facet with a distinctive small dorsal trapezoid facet, a highly curved and oblique orientation of the second metacarpal facet, and a transversally oriented dorsodistal border. A hamate with a moderately projecting and lightly built hamulus; an inferred reduced styloid process on the third metacarpal base; a wide second metacarpal head; and middle phalanges with well marked insertions for the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle and wide heads. The morphology and dimensions of the pedal remains from TD6 are very similar to modern humans; but the base, proximal articular surface and shafts of the proximal hallucal phalanges are more rounded and the midshaft of the proximal toe phalanx is wider.