Montagnola Senese, near Siena, Tuscany: Early/Lower Pleistocene, Italy

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
Chondrina similis
Eobania vermiculata
Gastropoda - Pomatiidae
Pomatias elegans
Gastropoda - Heterostropha - Limacidae
Limax sp. Linnaeus 1758
Gastropoda - Heterostropha - Achatinidae
Rumina decollata (Linnaeus 1758)
Gastropoda - Discidae
Discus rotundatus
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Discoglossidae
Discoglossidae indet. Günther 1859
predominante.
    = Discoglossus sp. Otth 1837
Holman 1998
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Hylidae
Hyla sp. Laurenti 1768
Mammalia - Rodentia - Gliridae
Muscardinus sp. Kaup 1829
1 specimen
1 incomplete mandible.
Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae
Apodemus ex gr. alsomyoides
15 specimens
Apodemus del gruppo alsomyoides-mystacinus. 15 incomplete mandibles.
    = Apodemus mystacinus Danford and Alston 1877
Kotsakis et al. 2003
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Mimomys savini
39 specimens
1 mandible fragment, 10 lower M1, 7 lower M2, 7 upper M1, 6 upper M2, 3 upper M3, three proximal ulnae and 2 fragments of zygomatic arch.
    = Mimomys sp. Forsyth-Major 1902
Kotsakis et al. 2003
large size.
Mimomys pitymyoides
Kotsakis et al. 2003
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus 1758)
46 specimens
5 lower incisors, 8 maxillae, 20 mandibles, 1 scapula, 1 proximal and 1 distal humerus, 2 proximal ulnae, 1 distal radius, 1 incomplete cervical vertebra, 1 pelvis, 1 distal femur, 1 incomplete calcaneum, plus metacarpals, metatarsals and phalanges.
    = Oryctolagus lacosti
Kotsakis et al. 2003
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Prolagus sardus Wagner 1829
37 specimens
5 mandibles, 1 cranium, 13 lower P3, 4 lower I1, 5 upper I1, 2 humerii, 3 radii, 2 ulnae, 1 femur plus metacarpals and metatarsals.
    = Prolagus sp. Pomel 1853
Kotsakis et al. 2003
Mammalia - Soricidae
Sorex minutus Linnaeus 1766
1 specimen
1 mandible.
    = Sorex bor Reumer 1984
Kotsakis et al. 2003
Crocidura suaveolens (Pallas 1811)
1 specimen
1 mandible fragment with M1 and M3.
    = Crocidura kornfeldi Kormos 1934
Kotsakis et al. 2003
Mammalia - Talpidae
Talpa fossilis Petenyi 1864
11 specimens
4 humerii, 2 radii, 3 ulnae, 2 mandible fragments.
    = Talpa minor Freudenberg 1914
Kotsakis et al. 2003
Mammalia - Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Myotis ex gr. schaubi
4 specimens
Myotis del gruppo schaubi-rapax. 4 incomplete mandibles.
Myotis sp. Kaup 1829
3 specimens
3 fragmentary mandibles.
Myotis oxygnathus Monticelli 1885
7 specimens
1 maxilla with P4-P3, 4 mandible fragments, 1 upper canine, 1 lower canine.
    = Myotis blythi Tomes 1857
Kotsakis et al. 2003
Mammalia - Chiroptera - Molossidae
? Tadarida sp. Rafinesque 1814
1 specimen
1 mandible fragment with M2-M3.
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Dicerorhinus etruscus (Falconer 1868)
7 specimens
recombined as Stephanorhinus etruscus
1 lower P2, 1 upper P4 (both deciduous), 2 lower P3, and 2 lower M2. 1 incomplete tooth row.
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus caballus Linnaeus 1758
2 specimens
1 deciduous P3, 1 fragmentary upper P3.
Mammalia - Cervidae
Capreolus sp. Gray 1821
2 specimens
1 second phalanx, 1 distal tibia.
Cervus sp. Linnaeus 1758
8 specimens
6 teeth, 2 first phalanges.
Dama sp. Frisch 1775
23 specimens
7 isolated teeth, 1 proximal radius, 1 distal ulna, 2 scaphoids, 2 trapezoids, 3 metapodial condyles, 1 second and 2 third phalanges, 1 distal femur and 1 distal tibia, 1 calcaneum and 1 incomplete astragalus.
Mammalia - Bovidae
Bovidae indet. Gray 1821
1 specimen
1 distal first phalanx.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Felidae
Panthera sp. Oken 1816
7 specimens
1 astragalus, 1 proximal 3rd metatarsal, 1 distal 4th metatarsal, 2 second phalanges, 1 proximal femur, 1 mandibular fragment.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus ex gr. etruscus Cuvier 1823
3 specimens
Ursus del gruppo etruscus-arctos. 1 lower M1, 1 distal epiphysis of a 4th metacarpal, 1 mandibular canine.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
Canis sp. Linnaeus 1758
2 specimens
lower I2 and I3.
Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudo sp. Linnaeus 1758
carapace fragments.
Reptilia - Colubridae
Colubridae indet. Oppel 1811
numerous vertebrae.
Reptilia
Aves indet. Linnaeus 1758
numerous examples of indeterminate small and medium birds.
Reptilia - Sauria
Sauria indet. MacCartney 1802
4 specimens
2 types, Sauri gen. e sp. indet. 1 maxilla fragment and 3 incomplete mandibles.
see common names

Geography
Country:Italy State/province:Tuscany
Coordinates: 43.3° North, 11.3° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:43.3° North, 11.3° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Altitude:600 meters
Time
Period:Quaternary Epoch:Pleistocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Early/Lower Pleistocene
Age range of interval:2.58800 - 0.78100 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy comments: Late Villanyian, Early Pleistocene.
Lithology and environment
Lithology description: Lower part of the cave contains terra rossa friabile. There is also some more compact breccia.
Environment:cave
Taphonomy
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:sieve
Minimum sieve size:1.000 Maximum sieve size:0.500
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collection method comments: Friable Terra rossa sieved through 1 to 0.5mm sieves. Hardened breccia dissolved using 85% 'acido formico'. Material held in the Instituto di Geologia e Paleontologia di Siena, with some in the private collections of F. Filippini and G. Maccherini.
Metadata
Database number:51778
Authorizer:A. Turner, E. Vlachos Enterer:H. O'Regan, E. Vlachos
Modifier:H. O'Regan Research group:PACED
Created:2005-06-17 04:04:19 Last modified:2005-06-17 07:09:32
Access level:the public Released:2005-06-17 04:04:19
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:

13786.PACED R. Fondi. 1972. Fauna Cromeriana della Montagnola Senese. Palaeontographia Italica 68:1-27 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]

Secondary references:

66368 J. A. Holman. 1998. Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles in Britain and Europe. Oxford Monographs on Geology and Geophysics 1-265 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos]
13182PACED T. Kotsakis, L. Abbazzi, C. Angelone, P. Argenti, G. Barisone, F. Fanfari, F. Marcolini and F. Masini. 2003. Plio-Pleistocene biogeography of Italian mainland micromammals. Deinsea 10:313-342 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]