Mulhuli-Amo (MA) (Pleistocene of Eritrea)

Also known as A006; Northern Danakil Depression

Where: Buia, Eritrea (14.7° N, 39.8° E: paleocoordinates 14.6° N, 39.7° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Early/Lower Pleistocene (2.6 - 0.8 Ma)

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: channel lag; medium-grained, coarse, pebbly, silty sandstone

• The fossil-bearing deposits at the base of sandy channels are interpreted as channel lag, where variable hydrodynamic conditions concentrate the larger clasts, which are commonly represented by large vertebrate bones and stone tools.
• The third interval (about 5 m thick) is made of medium-coarse sand grading upward into silty sand. Medium-coarse sand form amalgamated lensoid bodies up to 2 m thick and 15-20 m wide. Lensoid bodies are erosive based and consist of large-scale inclined bedsets, which are commonly cross- to plane-parallel stratified. The basal portion of these bodies is made of massive very coarse sand with pebbles and gravel-sized mudclasts.

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: anthropogenic

Collected by Buia Project in 2010

• MA: Mulhuli-Amo collection hosted at the Northern Red Sea Regional Museum of Massawa

Primary reference: M. Delfino, F. Candilio, G. Carnevale, A. Coppa, T. Medin, M. Pavia, L. Rook, A. Urciuoli, and A. Villa. 2018. The early Pleistocene vertebrate fauna of Mulhuli-Amo (Buia area, Danakil Depression, Eritrea). Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana 57(1):27-44 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 193126: authorized by Evangelos Vlachos, entered by Evangelos Vlachos on 07.05.2018

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Ceratotherium simum Burchell 1821 white rhinoceros
MA 182: cranium.
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus cf. quagga Boddaert 1785 plains zebra
MA 800: left mandibular fragment with p2-p3.
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Kolpochoerus majus Hopwood 1934 pig
MA 158: left mandibular fragment with p3, dp4, and m1 (Fig. 9c); MA 958: right mandibular fragment with m1 (broken) and m2; MA 943: unworn left m3 (Fig. 9d).
 Artiodactyla - Hippopotamidae
Hippopotamus gorgops Dietrich 1928 hippo
MA 138: right mandibular fragment with m3 (Fig. 9a); MA 142: left P3; MA 155: left M3; MA 170: left maxillary fragment with M1-M2; MA 937: right maxillary fragment with M1-M3 (Fig. 9b); MA 938: left p4 and m1; MA 941: left p4; MA 409: lower canine; MA 496-7: two lower canines; MA 492, MA 494, MA 530, MA 593, MA 626, MA 759, MA 856, MA 940, MA 946: molar fragments.
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Kobus cf. ellipsiprymnus Ogilby 1833 waterbuck
MA 916: right M2.
Bos cf. buiaensis ox
MA 179A/D: fragmentary cranium with horns.
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Palaeoloxodon cf. recki Dietrich 1915 elephant
MA 184A/B: damaged cranium; MA 476: partial cranium; MA 503, MA 724, MA 784, MA 901: tooth fragments; MA 137, MA 908: tusk fragments; MA 514: thoracic vertebra; MA 802: intermediate phalanx of digit II.
Reptilia
 Testudines - Pelomedusidae
Pelusios sinuatus Smith 1838 Serrated hinged terrapin
MA 204: a partial shell and the associated pelvic girdle; MA 506: left xiphiplastron.
 Squamata - Boidae
Python cf. sebae Gmelin 1789 rock python
MA 1089: three articulated trunk vertebrae.
 Squamata - Varanidae
Varanus niloticus Linnaeus 1766 Nile monitor
MA 397: caudal vertebra; MA3 1092: fragment of caudal vertebra; MA3 1099: caudal vertebra; MA3 1144: cloacal vertebra.
 Crocodylia - Crocodylidae
Crocodylus sp. Laurenti 1768 crocodile
MA 829: partial skull and lower jaw.
Aves
 Otidiformes - Otididae
Ardeotis kori Burchell 1822 Kori bustard
MA 4316: distal portion of right radius.
Actinopteri
 Cichliformes - Cichlidae
Cichlidae indet. Heckel 1840 cichlid
MA 993: a single partially complete and poorly preserved vertebral centrum.
 Siluriformes - Clariidae
Clarias sp. Scopoli 1777 catfish
MA 1118: partially complete vertebral centrum; MA 1119: partially complete mesethmoid; MA 1122: partially complete vertebral centrum; MA 1292: partially complete vertebral centrum; MA 1293: partially complete parietosupraoccipital; MA P 0001: partially complete right frontal; MA P 0002: partially complete mesethmoid; MA P 0003: partially complete abdominal vertebra; MA P 0004: about 20 fragmentary neurocranial bones of problematic anatomical interpretation.