1,721,057 research outputs found
On the authorship, availability, and improper use of Sus scrofa ferus for referring to wild pigs
Full text linkThe wild boar, Sus scrofa, is one of the most successful large mammals in terms of geographic distribution. Along with its domestic descendant, the pig, they are extremely important animals for conservation, economy, human sustenance, and well-being. Naming wild and domestic pigs in a way that allows them to be distinguished effectively and unambiguously is crucial for a number of studies in archaeozoology, biomedicine, genetics, epidemiology, paleontology, and wildlife management. Sus scrofa ferus, or less commonly, Sus ferus, is often used to refer to wild populations, frequently in opposition to S. scrofa domesticus, or S. domesticus in reference to domestic pigs. Here, it is argued that S. scrofa ferus is available for nomenclatural purposes but should not be regarded as valid from a taxonomic perspective. Authors should refer wild populations to valid subspecies, e.g., S. scrofa scrofa, or to S. scrofa ssp., when information on the subspecific status is not available or relevant for the research questions under consideration. This remark is not a mere nomenclatural clarification, because the potential identification of differences between wild boar taxa is often hidden behind a simplistic dichotomy between wild and domestic forms
Late Miocene to Quaternary European Suidae: evolution and biochronology
Full text linkI Suidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla), sono un diversificato gruppo di grandi mammiferi, oggi ampiamente distribuito in Africa e in Eurasia, che include anche un diversificato assortimento di forme estinte. La maggior parte delle specie attualmente viventi si riproducono velocemente e sono molto adattabili. Questo probabilmente spiega perché diverse linee evolutive abbiano sperimentato rapidi (nel corso del tempo geologico) momenti di diversificazione, i quali, oltre che per l’importanza nell’evoluzione del gruppo, rivestono grande interesse per correlazioni biocronologiche e ricostruzioni paleoambientali. Queste applicazioni sono specialmente sviluppate per il Neogene e il Quaternario dell’Africa, dove i suidi fossili assumono un ruolo fondamentale nella datazione relativa di diversi siti chiave dell’evoluzione umana. In Europa, questo potenziale è relativamente poco sfruttato, in parte per insite differenze tra le diverse specie, ma soprattutto, e in qualche modo paradossalmente, perché i ritrovamenti effettuati in tempi storici spesso mancano di un contesto affidabile. In effetti, anche se i suidi fossili sono potenzialmente di grande importanza per molte applicazioni, la generale plesiomorfia e plastica adattabilità di questo gruppo rende necessario valutare i cambiamenti evolutivi all'interno di contesti ben vincolati cronologicamente e geograficamente.
Nel contribuire al più ampio obiettivo di risolvere le relazioni evolutive e sviluppare uno schema biocronologico per i suidi neogenico-quaternari dell’Europa, una serie di casi di studio è presentata in questa tesi, che sono stati pubblicati o sono in corso di pubblicazione come articoli indipendenti.
I risultati di questa tesi confermano e discutono, a diverse scale cronologiche, geografiche e filogenetiche, il valore biocronologico e paleoecologico dei suidi europei. In particolare per: 1) la cosiddetta crisi del Vallesiano ~9.7 Ma; 2) la transizione Miocene-Pliocene (Turoliano-Rusciniano) ~5.3 Ma; 3) il Pleistocene Inferiore superiore, nelle faune pre- e post-Epivillafranchiano ~1.2–0.8 Ma; 4) le oscillazioni climatiche ed ambientali del Pleistocene Medio al Pleistocene superiore. Inoltre, analisi di neuroanatomia del cranio ed ecomorfologia hanno restituito risultati inaspettati, aprendo promettenti linee di ricerca per studi futuri.Suidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) are a diverse group of large mammals, today widely distributed in Africa and Eurasia, but also including a heterogeneous array of extinct forms. Most extant suids are fast-breeding and highly adaptable species. This likely explains why several lineages experimented rapid (over the course of geological time) episodes of diversification which, in addition to the importance for the evolution of the group, are of great interest for biochronological correlations and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. These applications are especially developed in the African Neogene-Quaternary, where fossil suids assume a fundamental role in the relative dating of several key sites for human evolution. In Europe, this potential is relatively poorly exploited, partly due to inherent differences between species, but mostly, and somehow paradoxically, because historical recoveries often lack appropriate controls. Indeed, even though suids are of great possible value for many applications, a drawback of the overall plesiomorphic morphology and plastic adaptability of suids is that evolutionary changes need to be tested within well chronologically and geographically constrained settings.
In contributing to the general goal of resolving the evolutionary relationships and developing a biochronological scheme for Neogene-Quaternary suids of Europe, a collection of case studies is presented in this thesis, which are or will be soon published as a series of independent papers.
The results of this thesis confirm and discuss, at different chronological, geographical, and phylogenetic scales, the biochronolocical and paleoecological value of European suids. In particular for: 1) the so-called Vallesian crisis ~9.7 Ma; 2) the Miocene-Pliocene (Turolian-Ruscinian) transition ~5.3 Ma; 3) the late Early Pleistocene, in pre- and post-Epivillafranchian faunas ~1.2–0.8 Ma; 4) Middle to Late Pleistocene environmental and climatic fluctuations. Moreover, analyses on neurocranial anatomy and ecomorphology yielded unexpected results, opening promising lines for future research
Suidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the late Miocene hominoid locality of Alsótelekes (Hungary)
Full text linkThe Suidae from the late Miocene of Alsótelekes (northeastern Hungary, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county) are described and assigned to Propotamochoerus palaeochoerus (Suinae) and cf. Parachleuastochoerus (Tetraconodontinae). The co-occurrence of these two taxa agrees with a reference to the early Vallesian (MN 9), as previously indicated from biochronological correlation of the small mammal fauna, and suggests the presence of woodland environments, with abundance of below-ground resources and direct access to water. This fits well with the diverse wetlands and riparian forests that characterized Lake Pannon ∼10 Ma, as documented in the geographically close site of Rudabánya. The convoluted taxonomy of European Tetraconodontinae is discussed
The wild boar (Sus scrofa) from Palombara Marcellina, a “new” old Pleistocene site in the Campagna Romana (Latium, Central Italy)
No full textThe site of Palombara Marcellina was discovered at the end of the 19th century near the homonymous railway station located about 30 km north-east of Rome. After more than a century the revision of the site and its paleontological content is in progress. Here, we present the Suidae material and an historical background.
In 1889, one karst filling deposit, relatively common in the Campagna Romana, attracted the attention of some quarrymen who were working in the area. The circular-shaped opening, filled with a tufaceous layer, resembled an old and abandoned well, pushing the quarrymen to dig in search of water. However, their expectations were not met, and instead of water they find fossils.
The “avanzi di giganteschi Cignali” (= remains of giant boars) were the most notable discovery. They were so large-sized that Alessandro Portis (1853-1931), who firstly described the site, referred them to Sus strozzii or Sus falconeri. However, Hans Georg Stehlin (1870-1941) changed this attribution a few years later, during a visiting period to the “Regio Museo Geologico Universitario” in Rome. In fact, he noticed that the cross-section of the lower male canine in this sample was not of the “verrucose type”, but actually “scrofic”. The latter condition of this trait is —as the etymology suggests— distinctive of S. scrofa.
After the initial research impetus these remains were almost forgotten and seldom cited in the literature. In 2017 a revision of the fossils started with a field survey promoted to better define the stratigraphy of the site and its age. The tufaceous layer that overlaid the deposit has long been referred to the Late Pleistocene, while its description best fits to a so-called “pisolitic tuff”, a product of the early phases of activity of the Alban Hills and the Sabatini Mounts. This constrains the site to be older than ~560 ka. Relatively complete and well preserved Epivillafranchian-Galerian wild boar specimens are rare in Europe, and hence the revision of the fossils from Palombara Marcellina provide new data for testing the biochronological and paleoenvironmental significance of the species
REDEFINING PONTE MOLLE (ROME, CENTRAL ITALY): AN IMPORTANT LOCALITY FOR MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE MAMMAL ASSEMBLAGES OF EUROPE
No full textIn this work, the Middle Pleistocene mammal assemblage from Ponte Molle, a historical locality of the urban area ofRome, has been revised together with a review of the stratigraphical succession of the deposit. This allows us to reconstructthe provenance of the fossil material and to provide chronological constrains trough the correlation with the lithostatigraphic and syn-themic units of the national geological cartography and the geochronologically-constrained aggradational units of the Paleo-Tiber reported in literature. The paleontological study together with the geological and stratigraphical review allow us to redefine the Ponte Molle deposit and its Middle Pleistocene faunal assemblage. In its new look, the age of the faunal assemblage from Ponte Molle could be referred to a time span ranging from 550 ka to 45
Suidae Transition at the Miocene-Pliocene Boundary : a Reassessment of the Taxonomy and Chronology of Propotamochoerus provincialis
Full text linkThe Miocene-Pliocene (Turolian-Ruscinian) transition represents a fundamental interval in the evolution of Euro-Mediterranean paleocommunities. In fact, the paleoenvironmental changes connected with the end of the Messinian salinity crisis are reflected by a major renewal in mammal faunal assemblages. An important bioevent among terrestrial large mammals is the dispersal of the genus Sus, which replaced all other suid species during the Pliocene. Despite its possible paleoecological and biochronological relevance, correlations based on this bioevent are undermined by the supposed persistence of the late surviving late Miocene Propotamochoerus provincialis. However, a recent revision of the type material of this species revealed an admixture with remains of Sus strozzii, an early Pleistocene (Middle Villafranchian to Epivillafranchian) suid, questioning both the diagnosis and chronological range of P. provincialis. Here we review the late Miocene Suidae sample recovered from the Casino Basin (Tuscany, central Italy), whose taxonomic attribution has been controversial over the nearly 150 years since its discovery. Following a comparison with other Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene Eurasian species, the Casino Suidae are assigned to P. provincialis and the species diagnosis is emended. Moreover, it is recognized that all the late Miocene (Turolian) European Propotamochoerus material belongs to P. provincialis and that there is no compelling evidence of the occurrence of this species beyond the Turolian-Ruscinian transition (MN13-MN14)
The extinction of the giant hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris and a reappraisal of the Epivillafranchian and Galerian Hyaenidae in Europe: Faunal turnover during the Early–Middle Pleistocene Transition
No full textThe giant, short-faced hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris was the largest Hyaenidae ever existed and the one that perfectly embodied the distinctive bone-cracking adaptations of this mammal family. Its dispersal into Europe is regarded as a biochronological marker of the Late Villafranchian at ∼2.0 Ma, and its potential ecological interactions with other carnivorans and early Homo populations diffusing Out of Africa have given rise to extensive discussions. Nevertheless, our comprehension of the extinction of P. brevirostris remains vague. Here, we first critically evaluate the European fossil record of the species and then we review the whole Epivillafranchian and Galerian Hyaenidae record, including P. brevirostris, Crocuta crocuta and “Hyaena” prisca. Biometric comparisons with other extinct and extant bone-cracking hyenas are carried out.
In contrast to a common view, we recognize that there is neither evidence of a persistence of P. brevirostris beyond the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary, nor of a coexistence between the giant hyena and C. crocuta. The replacement between the two species, which was also accompanied by the arrival of “H.” prisca, occurred at ∼0.8 Ma and can serve as a marker of the Epivillafranchian–Galerian turnover, part of the faunal renewal that reflects the response of mammal communities to the Early–Middle Pleistocene Transition. Moreover, we clarified that Pliocrocuta perrieri and “H.” prisca were different species, and that the latter was relatively more widespread than often assumed, being recorded from localities spanning in age almost the whole Middle Pleistocene and even the early Late Pleistocene
Downsizing in the Late Pleistocene: Sus scrofa (Suidae, Mammalia) in the Apulian peninsula (Southern Italy)
No full textThe extant wild boar Sus scrofa has one of the largest geographical ranges of all mammals, and from its appearance in the late Early Pleistocene (Epivillafranchian) it is also widely represented in the European fossil record. There is a general consensus in recognizing that early wild boars are larger than Late Pleistocene specimens, but no agreement exists neither on the chronology of this transition, nor if only one occurred. From the end of 1800s, the Apulian peninsula (Southern Italy) represented a key region to study Mediterranean Quaternary paleoenvironmental dynamics. This territory is rich in mammal remains, often associated to lithic tools and human remains. Consequently, this region has a remarkable research tradition, which constitutes a solid background to test S. scrofa size variability through time. Here, the wild boar craniodental material from several late Middle and Late Pleistocene sites (Aurelian assemblages) of Apulia is presented for the first time. The studied sample includes specimens from different localities with well-documented palaeobiological, biochronological, and geo-archaeological data (e.g., Grotta Romanelli, Melpignano, and Avetrana). The results support that S. scrofa populations underwent a size reduction during the early Late Pleistocene. The biochronological and paleoenvironmental implications of this bioevent are discussed in the broad scenario of Aurelian faunal impoverishment, when other long-lasting species such as the straight-tusked elephant and the hippo disappeared from the region
Neurocranial anatomy of Sus arvernensis (Suidae, Mammalia) from Collepardo (Early Villafranchian; central Italy). Taxonomic and biochronological implications
No full textSuidae remains recovered from the late Pliocene site of Collepardo (Latium, central Italy) are described and
assigned to Sus arvernensis, a small-sized Ruscinian to Early Villafranchian (MN14-MN16a) species. In Italy,
S. arvernensis only occurs in the Triversa Faunal Unit (MN16a), supporting the recently revised chronology of
Collepardo. CT-scan methods are used to virtually extract and analyse a newly discovered neurocranium,
providing the content for the first inner cranial description carried out on an extinct Suidae. Our analysis
reveals that S. arvernensis has an anteroposteriorly elongated and dorsoventrally flat cerebrum, similar to
that of the Asian Babyrousa babyrussa and the African Hylochoerus meinertzhageni. These species substantially
differ in size and are representatives of two widely diverging phylogenetic clades, excluding relatively
simple evolutionary or allometric explanations for brain morphology in Suidae
Palaeoenvironments of the MIS 15 site of Cava di Breccia - Casal Selce 2 (central Italian Peninsula) and niche occupation of fossil ungulates during Middle Pleistocene interglacials
No full textThe Ponte Galeria area within the city of Rome has yielded numerous fossiliferous localities that represent a reference point for the study of the European Middle Pleistocene ecosystems. Within Ponte Galeria a rich collection of fossil mammals has been unearthed from Cava di Breccia–Casal Selce 2 (MIS 15) thus the site represents an optimal laboratory to investigate the palaeoenvironments of a defined territory during the Middle Pleistocene. We investigate the feeding behaviours of the ungulate community of Cava di Breccia–Casal Selce 2 to reconstruct the MIS 15 habitats and also compare the data with those of the nearby site of Fontana Ranuccio (MIS 11) which shares similar faunal composition with Cava di Breccia–Casal Selce 2 to test if ungulates occupied the same niches during two different interglacials. Open habitats with scattered woodlands characterised the Ponte Galeria area during MIS 15, whereas woodlands were more widespread during MIS 11 at Fontana Ranuccio. Ungulates display similar diets in both localities, suggesting that cervids, large bovids and equids adopted the same niche partitioning strategies during both interglacials
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