Small vertebrates from the Late Pleistocene of Avetrana (Apulia, southern Italy) karst filling

Title
Small vertebrates from the Late Pleistocene of Avetrana (Apulia, southern Italy) karst filling
Publication Date
2020
Author(s)
Kotsakis, T
Pandolfi, L
Maiorino, L
Petronio, C
Sansalone, G
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3680-8418
Email: gsansalo@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:gsansalo
Salari, L
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Departamento de Publicaciones
Place of publication
Spain
DOI
10.3989/egeol.43378.508
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/51853
Abstract

The fossiliferous deposit (karst cavity) in La Grave, a locality near the small town of Avetrana (Taranto, southern Italy), has yielded numerous fossils of vertebrates. The remains of large mammals have been the subject of several studies. This paper examines the remains of small vertebrates and identifies four taxa of amphibians (Bufo bufo, Bufotes gr. B. viridis, Hyla gr. H. Arborea and Rana (s.l.) sp.), four taxa of reptiles (Testudo hermanni, Podarcis sp., Zamenis gr. Z. longissimus, Natrix natrix), and nine taxa of small mammals (Erinaceus europaeus, Crocidura suaveolens, Arvicola italicus, Microtus (Terricola) savii, Microtus (Microtus) arvalis, Apodemus gr. A. sylvaticus - A. flavicollis, Hystrix (Acanthion) vinogradovi, Oryctolagus cuniculus and Lepus corsicanus). From a biochronological point of view, the data on small and large vertebrates indicate an age between the beginning of the Late Pleistocene (MIS 5e) and the central part of MIS 3. The most recent fossiliferous layer (bed 8) is likely to have been deposited during a cooler period when compared to the previous layers.The data from small fossil vertebrates combined with those emerging from the large mammals and birds evidence the presence, near the karstic cavity, of open spaces (prairies) with pools of water, bordered by wooded areas and, not far, the presence of a rocky coastline.

Link
Citation
Estudios Geologicos, 76(1), p. 1-23
ISSN
1988-3250
0367-0449
Start page
1
End page
23
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International

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