Search

In the present work, a geometric morphologic study was carried out to compare the lower first molars of species belonging to the genera Allophaiomys, Terricola and Microtus and to explore the morphological variation within species. The examined teeth were recovered from nine Early and Middle Pleistocene sites, but recent material was also used in the study. We analysed the teeth of 733 Allophaiomys spp. 855 Terricola arvalidens, 339 Terricola hintoni and 625 recent Terricola subterraneus. Morphology and linear morphometric data of teeth were compared using canonical variate analysis and landmark analysis. The resulting morphological series reflect the phylogenetic relationships between species. We also tested the morphological changes observed in the fossil material with the separation times calculated from recent phylogenetic studies. Our results suggest that most phylogenetic changes can be traced by morphological analysis of this tooth. While the emergence of species belonging to the genera Terricola and Microtus is broadly consistent with the phylogenetic data, early colonisation of the genus Agricola was not morphologically detectable. The study of the genus Allophaiomys has revealed a palaeoecological difference between northern and southern Hungary during the mid-Pleistocene transition. Southern Hungary was covered with steppe, while northern Hungary was forested at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grey voles Microtus sensu lato represent one of the youngest and most successful radiations of rodents in the Holarctic that gave rise to several genera and over 60 living species. Despite abundant fossil record encompassing up to one million years, the early stages of Microtus' evolution remain poorly understood. We describe Microtus voles from fluvial deposits (Tobolsky Horizon, the Late Middle Pleistocene) found in 2019–2020 in Gornopravdinsk 2, West Siberia. Based on linear measurements, m1 morphotypes, and configuration of mandibular masseteric crests, we identify the sample as a new taxon M. nivaloides lidiae ssp. nov. It appears more advanced than type specimens of M. nivaloides sensu stricto from West Runton Freshwater Bed (the Early Middle Pleistocene, Great Britain), and falls within the range of m1 variability of M. nivaloides sensu lato from the Middle Pleistocene of Eastern Europe. M. n. lidiae is found in a non-analogue faunal assemblage with Lemmus sibiricus, Dicrostonyx simplicior, Alexandromys oeconomus, Lasiopodomys gregalis, rare Clethrionomys cf. glareolus, Alexandromys aut Microtus cf. malei, Lagurus sp. We hypothesise that M. n. lidiae was a meadow-steppe element in the Middle Pleistocene communities and a terminal taxon in the 'nivaloides' clade that became extinct with no descendants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cave lion (Panthera spelaea) was one of the most widespread carnivores in the Pleistocene. The species ranged throughout Eurasia and even into North America as a member of the Mammuthus-Coelodonta fauna. However, the species has not previously been reported from the Mammuthus-Coelodonta fauna from the Pleistocene assemblages of the Songhua River. This study presents evidence of two Panthera spelaea specimens from the Middle and Late Pleistocene Songhua River fossil assemblages (MIS 10–8 and MIS 5–3). A combination of lower population due to vegetation shifts in the region and misidentification of specimens as Panthera tigris may explain why Panthera spelaea has not previously been reported in the region. The Middle Pleistocene specimen displays traits regarded as primitive in European cave lions. The Late Pleistocene specimen displays a mixture of primitive and advanced traits. These traits indicate a morphological transition within the species and also a possible ancestral relationship to Panthera atrox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil record of jaguar lineage (or jaguar-like animal), i.e., Panthera gombaszogensis and Panthera onca, is one of the best and complete among the mammals, making it one of the best-known living species with knowledge of origin, dispersal, and morphological evolution. However, a large gap is present in eastern Asia, which is the gateway for jaguar migration from the Old World to the New World. Here we report a nearly complete mandible from the Middle Pleistocene deposits of Jinyuan Cave, Luotuo Hill of Jinpu New District, Dalian, Liaoning Province of northeastern China. The mandibular morphology fits that of the jaguar, and the dental traits are closest to P. gombaszogensis and Irvingtonian P. onca, but shows robust premolars and represents a new subspecies P. g. jinpuensis. The new find fills the geographic gap for jaguar linage, and supports a northern dispersal routine from western Asia-central Asia-northeastern China to North America, whereas the southern China Early Pleistocene seems to be occupied by a similar sized but taxonomically different pantherine cat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle Pleistocene rhinocerotid material from the upper strata of Jinyuan Cave, Luotuo Hill, Dalian, is described in the present study. The specimens mainly consist of maxillary and mandible with dentition of juvenile and aged individuals, respectively. Based on comparison between the new discovery and known records of Pleistocene rhinocerotid, the Jinyuan Cave specimens are most similar to Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis and then have been identified as Stephanorhinus cf. kirchbergensis. Tooth loss has been present on the Jinyuan Cave rhinocerotid specimen, represented by a mandible without both p2s. This problem could be a result of heredity issues. This condition may be due to mechanical damage from a coarse diet, which can lead to tooth loss and alveolar remodelling, according to the findings from an environmental investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the analysis of a late Acheulean horizon from the EDAR 135 site, which was discovered in the Eastern Desert, Sudan, in an area heavily transformed by modern mining activity. A lithic assemblage was discovered there, within a layer of gravel sediments formed by a paleostream in a humid period of the Middle Pleistocene. This layer is OSL dated between 220 ± 12 and 145 ± 20 ka (MIS 7a/6). These dates indicate that the assemblage could be the youngest trace of the Acheulean in northeastern Africa. Technological analysis of the lithics reveals different core reduction strategies, including not only ad hoc ones based on multiplatform cores, but also discoidal and prepared cores. The use of prepared core reduction methods has already been confirmed at other Late Acheulean sites in Africa and the Middle East. Microwear traces observed on lithic artifacts could relate to on-site butchering activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we describe a few cheek teeth and mandibular remains of a Pleistocene rhinocerotid from the Matsugae Cave in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, western Japan. Previously, these remains had been identified as Dicerorhinus cf. nipponicus or Dicerorhinus sp. The present study redescribes and identifies them as belonging to Stephanorhinus sp. indet., like several other Japanese middle Pleistocene rhinocerotid remains. The present and other studies suggest that this genus reached Far East Asia during the middle Pleistocene. Stephanorhinus sp. from the Matsugae Cave would have migrated from northern China in 0.43 Ma as a member of the group of terrestrial mammals found in the cave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human control of fire is a widely debated issue in the field of Palaeolithic archaeology, since it involved significant technological innovations for human subsistence. Although fire evidence has been the subject of intense debate regarding its natural or anthropogenic nature, most authors agree that combustion structures represent the most direct evidence of human control of fire. Wood charcoal fragments from these contexts represent the fuel remains that result from humans' collection of firewood, which means they can reveal significant behavioural and palaeoenvironmental information relevant to our understanding of Middle Palaeolithic societies. In this work, we present anthracological data derived from combustion structure 2 (level XIII, ca. 230 ka, MIS 7) and combustion structure 4 (level XI, ca. 160 ka, MIS 6) from Bolomor Cave, which are chronologically among the earliest combustion structures found in Europe. The present work discusses how the presence of black pine and / or scots pine in both levels sheds light on the characterisation of the local landscape. Additional analyses focussing on the pre- and post-depositional processes affecting charcoal preservation point to biodegradation patterns. The aim of this work is to provide the first discussion concerning the anthracological data derived from Bolomor Cave in order to contribute to the general debate regarding the use of fire during the European Middle Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European fossil record of eagle owls, genusBuboDuméril 1806, is thought to extend back into the Miocene, but records ofBubobefore the Middle Pleistocene are scarce and mainly constituted by non-diagnostic or fragmentary specimens. Apart from a number of fossil species ofBuboof uncertain validity, i.e.Bubo? florianaeKretzoi 1957,Bubo lignitumGiebel 1860, andBubo perpastus(Ballman 1976), most fossilBubomaterial is unassigned to species or assigned to the extantBubo bubo(Linnaeus 1758) on the basis of size, especially for Early Pleistocene records. Given the ambiguity about the validity of the earliest records, here we revise the pre-Middle Pleistocene fossil record ofBuboin Europe.Our results indicate that, in Europe,Bubois first recorded in the Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of Italy. By the Early Pleistocene, three taxa can be distinguished:Bubo ibericussp. nov. from Cal Guardiola (Spain),Bubosp. nov. indet. from Soave Cava Sud (Italy) andBubosp. from various sites across Europe. By the Middle Pleistocene, Eurasian environments experienced a substantial increase in severity and duration of glacial periods which might have led to the replacement of extinct species ofBuboby the recentB. buboandBubo scandiacus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Maitahi Formation is a regionally extensive, lithologically and texturally distinctive Middle Pleistocene volcanogenic-sedimentary deposit in western Taranaki, New Zealand that warrants recognition as a formal lithostratigraphic unit. Maitahi strata blanket >360 km2 of the Taranaki peninsula with up to 270 m of poorly sorted debris-avalanche, debris-flow and fluvially reworked andesitic, basaltic–andesitic, quartzo-feldspathic and pyroclastic deposits. These deposits accumulated on an incised, pedogenically altered Tertiary bedrock surface and are dominated by heterolithologic megaclasts, clasts and matrix derived from subedifice bedrock, Pouakai and possibly Kaitake cone and ring plain sources. Widespread incorporation of subedifice bedrock megaclasts and clasts is attributed to a deep-seated edifice collapse or collapses that may have been triggered by seismic activity, spontaneous failure or eruptive activity. The Maitahi Formation is defined and characterised using a composite stratotype constructed from exposed surface and subsurface (borehole) reference stratotypes located near the coastal township of Oakura. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the discovery of an extraordinary flint implement-a large biface-and discusses its significance in the context of Qesem Cave in particular and the late Lower Palaeolithic Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex of the Levant in general. We contend that this unusually large biface was discarded in an unfinished and unused state, most probably due to a collapse event that took place at the cave some 280,000 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discoveries in Israel during the last two decades indicate flint quarrying from primary geological sources as early as the Middle Pleistocene. One of the most characteristic expressions of this old extraction activity is ubiquitous stone tailing piles created during quarrying consisting of extracted rock waste. Workshop flint-knapping products are found within and on top of these piles. This paper discusses the creation of these piles in relation to the organization of quarrying and relevant human behavior at extraction sites. In the same context we speculate on the significance of these fascinating landscapes of extraction and the decision to work stone on top of the tailing piles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three fossilized trackways of human footprints were discovered in a pyroclastic flow dated to 385-325 ka, along the western margin of the Roccamonfina volcanic complex in Southern Italy. The pyroclastic flow is zeolite-rich and was probably emplaced at a relatively low temperature, forming a nonwelded pyroclastic deposit. The well-preserved footprints show the interesting strategies used by ancient humans in descending steep slopes. The footprints, short and very broad, are entaxonic, plantigrade, with an average length of 24cm and an average width of 10 cm. The three trackways are narrow with an oblique pace of about 60 cm and a stride of about 120 cm. If dating constraints are correct, the Roccamonfina human fossil footprints are the oldest known in Europe and among the oldest in the world. Moreover, they are preserved on a steep slope lying in a subaerial setting and are associated with handprints. For their potential in preserving evidence of behavior, these tracks provide unique insight into the activities of some of the earliest known Europeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type specimen of Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis (Diapsida, Crocodylia) from the Osaka Group (Plio-Pleistocene) of Osaka Prefecture, Central Japan, shows multiple abnormalities. The anterior third of the mandible was amputated and shows signs of healing. The right tibia and fibula were fractured, and each of them was later fused in dislocated position with callus formation. Additionally, there are two puncture marks on a dermal scute. Based on the morphologies of these pathologies, the fauna of the community in which this animal lived, and the behavior of extant crocodilians, it is suggested that this individual survived its injuries sustained during multiple intraspecific fights for territoriality or mating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]