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Abstract: The Gargano “Terre Rosse” deposits are paleokarst fissure fillings found in the Mesozoic limestone of the Apricena-Poggio Imperiale area. They are an important source of information for evolutionary and paleobiogeographic studies. The Late Miocene-Early Pliocene assemblages found in the Terre Rosse attest the complex history of endemic faunal distribution in a paleoarchipelago. Based on the cricetid samples from six distinct fissures (F15, F21a, F21b, F21c, F1, F9, NBS) stored in the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Florence, three species of endemic cricetids are described: the small-sized Hattomys beetsi, the middle-sized Hattomys nazarii, and the large-sized Hattomys gargantua. The specimens from fissure F15 are attributed to H. beetsi, those from F21a-b to the transitional form Hattomys beetsi-nazarii, those belonging to NBS are ascribed to H. nazarii, whereas those from F1 and F9 are classified as H. gargantua. F21c is considered contaminated with material from different fissures. In line with previously published results, the analysis confirms that the endemic cricetids underwent a remarkable increase in size through time. The morphological variations show a marked trend towards increasing enamel thickness, but also the tendency of the cusps to assume a carved-in aspect. The variations of the morphological characters confirm that the three species likely belong to the same lineage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The taxonomic study of the small mammal assemblage from fissure M013, sampled by a team of the University of Torino during the 2005–2009 excavations in the Dell’Erba Quarry (Apricena, Foggia) is presented. The assemblage includes the Echinosoricinae Apulogalerix cf. pusillus and the Crocidosoricinae ?Lartetium cf. dehmi; the Myomiminae species Stertomys simplex and Stertomys lyrifer; a new genus and species of Cricetodontinae and a single specimen of Hattomys cf. nazarii. Muridae include Mikrotia cf. parva, Mikrotia sp. 1 and a new genus and species of Murinae, phylogenetically related to Mikrotia. The occurrence of the new Murinae, the new Cricetodontinae, the two species of glirids and the Crocidosoricinae, as well as the absence of Apodemus and Prolagus, indicates M013 as the oldest Gargano''s faunal assemblage known to date, despite the occurrence of Hattomys cf. nazarii, Mikrotia cf. parva and Mikrotia sp. 1, which most probably results from infiltrations from younger fissure fillings. The M013 assemblage is an absolute novelty for the Abruzzo-Apulian Palaeobioprovince, opening new perspectives for the timing and mode of dispersal of the forerunners of the Gargano fauna. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A paleosurface with a concentration of wooden-, bone-, and stone-tools interspersed among an accumulation of fossil bones, largely belonging to the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus , was found at the bottom of a pool, fed by hot springs, that was excavated at Poggetti Vecchi, near Grosseto (Tuscany, Italy). The site is radiometrically dated to the late Middle Pleistocene, around 171,000 years BP. Notable is the association of the artifacts with the elephant bones, and in particular the presence of digging sticks made from boxwood (Buxus sp.). Although stone tools show evidence of use mainly on animal tissues, indicating some form of interaction between hominins and animals, the precise use of the sticks is unclear. Here we discuss about the role played by the hominins at the site: paleobiological and taphonomic evidence indicates that the elephants died by a natural cause and were butchered soon after their death. The associated paleontological and archeological evidence from this site provides fresh insights into the behavior of early Neanderthals in Central Italy. The discovery of Poggetti Vecchi shows how opportunistically flexible Neanderthals were in response to environmental contingencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]