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Two well preserved phalanges, one proximal and one intermediate, are identified and described. They constitute the first postcrania ever described of Ouranopithecus macedoniensis (Primates, Hominoidea) from the late Miocene locality of Ravin de la Pluie (RPl), Macedonia (Greece). They are isolated specimens, and the only ones known for their genus. The hypotheses that these specimens derive either from the hand or from the foot were tested. Comparisons with living apes of known positional behaviour were made to assess the functional signal in these specimens. The proximal phalanx, either manual or pedal, closely matches the proximal phalanges of terrestrial quadrupedal primates or the bipedal primate Homo . With respect to the intermediate phalanx we show that it closely matches phalanges of quadrupedal terrestrial primates. The terrestriality of Ouranopithecus , here reconstructed from phalangeal remains, is in agreement with our previous results of dental studies (thick check teeth enamel and microwear pattern of incisors and molars), which indicate that it was a hard object feeder living near the ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1990, a new late Miocene locality named 'Nikiti 1' or NKT, was discovered near the village of Nikiti (Chalkidiki, Macedonia, Greece) about 100 km east of Thessaloniki City. The locality is situated in the Nikiti Formation, which consists of yellowish sands, gravels and pebbles and has been dated to late Vallesian-early Turolian. Among the initially collected fossils there is a mandible of a hominoid primate, which is described, compared, and attributed to Ouranopithecus macedoniensis. A short review of the species in Macedonia and its phylogenetic relationships are also given. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new specimen of Testudo sensu stricto from the late Miocene locality Nikiti 2 (NIK; Macedonia, Greece) is described. It is a small-bodied testudinid very close to the species Testudo marmorum , but it can be differentiated from it by some minor features not observed on the holotype specimen of T . marmorum . It belongs to the group of extant and extinct testudinids that have a hypo-xiphiplastral hinge, which is a character of the Testudo sensu stricto lineage. It is characterized by a dome-shell shape that flares posteriorly with slightly posterior upturned peripherals, a large and flat dorsal epiplastral lip, xiphiplastra with straight and parallel lateral margins, and a quadrangular, long and very thick pygal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new vertebrate fossiliferous localities from the Pleistocene of the Mygdonia Basin (Macedonia, Greece), Tsiotra Vryssi (TSR) and Platanochori-1 (PLN), are presented in this article. TSR belongs to the Gerakarou Formation and its preliminary faunal list includes the corvid Corvus pliocaenus , the hyaenid Pachycrocuta brevirostris , the canid Canis etruscus , the rhinoceros Stephanorhinus sp., two species of Equus , the bovid Bison sp., the cervid Metacervocerus rhenanus and the giraffid Palaeotragus sp. PLN belongs to the Platanochori Formation (overlying Gerakarou Formation) and its fauna includes the following taxa: Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis , Equus apolloniensis , Bison sp. and Pontoceros ambiguus . The preliminary comparison of these faunal assemblages with the already known localities from the Mygdonia Basin and the wider region, combined with the geological data, suggest a Late Villafranchian age for TSR, chronologically intermediate between the localities Gerakarou-1 and Apollonia-1, while the fauna from PLN is indicative of a Latest Villafranchian age, similar to that of Apollonia-1. These new localities will enhance our understanding of the crucial time period of the earliest dispersal of hominins into Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]