A catalogue of the vertebrate fossil record from the Guadix-Baza Basin (SE Spain)

Abstract

In this paper, a catalogue of the vertebrate content of the Guadix-Baza Basin is presented. A total of 93 localities have been reviewed, providing more than 300 vertebrate species. These localities have been included in 11 biochronological units, ranging in age from the late Miocene (MN 13) to the Middle Pleistocene (MmQ 4), including also two MN 10 localities. The best-represented epoch in the Guadix-Baza Basin is the Pliocene (MN 14 to MN 16), with 41 sites. This is followed by the Early Pleistocene (MN 17 and MmQ1 to MmQ 3) with 30 sites. The vertebrate classes represented in the basin are Actinopterygii, Amphibia, Aves, Reptilia and Mammalia, this last one being the best represented. Among mammals, small mammals are in their turn the most abundant, particularly rodents. The families Muridae and Arvicolidae dominate the rodent assemblages, murids being the dominant family in the late Miocene and early Pliocene, and arvicolids the most abundant group in the late Pliocene and Pleistocene.

Taphonomic and spatial analyses from the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena 4 (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin, southern Spain)

“…This species is accompanied by representatives of the genus Apodemus (Apodemus sylvaticus in VM1 and, A. mystacinus in VM2 32,33 ), Castillomys rivas [32][33][34][35] and Eliomys intermedius (VM1 and VM2) 32 , Oryctolagus cf. lacosti (VM1 and VM2) and Prolagus calpensis (VM1) 32,36,37 . Furthermore, Hystrix refosa (= H. major) is also associated with this species in VM2 32 and Galemys pyrenaicus in VM1 and VM2 38 .…”

“…Podarcis sp. ), and Ophidia indet 36,40,41 . With the exception of lacertids (Timon and Podarcis), the remaining taxa documented are indicative of sunny aquatic environments, while Timon and Podarcis seem to be suggestive of patchy landscapes, open areas and woody zones 34 .…”

Walking among Mammoths. Remote Sensing and Virtual Reality Supporting the Study and Dissemination of Pleistocene Archaeological Sites: The Case of Fuente Nueva 3 in Orce, Spain

“…However, the landscape was very different during the Lower Pleistocene due to the presence of a large lake that conditioned life in the Guadix-Baza Basin. The Orce Archaeological Zone presently encompasses at least 15 different Pleistocene localities that have yielded fossils of extinct mammals [24]. Among these, three sites stand out for their richness in paleontological and archaeological heritage: Venta Micena (VM), Barranco León (BL) and Fuente Nueva 3 (FN3).…”

Evolución de las asociaciones de insectívoros (Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) en España y su relación con los cambios climáticos del Neógeno y el Cuaternario

“…El Rusciniense tiene un amplio registro en las cuencas de Teruel (Mein et al 1990), Granada (García-Alix et al 2008) y Guadix-Baza (Agustí 1986;Minwer-Barakat et al 2012;Piñero et al 2017;Maldonado-Garrido et al 2017). Aunque no se registra un cambio brusco en la composición faunística, la comunidad de insectívoros sufre importantes variaciones durante el Plioceno inferior.…”