Ancient DNA Contradicts the Presence of Social Voles (Genus Microtus, Subgenus Sumeriomys) in the Late Pleistocene of Western Europe

Abstract

Taxonomic decisions made by palaeontologists are often based on a few morphological features preserved in the fossil material. This practice may sometimes lead to the description of new species based on single specimens, which are, in fact, extreme or aberrant morphological variants of known taxa. Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of the Late Pleistocene specimens from the archaeological site Petits Guinards (Creuzier-la-Vieux, Allier, France), described as a new vole Microtus (Sumeriomys) bifrons, did not confirm the species distinctness of the studied population. The genetically examined specimens belonged to Stenocranius anglicus and/or Microtus arvalis, the dominant species at the site. Our findings show that it is risky to describe new fossil taxa on the basis of phenotypic outliers or morphologically aberrant, rare specimens that do not fall within the previously known population variability. We also highlight the importance of ancient DNA in resolving taxonomic and nomenclature problems and classifying fossil mammals of the Late Pleistocene age.