Early Miocene marsupialiforms, gymnures, and hedgehogs from Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Spain)

Abstract

Materials from the localities of Araia d'Alcora in the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Spain, early Miocene, Biozone C, MN4) have yielded an assemblage of erinaceids and metatherians, relatively rich for an Iberian site. The most common erinaceid is the gymnure Galerix symeonidisi Doukas, 1986, present in almost all of the studied sites. Other erinaceids in the faunal list are possibly an indeterminate species of the genera Lantanotherium Filhol, 1888 and Atelerix Pomel, 1848, in what constitutes one of their oldest occurrences in Europe. Metatherians are represented by the herpetotheriid Amphiperatherium frequens erkertshofense (Koenigswald, 1970). The material described here was partially published by Furió and colleagues in 2012. We complete it with new material from the known localities and with material from new sites. We describe for the first time the lower dentition of this taxon in this basin, thus increasing knowledge of the high variability of its decidual molars. In addition, the climatic preferences of the species A. frequens (von Meyer, 1846), which was probably less strict in its humidity requirements than previously thought, are also discussed.

A relict tropical forest bat assemblage from the early Miocene of the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Castelló, Spain)

“…2019b), as well as soricids and heterosoricids (Crespo et al . 2019c), erinaceids (Crespo et al 2020), among other findings.…”

“…2012; Crespo et al . 2020), a new species of the dimylid Plesiodimylus ilercavonicus Crespo, Furió, Ruiz-Sánchez & Montoya, 2018 (Crespo et al . 2018b), talpids (Crespo et al .…”

They are all over the place!The exceptional high biodiversity of dormice in the Early Miocene of the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Spain)

“…Regarding the other rodents studied, there are sites with a greater abundance of ground squirrels, which have a greater affinity for open spaces, while the eoymiids indicate the presence of wooded and humid areas nearby, a fact confirmed by the presence of the Konservat-Laggerstatten of Foieta la Sarra A. (see more details in Crespo et al 2019a, b, c, 2020a, b, 2021a, b, 2022; Álvarez-Parra et al 2021; Albesa et al 2022).…”

“…The study of the dormice of this basin is one more piece of the puzzle that forms the ecosystem of the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin during the end of the Early Miocene. Other important pieces already published are: the new species of the dimylid Plesiodimylus ilercavonicus Crespo, Furió, Ruiz-Sánchez & Montoya, 2018 (Crespo et al 2018), the bat Cuvierimops penalveri Crespo, Sevilla, Montoya & Ruiz-Sánchez, 2020a (Crespo et al 2020a), and the snail Pseudamnicola roblesi Albesa, López & Crespo, 2022 (Albesa et al 2022); also worth noting are: the finding of the southernmost documented record of the herpetotheriid Amphiperaterium frequens erkertshofense (von Meyer, 1846) (Furió et al 2012; Crespo et al 2020b); the abundant remains of talpids (Crespo et al 2019b); the diversity of soricids (Crespo et al 2019c), erinaceids (Crespo et al 2020b), squirrels (Crespo et al 2021a), eomyids (Crespo et al 2021b) bats (Crespo et al 2020a), lagomorphs and Cainotherium (Crespo et al 2022), snails (Albesa et al 2022); reelaborated Cretaceous batoids (Manzanares & Crespo 2023); and even a Konservat-Lagerstätte (Álvarez-Parra et al 2021).…”

Diggers, gliders and runners: The squirrels from the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (East of Spain)

“…; the new species Plesiodimylus ilercavonicus Crespo, Furió, RuizSánchez & Montoya, 2018(Crespo et al 2018; the abundant remains of talpids (Crespo et al 2019b); the diversity of soricids (Crespo et al 2019c) and erinaceids (Crespo et al 2020). The rest of groups will be published soon.…”