Late Pleistocene and Holocene pikas (Mammalia, Lagomorpha) from Europe and the validity of Ochotona spelaea: New insights based on mtDNA analysis

Rabiniak, Emilia; Rekovets, Leonid; Stewart, John; Dalén, Love; Barton, Nick; Strzała, Tomasz; Barkaszi, Zoltán; Kovalchuk, Oleksandr

doi:10.26879/1241

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 61 publications

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“…The measurements also do not significantly differ from O. pusilla spelea (Table 4). Research has shown a rather wide intraspecific variability of O. pusilla during the Pleistocene for its representatives dispersed over vast steppe and mountainous areas of Europe (Rabiniak et al, 2023). Thus, from the LAC Ia material, an attribution to a subspecies level is not possible.…”

Section: Ochotonidaementioning

confidence: 99%

Eagle owls’ predation within a highly diversified Late Glacial landscape: remains of pikas and hares (Lagomorpha) from the Loutra Almopias Cave (Central Macedonia, Greece)

Fladerer¹,

Chatzopoulou²,

Steier³

et al. 2023

GeolBalc

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During cave bear excavations in the Loutra Almopias Cave, Pella District, in Central Macedonia, Greece, an ecologically highly diverse Late Glacial faunal assemblage, mainly micromammals and birds, was sampled from an elevated small niche labelled LAC Ia. The lagomorphs are represented by steppe pika (Ochotona pusilla), brown (or European) hare (Lepus europaeus) and mountain hare (Lepus timidus). The site evidences the first record of this last species in Greece and its southernmost evidence so far. The taphonomic patterns of the fossils refer to eagle owls (Bubo bubo) as an accumulating agent. This is congruent with the total LAC Ia species spectrum and the bone element abundance and destruction patterns. Radiocarbon dates of 12,350±40 14C yrs BP (VERA-5631) from a Lepus sp. bone and 16,427±96 14C yrs BP (VERA-7402) from a L. timidus premolar indicate the emplacement of the assemblage in the (very probably early phase of the) Late Glacial. The taphocoenosis reflects a high variety of habitats and biodiversity from periglacial alpine grassland to deciduous forests and Mediterranean open fore-land areas with scattered brush and thick scrub. The position of the eagle owl site is approximately 50 m inside the cave. Along the distance from the Late Pleistocene entrance, the nocturnal raptors had to manage two direction changes within their flight path. That opening was closed later by talus sediments, and thus the fossil owl nest or feeding place has been sealed. The LAC Ia assemblage is so far a unique terrestrial record of Late Glacial biota in the Southern Balkans.

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Section: Ochotonidaementioning

confidence: 99%

Eagle owls’ predation within a highly diversified Late Glacial landscape: remains of pikas and hares (Lagomorpha) from the Loutra Almopias Cave (Central Macedonia, Greece)

Fladerer¹,

Chatzopoulou²,

Steier³

et al. 2023

GeolBalc

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Within the boundaries of the Dnipro ice lobe: Biotic dynamics in the Middle Dnipro area (Ukraine) during deglaciation and postglacial stages

Popova,

Veklych,

Kovalchuk

et al. 2024

J Quaternary Science

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Several new vertebrate and plant taphocoenoses of fluvial origin have been found in central Ukraine, within the area previously covered with till of the late Chibanian Dnipro glacier. These finds represent a timespan from the late Dnipro glacial to the Pryluky interglacial of the regional stratigraphic scheme of Ukraine and fill an important palaeofaunistic gap: arcto‐boreal species have been revealed for the first time in deposits of the Dnipro/Kaidaky, Tiasmyn and an intra‐Pryluky cold interval. Their appearance in the fossil record marks the most extreme periods of cooling, but even during these extremes arcto‐boreal forms did not dominate. Similarly, a few warm‐loving species appear only during interglacials. The tundra–steppe semblance of vertebrate fauna remains generally stable during this time. The new findings were also used to test existing correlation models between the stratigraphic scheme of Ukraine and Marine Isotope Stages (MIS). For this, we used the Arvicola interval‐zones: the zone of the extinct water vole Arvicola chosaricus, which, in the studied area, covers the Dnipro, Kaidaky and Tiasmyn stages, and of the extant A. amphibius of the Pryluky interglacial and subsequent time periods. In different parts of Europe, replacement between these two species took place from MIS 6–MIS 5 to MIS 5. This indicates that the Tiasmyn with the latest A. chosaricus might represent both MIS 6 and a cold interval within MIS 5. For further refinement of the correlation, we use the newly discovered taphocoenoses with a clear stratigraphic sequence, together with the previously studied Maksymivka locality. They have a clear stratigraphic relation to the Dnipro till, and together with the above‐mentioned climatic signal, these proxies support the correlation of the Dnipro glacial with MIS 6, the Kaidaky interglacial with MIS 5e, the Tiasmyn cold interval with MIS 5d, and the Pryluky interglacial with MIS 5c and younger.

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Hares from the Late Pleistocene of Ukraine: a phylogenetic analysis and the status of Lepus tanaiticus (Mammalia, Lagomorpha)

Rabiniak,

Rekovets,

Kovalchuk

et al. 2023

Biologia

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Hares (genus Lepus) are widely distributed in Europe, and they are adapted to various types of habitats. Many species are known to hybridise, and previous molecular genetic studies have revealed recurrent introgressions between species at all stages of the genus’s radiation. The Don hare (Lepus tanaiticus) was described from the Late Pleistocene of the Southern Urals and subsequently reported from coeval deposits of various regions of northern Eurasia. It is morphologically close to the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and recent studies of mitochondrial DNA questioned its status as an independent species. Here we compare cytochrome b and control-region sequences of mtDNA of arctic Lepus, including, for the first time, eight specimens from Late Pleistocene localities of Ukraine, in order to analyse the phylogenetic relationships between representatives of different taxa. The phylogenetic tree and haplotype network analyses do not support the taxonomic distinctness of the Don hare, and only specimens of Lepus arcticus and Lepus othus form monophyletic groups based on the control-region sequences. Instead, L. tanaiticus are scattered among specimens of L. timidus. The obtained results support the hypothesis that the Don hare is an ancient morphotype of L. timidus, and its distinctive morphological traits are the result of increased geographical variation of the latter due to range expansion and adaptation to the specific conditions of the periglacial biome, similarly to other Late Pleistocene small-mammal species.

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Late Pleistocene and Holocene pikas (Mammalia, Lagomorpha) from Europe and the validity of Ochotona spelaea: New insights based on mtDNA analysis

Cited by 3 publications

References 61 publications

Eagle owls’ predation within a highly diversified Late Glacial landscape: remains of pikas and hares (Lagomorpha) from the Loutra Almopias Cave (Central Macedonia, Greece)

Eagle owls’ predation within a highly diversified Late Glacial landscape: remains of pikas and hares (Lagomorpha) from the Loutra Almopias Cave (Central Macedonia, Greece)

Within the boundaries of the Dnipro ice lobe: Biotic dynamics in the Middle Dnipro area (Ukraine) during deglaciation and postglacial stages

Hares from the Late Pleistocene of Ukraine: a phylogenetic analysis and the status of Lepus tanaiticus (Mammalia, Lagomorpha)

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