Messinian rodents from Moncucco Torinese, NW Italy: palaeobiodiversity and biochronology

Abstract

The rodents from the Upper Messinian deposits of Moncucco Torinese (MCC) (Piedmont, NW Italy) are described. Stratigraphic considerations indicate that the fossiliferous deposits exposed at MCC date back to the post-evaporitic

Late Messinian mollusks and vertebrates from Moncucco Torinese, north-western Italy. Paleoecological and paleoclimatological implications

“…The fossil vertebrates from Moncucco Torinese have been cursorily described by Angelone et al (2011). Later papers on the cer-copithecid (Alba et al, 2014) and rodent (Colombero et al, 2014b(Colombero et al, , 2015 remains as well as on nonmarine gastropods (Harzhauser et al, 2015) of this site further confirmed the high biochronological and paleobiogeographical relevance of the Moncucco Torinese fauna. New excavations, conducted between 2012 and 2014, unearthed a huge amount of fossil vertebrate remains.…”

“…The most frequent is Muscardinus vireti, a medium-sized hazel dormouse that was previously reported in the late Turolian of Italy, France and Spain (Colombero et al, 2014b). Dental remains of Glis minor, with an occlusal pattern very similar to that of the extant Glis glis, but slightly smaller in size, are reported in all the stratigraphic levels.…”

“…Nonetheless, sciurids are rather diverse and provide significant paleoecological data. Four taxa have been identified, all belonging to the subfamily Sciurinae (Colombero et al, 2014b;. Among flying squirrels (tribe Pteromyini), a single M1 is attributed to Hylopetes hungaricus for the small size, the presence of short accessory ridges and constricted protoloph and metaloph.…”

“…Small mammals are used to infer in detail the spectrum of habitat types that existed in the proximity of MCC. The very abundant and varied remains of these animals have been the subject of past detailed analyses Colombero et al, 2014bColombero et al, , 2015. We follow Martín-Suárez et al (2001), López Antoñanzas andCuenca Bescos (2002) andGarcía Alix et al (2008), in order to define the criteria of assignment of the paleocological requirements of small mammals.…”

“…The fossiliferous layers of MCC are located at the top of a gypsum quarry. The investigated succession consists of nine layers (MCC1-MCC9, Figure 2), some of which contain a very abundant and extremely diverse fossil assemblage, with ostracods, mollusks and small and large vertebrates (Angelone et al, 2011;Alba et al, 2014;Colombero et al, 2014aColombero et al, , 2014bHarzhauser et al, 2015;Grunert et al 2016). Layers 4, 5 and 7 are constituted by several conglomerate lenses.…”