Reconsidering the Equids from the Early Pleistocene Fauna of Apollonia 1 (Mygdonia Basin, Greece)

Gkeme, Anastasia G.; Koufos, George D.; Kostopoulos, Dimitris S.

doi:10.3390/quat4020012

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The presence of specimens assigned to both E. altidens and E. suessenbornensis has been previously determined at Quibas, agreeing with the chronology proposed for the levels (Piñero & Alberdi 2015). Biometric comparison with the synchronic taxon E. apolloniensis has not been considered, as its distribution seems to be restricted to Eastern Europe (Gkeme et al 2021;Cirilli 2022).…”

Section: Descriptionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Following the European origin hy-pothesis, Palombo & Alberdi (2017) suggested that the coexistence of both species in Quibas (similar to other fossiliferous sites across Europe) most probably reflects sympatric speciation from ecological differences. The European origin of E. altidens and E. suessenbornensis is supported by the recent reassessment of equids from Greece (Gkeme et al 2021).…”

Section: Origin Of the Macromammal Herbivore Assemblage From Quibasmentioning

confidence: 98%

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The Quibas Site (Murcia, Spain): New Herbivores From the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition

Rosas

Galli

Fidalgo

et al. 2022

RIPS

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The Lower Pleistocene site of Quibas, in Sierra de Quibas (Murcia, Spain) was discovered in 1994 and has since then provided abundant material of typical Epivillafranchian taxa. This biochron belongs to the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition (1.2 – 0.78 Ma), characterised by a change in orbital cyclicity from a 41 kyr cycle to 100 kyr that intensified the climate and culminated in the most important faunal turnover of the Pleistocene regarding large mammals. The Group of Palaeoanthropology of the National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC, Spain) and the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA, Spain) carried out four field seasons from 2015 to 2018. Here we present the large herbivorous mammals recovered from the field, including the first citation of two taxa new to the locality: Stephanorhinus cf. etruscus and Bison cf. voigtstedtensis. We also provide the first description of previously mentioned taxa: Dama cf. vallonnetensis and Sus sp. Together with the remaining herbivores, the faunal community shows a strong European affinity with some regionalism. Compared with other Iberian localities, the site of Quibas stands out for the lack of hominin fossils or any evidence supporting their presence in the area, a peculiar scenario given that the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition broadly speaking sees the arrival of humans into Europe.

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Section: Descriptionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Origin Of the Macromammal Herbivore Assemblage From Quibasmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Quibas Site (Murcia, Spain): New Herbivores From the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition

Rosas

Galli

Fidalgo

et al. 2022

RIPS

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“…The holotype is LGPUT-APL-148, a nearly complete cranium from Apollonia, Greece [ 246 ]. It is a peculiar species of the late Early Pleistocene, mostly recorded from the locality of Apollonia–1 (Mygdonia Basin, Greece) and, possibly, from other localities of the Balkans and Anatolia [ 244 , 246 , 247 ]. As reported by Gkeme et al [ 247 ], this species differs from E. stenonis and other European Early Pleistocene Equus , with a distinct cranial morphology, and its size is intermediate between E. stenonis and E. suessenbornensis .…”

Section: Systematics Of the Equinae Since 53 Ma In Eurasia And Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is a peculiar species of the late Early Pleistocene, mostly recorded from the locality of Apollonia–1 (Mygdonia Basin, Greece) and, possibly, from other localities of the Balkans and Anatolia [ 244 , 246 , 247 ]. As reported by Gkeme et al [ 247 ], this species differs from E. stenonis and other European Early Pleistocene Equus , with a distinct cranial morphology, and its size is intermediate between E. stenonis and E. suessenbornensis . Koufos et al [ 246 ] interpreted E. apolloniensis as an intermediate species between E. stenonis and E. suessenbornensis , whereas Eisenmann and Boulbes [ 248 ] considered E. apolloniensis as “a step within the lineage of asses”.…”

Section: Systematics Of the Equinae Since 53 Ma In Eurasia And Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the Family Equidae, Subfamily Equinae, in North, Central and South America, Eurasia and Africa during the Plio-Pleistocene

Cirilli

Machado

Arroyo-Cabrales

et al. 2022

Biology

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Studies of horse evolution arose during the middle of the 19th century, and several hypotheses have been proposed for their taxonomy, paleobiogeography, paleoecology and evolution. The present contribution represents a collaboration of 19 multinational experts with the goal of providing an updated summary of Pliocene and Pleistocene North, Central and South American, Eurasian and African horses. At the present time, we recognize 114 valid species across these continents, plus 4 North African species in need of further investigation. Our biochronology and biogeography sections integrate Equinae taxonomic records with their chronologic and geographic ranges recognizing regional biochronologic frameworks. The paleoecology section provides insights into paleobotany and diet utilizing both the mesowear and light microscopic methods, along with calculation of body masses. We provide a temporal sequence of maps that render paleoclimatic conditions across these continents integrated with Equinae occurrences. These records reveal a succession of extinctions of primitive lineages and the rise and diversification of more modern taxa. Two recent morphological-based cladistic analyses are presented here as competing hypotheses, with reference to molecular-based phylogenies. Our contribution represents a state-of-the art understanding of Plio-Pleistocene Equus evolution, their biochronologic and biogeographic background and paleoecological and paleoclimatic contexts.

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“…Azzaroli [28] summarized the available data on-and popularized-the major mammal dispersal events that occurred during the Quaternary of Europe, including the "Elephant-Equus event". Since then, the term (sometimes also referred to as the Equus-Elephant event, Equus/Elephant turnover, Mammuthus-Equus event, or similar expressions) has widely been used in the literature (e.g., [8,12,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]). It is worth noting that Lindsay et al [22] and Azzaroli [28] used the term "dispersal events" to refer to short periods of intercontinental dispersals and faunal replacement (basically following the concept elaborated by Repenning [46,47]), epitomized by, but not limited to the taxa after which each event was named.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Does the “Elephant-Equus” Event Mean Today? Reflections on Mammal Dispersal Events around the Pliocene-Pleistocene Boundary and the Flexible Ambiguity of Biochronology

Iannucci

Sardella

2023

Quaternary

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The dispersal of primitive elephantines and monodactyl equids in Eurasia has long been regarded as representative of a substantial turnover in mammal faunas, denoting the spread of open environments linked to the onset of cold and dry conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. During the 1980s, this event was named the “Elephant-Equus event” and it was correlated with the Gauss-Matuyama reversal, today corresponding to the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition and the beginning of the Quaternary, dated at ~2.6 Ma. Therefore, the Elephant-Equus event became a concept of prominent biochronological and paleoecological significance, especially in western Europe. Yet, uncertainties surrounding the taxonomy and chronology of early “elephant” and “Equus”, as well as conceptual differences in adopting (or understanding) the Elephant-Equus event as an intercontinental dispersal event or as a stratigraphic datum, engendered ambiguity and debate. Here, we provide a succinct review of the Elephant-Equus event, considering separately the available evidence on the “elephant” and the “Equus”. Elephantines dispersed out of Africa during the Pliocene (Piacenzian). Their earliest calibrated occurrences from eastern Europe date at ~3.2 Ma and they are usually referred to Mammuthus rumanus, although the allocation of several samples to this species is tentative. Available dating constraints for other localities do not resolve whether the dispersal of Mammuthus was synchronous across Eurasia, but this possibility cannot be ruled out. The spread of Mammuthus was part of an intercontinental faunal exchange between Africa and Eurasia that occurred during the Piacenzian, but in this scenario, Mammuthus is quite unique in being the only genus of African origin dispersing to western Eurasia. The arrival of monodactyl equids from North America coincides with the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition, with several occurrences dated or calibrated at ~2.6 Ma and no compelling evidence prior to this age. In Europe, early monodactyl equids are often aligned to Equus livenzovensis, but the material from the type locality of this species is chronologically time-averaged and taxonomically heterogeneous, and western European samples are seldom abundant or informative. Regardless, this does not diminish the biochronological significance of the “Equus event”. Indeed, while the term “Elephant-Equus event” should no longer be used, as the appearance of elephantines in the European fossil record markedly precedes that of monodactyl equids, we endorse the use of the “Equus event” as a valid alternative to refer to the intercontinental dispersal event that characterizes the middle Villafranchian faunal turnover, epitomized by but not limited to monodactyl equids.

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Reconsidering the Equids from the Early Pleistocene Fauna of Apollonia 1 (Mygdonia Basin, Greece)

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

The Quibas Site (Murcia, Spain): New Herbivores From the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition

The Quibas Site (Murcia, Spain): New Herbivores From the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition

Evolution of the Family Equidae, Subfamily Equinae, in North, Central and South America, Eurasia and Africa during the Plio-Pleistocene

What Does the “Elephant-Equus” Event Mean Today? Reflections on Mammal Dispersal Events around the Pliocene-Pleistocene Boundary and the Flexible Ambiguity of Biochronology

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