Synchrotron radiation reveals the identity of the large felid from Monte Argentario (Early Pleistocene, Italy)

Cherin, Marco; Iurino, Dawid A.; Zanatta, Marco; Fernandez, Vincent; Paciaroni, Alessandro; Petrillo, Caterina; Rettori, Roberto; Sardella, Raffaele

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-26698-6

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Tomographic analysis. Given the rarity of complete and well preserved skulls of C. checchiai, the nondestructive method of CT scanning [36][37][38][39] was chosen to observe and analyse the internal anatomical features of the specimen sn813/lj. The fossil was scanned in its entirety in the coronal slice plane from front to back using a Philips Brilliance CT 64-channel scanner at M.G.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Old African fossils provide new evidence for the origin of the American crocodiles

Delfino

Iurino

Mercurio

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Molecular and morphological phylogenies concur in indicating that the African lineages formerly referred to Crocodylus niloticus are the sister taxon the four Neotropical crocodiles (Crocodylus intermedius, C. moreleti, C. acutus and C. rhombifer), implying a transoceanic dispersal from Africa to America. So far the fossil record did not contribute to identify a possible African forerunner of the Neotropical species but, curiously, the oldest remains referred to the African C. niloticus are Quaternary in age, whereas the oldest American fossils of Crocodylus are older, being dated to the early Pliocene, suggesting that another species could be involved. We re-described, also thanks to CT imaging, the only well-preserved topotipic skull of Crocodylus checchiai Maccagno, 1947 from the late Miocene (Messinian) African site of As Sahabi in Libya. As previously suggested on the basis of late Miocene material from Tanzania, C. checchiai is a valid, diagnosable species. According to our phylogenetic analyses, C. checchiai is related to the Neotropical taxa and could be even located at the base of their radiation, therefore representing the missing link between the African and the American lineages. Extant crocodylians are represented by 25 species grouped into 9 genera 1. The most speciose and widespread genus is Crocodylus Laurenti, 1768 that hosts 12 species inhabiting a longitudinally very broad intertropical belt ranging from Australia to South Asia, to Africa and then America. The origin of Crocodylus was placed in the late Miocene (about 13.6-8.3 Ma) of Asia by Oaks 2 , on the basis of a time-calibrated species tree stemming from a DNA analysis, and recently reconstructed as Asian by Nicolai and Mazke 3 on the basis of historical biogeography models. Both the molecular 2,4,5 and the morphological/palaeontological 6-9 approaches, as well as the shared presence of parasites 10 concur in indicating that the origin of the American clade of Crocodylus should be sought in Africa. The four American species Crocodylus intermedius, C. moreleti, C. acutus and C. rhombiferare grouped together with the African Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti, 1768, which is placed at the base of the American branch. According to Meredith et al. 5 , the most parsimonious explanation that takes into consideration both the phylogenetic results and the fossil record of Crocodylus supports a relatively recent transAtlantic crossing of "C. niloticus" from Africa to America. The reason of the inverted commas placed by these authors around the name of Nile crocodile is related to the fact that the eastern and western clades of this species do not cluster together, but are arranged in paraphyly at the base of the American clade, a result shared by different authors applying different molecular techniques 2,4,5,11,12. Hekkala et al. 5 eventually proposed the resurrection of the name Crocodylus suchus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1807 for the western populations, keeping the name C. niloticus for the (predominantly) eastern populations that is directly at the ...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Old African fossils provide new evidence for the origin of the American crocodiles

Delfino

Iurino

Mercurio

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…CT image processing was performed using Mimics 20.0, while the digital restoration process of the missing portions of the skulls was made with ZBrush 4R6. All the missing parts of the specimens were cloned and mirrored from those preserved, and their alignment and positioning were performed following the sagittal plane of the skull (Cherin et al, 2018;Iurino et al, 2020). Finally, the reconstructed portions were highlighted using different colors (Figs.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…for all European remains approximately comprised in the interval from 1.6 to 0.6 Ma, previously referred to L. issiodorensis or to 'cave lynx'. These include the records from Pirro Nord (Italy; Petrucci et al, 2013), Monte Argentario (Italy; Cherin et al, 2018), lower levels of Valdemino (Italy; Ghezzo et al, 2015), La Sartanette (France; Palombo and Valli, 2004), Sainzelles (France; Palombo and Valli, 2004), Le Vallonnet (France;Moull e et al, 2006), Solehilac (France;Kurt en, 1957), Sierra de Quibas (Spain;Montoya et al, 1999;2001b), Venta Micena (Spain;Moy a-Sol a et al, 1981;Boscaini et al, 2016), Untermassfeld (Germany;Hemmer, 2001), Mauer (Germany;Voelcker, 1930), Mosbach (Germany;Voelcker, 1930), and Apollonia 1 (Greece; Koufos, 1992;Koufos and Kostopoulos, 1997). Details are reported in Supplementary table 5.…”

Section: Taxonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Having ascertained that the Ingarano individuals are all adults as shown by the fully erupted permanent dentition and fusion of the cranial sutures (see Description), an aspect worth mentioning before discussing the data on body mass is sexual dimorphism. It has been proposed that sexual dimorphism may explain intraspecific differences in body size in some European Plio-Pleistocene felids (e.g., Acinonyx pardinensis, Panthera gombaszoegensis; Petrucci et al, 2013;Cherin et al, 2018). However, as in extant taxa (Macdonald et al, 2010), the effect of sex on size is more pronounced in large felid species.…”

Section: Size Variation In European Fossil Lynxesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The tale of a short-tailed cat: New outstanding Late Pleistocene fossils of Lynx pardinus from southern Italy

Mecozzi

Sardella

Boscaini

et al. 2021

Quaternary Science Reviews

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The pardel lynx Lynx pardinus is today restricted to small populations living in southern Iberian Peninsula. However, this endangered species was widely spread throughout Iberia until historical times and is currently the subject of intense conservation programs. Paleontological data suggest that its past geographical range was much wider, including also southern France and northern Italy. Here, we report exceptionally preserved fossil remains of L. pardinus from the Late Pleistocene (about 40 0 000 years) of Ingarano (Italy), which represent the largest sample of fossil lynx currently known in Europe. This new evidence allows (1) to revise the taxonomy of European fossil lynxes, (2) to extend far southeast the paleobiogeographical distribution of L. pardinus, and (3) to offer new insights on the evolutionary history (e.g., relationships with other extinct and extant lynx species) and paleobiology (e.g., intraspecific variation, body mass) of this iconic European felid.

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“…Although mammals and birds have received considerable attention (e.g. Mazza et al 1993;Rustioni & Mazza 1993;Zucchetta et al 2003;Gentili & Masini 2005;Cherin et al 2018), the diversity and paleontological significance of the ectothermic vertebrates remain elusive. Here we provide the first comprehensive overview of the ectothermic vertebrates from Pietrafitta.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Early Pleistocene ectothermic vertebrates of Pietrafitta (Italy) and the last Western European occurrence of Latonia Meyer, 1843

Sorbelli¹,

Villa²,

Gentili³

et al. 2021

Comptes Rendus Palevol

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The Early Pleistocene site of Pietrafitta (central Italy) produced a rich vertebrate assemblage from the Late Villafranchian Land Mammal Age (late MN18). Geological and paleobotanical data from Pietrafitta indicate a lacustrine environment, surrounded by a humid deciduous broadleaved forest with a temperate climate. The vertebrate assemblage consists of at least 40 taxa including actinopterygians, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Here, we concentrate on the ichthyofaunal and herpetofaunal remains. The ichthyofauna includes Barbus Cuvier and Cloquet, 1816, Scardinius Bonaparte, 1837, aff. Squalius Cuvier, 1817, and Tinca Cuvier, 1817. The two anuran genera are the large-sized alytid frog Latonia Meyer, 1843 and the “green frog” Pelophylax Fitzinger, 1843. Three snake precloacal vertebrae were recognized, one attributed to Colubrines indet., another one to Natrix sp. Laurenti, 1768, and the largest and most complete vertebra is referred to the genus Vipera s.l. Laurenti, 1768 (cf. gr. “Oriental vipers”). The chelonian fossils, including some complete carapaces and plastrals, are attributed to the European pond turtle (Emys gr. Orbicularis Linnaeus, 1758) and Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni Gmelin, 1789).

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Synchrotron radiation reveals the identity of the large felid from Monte Argentario (Early Pleistocene, Italy)

Cited by 12 publications

References 27 publications

Old African fossils provide new evidence for the origin of the American crocodiles

Old African fossils provide new evidence for the origin of the American crocodiles

The tale of a short-tailed cat: New outstanding Late Pleistocene fossils of Lynx pardinus from southern Italy

The Early Pleistocene ectothermic vertebrates of Pietrafitta (Italy) and the last Western European occurrence of Latonia Meyer, 1843

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