The lower Pliocene elasmobranch assemblage from Arcille (Campagnatico, Grosseto Province): palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental significance

Merella, Marco; Collareta, Alberto; Casati, Simone; Cencio, Andrea Di; Landini, Walter; Bianucci, Giovanni

doi:10.32774/fosreppal.2020.0611

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…), Rajidae (Rostroraja olisiponensis) and Rhinobatidae (Rhinobatos sp.) (Bianucci et al 2019;Merella et al 2020;Fig. 2).…”

Section: Geological and Palaeontological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other vertebrate remains from this deposit include five skeletons of the extinct dugongid sirenian Metaxytherium subapenninum, two skeletons of billfish (Makaira sp. ), and the holotype and only known specimen of the archaic monodontid cetacean Casatia thermophila; moreover, teeth of sparid teleosts are very common (Sorbi et al 2012;Tinelli 2013;Bianucci et al 2019;Merella et al 2020). Fossils of macro-invertebrates are abundant in the vertebrate-bearing intervals exposed at Arcille; they are mostly represented by bivalves (mostly pectinids and venerids, including the extinct large-sized clams Callista italica and Pelecyora gigas) but also include gastropods, scaphopods, echinoids, bryozoans, ahermatypic corals (Flabellum?…”

Section: Geological and Palaeontological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At this site, the presence of the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) and bull ray (Aetomylaeus bovinus) suggests a shallowmarine palaeoenvironment, close to a river mouth, whereas the bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus), the bigeye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus) and marlin (Makaira sp.) indicate strong connections with open-sea, deep-water habitats (Merella et al 2020). Furthermore, the presence of the bull shark, which currently inhabits the coasts of Western Africa but not the Mediterranean Sea, suggests truly tropical palaeoclimatic conditions (Merella et al 2020).…”

Section: Palaeoecological Inferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…indicate strong connections with open-sea, deep-water habitats (Merella et al 2020). Furthermore, the presence of the bull shark, which currently inhabits the coasts of Western Africa but not the Mediterranean Sea, suggests truly tropical palaeoclimatic conditions (Merella et al 2020). Supporting this interpretation, the elasmobranch assemblage described herein takes its place besides remains of marine invertebrates and vertebrates that are typical of shallow and warm waters, such as Metaxytherium subapenninum, a tropical and coastal-estuarine form which likely shared the environmental preferences of modern sirenians (Sorbi et al 2012).…”

Section: Palaeoecological Inferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Remarkable multicuspid teeth in a new elusive skate (Chondrichthyes, Rajiformes) from the Mediterranean Pliocene

Collareta

Mollen²,

Merella

et al. 2021

PalZ

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Here we report on four highly peculiar skate teeth from Arcille and Certaldo, two Pliocene localities of Tuscany (central Italy). While being attributable to Rajiformes and somewhat reminiscent of Dipturus and Rostroraja, these specimens display an unusual multicuspid tooth design that does not match any extinct or extant skate taxon known to date. The studied teeth are thus referred to a new genus and species of Rajiformes, Nebriimimus wardi gen. et sp. nov., which is here tentatively assigned to the family Rajidae. Based on pronounced morphological similarities between the rather large-sized teeth of the latter and those of extant nurse sharks, we hypothesise that N. wardi might have been capable of actively foraging upon relatively large food items compared to other rays. This extinct skate species was likely not a common component of the Pliocene Tuscan marine vertebrate assemblages. The palaeoenvironmental scenarios that N. wardi inhabited were marginal-marine and open shelf settings characterised by tropical climate conditions. As N. wardi is currently known only from lower to mid-Pliocene deposits of the Mediterranean Basin, it is tempting to speculate that its speciation dates back to an earliest Pliocene phase of diversification that also contributed to the emergence of the Mediterranean endemic stock of extant skate species.

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“…), Rajidae (Rostroraja olisiponensis) and Rhinobatidae (Rhinobatos sp.) (Bianucci et al 2019;Merella et al 2020;Fig. 2).…”

Section: Geological and Palaeontological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological and Palaeontological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Palaeoecological Inferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Palaeoecological Inferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Remarkable multicuspid teeth in a new elusive skate (Chondrichthyes, Rajiformes) from the Mediterranean Pliocene

Collareta

Mollen²,

Merella

et al. 2021

PalZ

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“…The sandstones from which the carcharhinid teeth described herein were collected testify to deltaic and shoreface, shallow-marine depositional settings (TINELLI 2013;DOMINICI & FORLI 2021). The associated shark and ray fauna consists of about 300 teeth and dermal denticles that have been assigned to several families of Squalomorphii (Hexanchidae), Squatinomorphii (Squatinidae), Galeomorphii (Carcharhinidae, Scyliorhinidae, Lamnidae and Carchariidae) and Batomorphii (Dasyatidae, Myliobatidae, Rajidae and Rhinobatidae) (BIANUCCI et al 2019;MERELLA et al 2020;COLLARETA et al 2021c). The above assemblage also includes the holotype of the recently described, putative rajid skate Nebriimimus wardi COLLARETA et al, 2021c.…”

Section: Stratigraphic and Palaeoecological Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

First fossils of the extant blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin

Collareta¹,

Merella²,

Casati³

et al. 2021

njgpa

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Here we report on two fossil teeth attributed to the blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus (Elasmobranchii: Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae) from lower Pliocene (ca. 5.1-4.5 Ma) 1 marine deposits of Tuscany (central Italy). A survey of the palaeoichthyological literature and online resources reveals that fossils of C. limbatus have been reported from Neogene and Quaternary deposits of the Americas and Indo-Pacific Asia. Therefore, the Tuscan specimens described herein represent the first occurrence of C. limbatus as a fossil from both Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. Our finds suggest that the blacktip shark reached a circumglobal distribution in warm waters (including the then warmer-than-today Mediterranean Sea) not later than the Pliocene; at the same time, they demonstrate that the continued study of the relatively well-investigated Neogene elasmobranch faunas of Italy can still result in significant novelties. Futher investigations on other shark tooth assemblages from shoreface, warm-water, marginal-marine deposits are likely to reveal new occurrences of C. limbatus in the Pliocene of the Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere (e.g., along the palaeontologically underexplored Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Africa).

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Pliocene Geotourism: Innovative Projects for Valorizing the Paleontological Heritage of Three Different-Staged Quarries of Tuscany (Central Italy)

Merella¹,

Collareta²,

Casati³

et al. 2023

Geoheritage

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Quarries are areas of pivotal importance for investigation, popularization, and educational purposes in the field of geosciences. Here, we focus on three quarries of Tuscany (La Serra, Arcille, and Certaldo) that have been home to significant finds of marine vertebrate fossils. The three selected localities are representative of the many active (La Serra), inactive (Arcille), and abandoned (Certaldo) Tuscan quarries where vertebrate-bearing Pliocene deposits are exposed. Given the richness and scientific value of their paleontological content (including holotypes as well as otherwise unique specimens), the abundance of exposed sedimentary structures, and the high potential for open-air musealization, the La Serra, Arcille, and Certaldo quarries should be regarded as geosites. These quarries are thoroughly described, and several suggestions for their preservation and valorization are proposed, focusing on their importance for geotourism, with the goal of reaching out to the broadest audience possible. Many innovative dissemination tools, including 3D technologies, are now available for pursuing such an aim.

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The lower Pliocene elasmobranch assemblage from Arcille (Campagnatico, Grosseto Province): palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental significance

Cited by 4 publications

References 5 publications

Remarkable multicuspid teeth in a new elusive skate (Chondrichthyes, Rajiformes) from the Mediterranean Pliocene

Remarkable multicuspid teeth in a new elusive skate (Chondrichthyes, Rajiformes) from the Mediterranean Pliocene

First fossils of the extant blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin

Pliocene Geotourism: Innovative Projects for Valorizing the Paleontological Heritage of Three Different-Staged Quarries of Tuscany (Central Italy)

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