The Villafranchian Mammalia fauna and its investigation in Europe, on the Balkans and in Bulgaria

Abstract

The mammalian fauna of the transition from Pliocene to Pleistocene (usually designated as Villafranchian fauna) is of considerable interest. The first signs of formation of the recent Palearctic fauna should be looked for namely among the Villafranchian one. Because of the fragmentariness of most of the finds and the uneven research degree of different regions, the Villafranchian "Stage" in the mammalian fauna's development remains still insufficiently clarified. The investigations of the Villafranchian fauna are more detailed in W Europe. Corresponding investigations in SE Europe are still more incomplete. Greece and Romania are the only countries of SE Europe with well studied Villafranchian localities. Almost no mammalian megafaunas of that time have been known in Bulgaria so far. Two Bulgarian localities have been recently discovered – Varshets and Slivnitsa. Their investigation has resulted a great richness of vertebrate fossils, so that now they could be placed among the marker localities of Villafranchian fauna within E Europe. Further investigation of the Villafranchian faunistic complexes on the Balkans would considerably contribute to clearing up the migratory routes, the forming and the evolution of this fauna throughout Europe. However, zoogeographical differences are quite probable, thus the biostratigraphic criteria created in W Europe should be applied with a certain attention for the Eastern regions of the continent and especially in the Palearctic areas to the East of Europe.

History of Polish Canidae (Carnivora, Mammalia) and Their Biochronological Implications on the Eurasian Background

“…alopecoides and synonymising with the latter multiple species distinguished by previous authors [ 144 , 235 , 236 , 238 , 239 , 240 ]. The earliest European fox records are those from the Bulgarian site Musselievo [ 241 , 242 , 243 ] and Odessa [ 244 ], both dating back 4.0–3.6 myr. From the slightly younger (3.3–3.2 myr) Georgian site Kvabebi, Vulpes cf.…”