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Crania of M. thorali from Saint-Vallier in dorsal (left column), ventral (middle column), and right lateral (right column) views. a–c. UCBL FSL438239; d–f. MHNL20.161937; g–i. NMB.St.V.302; j–l. MHNL20.161914; m–o. MHNL20.161915; p–r. MHNL20.161916; s–u. MHNL20.161936. Scale bar equals 3 cm
Source publication
Fossil badgers of the genus Meles are known in Eurasia since the Late Pliocene but their record is utterly scarce, often represented by isolated remains. This led to taxonomic confusion and hindered phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus. Here we describe in detail all the material attributed to M. thorali from the Early Pleistocene locality of S...
Citations
... The radiation of the genus Meles occurred during the general climatic changes that took place between the 2.6-2.2 mya and the resulting environmental shifts across Eurasia (Faggi et al., 2024) ( Table 2). ...
The Early Pleistocene fossil site of Schernfeld, a karst fissure filled with an ossiferous breccia, is well known due to the abundant fossil remains, mainly of micromammals and carnivores. Since the discovery, the taxonomic status of the Schernfeld mustelids has caused controversy and, consequently, various authors have listed different species. Until recently, none of these species has been the subject of adequate studies. A detailed revision of the Schernfeld mustelids material was made through comparative morphology based on mustelids from other European Early and early Middle Pleistocene sites. It reveals the presence of five mustelids: Gulo gulo schlosseri, Martes vetus, Meles meles, Mustela palerminea, and Mustela praenivalis. Their remains are characterized by ancestral features, especially in M. vetus, M. palerminea, and M. praenivalis. Due to the morphology of mustelids and the taxonomical composition of the Schernfeld fauna, the biochronological age of the entire assemblage was re‐evaluated and assessed for ca. 1.9–1.7 mya.
... This caused confusion among the taxonomy and prevented any good phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus. The first species to appear, almost simultaneously, are Meles thorali in Europe and Meles chiai in China [191][192][193]. Even if this synchronous appearance makes it difficult to hypothesize where the genus originated, the timeframe coincides with the progressive transition of northern hemisphere biocoenosis from a subtropical, predominantly wooded habitat to more open environments and mixed forests with a progressive increase in seasonality [8]. ...
The Vallparadís Section encompasses various geological layers that span a significant chronological range, extending from the latest Early Pleistocene to the early Middle Pleistocene, covering a timeframe from approximately 1.2 to 0.6 Ma. This period holds particular importance as it coincides with a significant climatic transition known as the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition, a pivotal phase in Quaternary climatic history.
This transition, marked by the shift from a 41,000-year obliquity-driven climatic cycle to a 100,000- year precession-forced cyclicity, had profound effects on the Calabrian carnivorous mammal com- munities. Notably, the once diverse carnivore guild began to decline across Europe during this pe- riod, with their last documented occurrences coinciding with those found within the Vallparadís Section (e.g. Megantereon or Xenocyon). Concurrently, this period witnessed the initial dispersals of African carnivorans into the European landscape (e.g. steppe lions), marking a significant shift in the composition and dynamics of the region's carnivorous fauna.
The mustelid assemblage from Hunas is represented by seven species: Gulo gulo gulo, Meles meles, Lutra lutra groissii, Martes martes, Mustela putorius, Mustela erminea and Mustela nivalis. Most species have been found in the G1-G3 complex, while their remains in other layers are rare. The guild is dominated by remains of Mustela nivalis, for which well-preserved and stratified material shows a large, robust weasel, with a notable predominance of males. The morphology of Mustela nivalis, together with the occurrence of Lutra lutra, allowed us to estimate the age of the horizon at MIS 7.
