
Giorgio CarnevaleUniversity of Turin | UNITO · Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra
Giorgio Carnevale
PhD
About
413
Publications
193,644
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Introduction
Systematics, paleoecology and paleobiogeography of Meso-Cenozoic fishes; Origin and evolution of the Mediterranean ichthyofauna; Messinian Salinity Crisis; Origin and evolution of lophiiform fishes; Cretaceous history of acanthomorph fishes; Eocene fishes from Monte Bolca; Dating the teleostean tree of life; Biogeographic and paleoenvironmental evolution of the Panamic province; Messinian continental vertebrates from Italy
Additional affiliations
October 2016 - present
Universita' degli Studi di Torino
Position
- Professor (Full)
November 2010 - September 2016
October 2010 - November 2010
Publications
Publications (413)
The Eocene tetraodontiform fish †Zignoichthys oblongus (Zigno, 1874) from the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte, northeastern Italy, is redescribed in detail based upon new material. This taxon exhibits a combination of features (parasphenoid shaft-like and bearing a ventral flange; non-protractile upper jaw; teeth incorporated into beak-like jaws; prema...
A new sperm whale species is described from the late Zanclean (Early Pliocene) of Piedmont, northwest Italy, based on a partial vertebral column and parts of the forelimb. The new taxon, Eophyseter damarcoi gen. nov. sp. nov., is characterized by elongated vertebral centra in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the vertebral column, wider and higher...
Due to their fast precipitation rate, sulfate evaporites represent excellent repositories of past life on Earth and potentially on other solid planets. Nevertheless, the preservation potential of biogenic remains can be compromised by extremely fast early diagenetic processes. The upper Miocene, gypsum‐bearing sedimentary successions of the Mediter...
Bony fishes are among the best represented macrofossils from the earliest Eocene Fur Formation, northern Denmark. The most abundant fish of the formation has never been formally described, in spite of its abundance throughout the formation, and only referred to as an ‘argentinoid’. This work provides a taxonomic study of this argentinoid taxon, whi...
A conger eel (Anguilliformes, Congridae) is described from the lower Lutetian concretionary nodules of the Lillebælt Clay Formation exposed at Trelde Næs, eastern Jutland, based on two partially complete articulated cranial skeletons. One of the cranial specimens exhibits an otolith void from wich a cast was taken, used by Schwarzhans (2007) to des...
Fish otoliths from three localities in northern Italy (Piedmont), Grazzano, Rio Freddo di Albugnano and Valle Ceppi, ranging in age from late Oligocene (Chattian) to Early Miocene (Burdigalian) are described herein. One of these localities, Rio Freddo di Albugnano, straddles the Oligocene/Miocene boundary, and the otoliths are interpreted to reflec...
Evolutionary innovations have played an important role in shaping the diversity of life on Earth. However, how these innovations arise and their downstream effects on patterns of morphological diversification remain poorly understood. Here, we examine the impact of evolutionary innovation on trait diversification in tetraodontiform fishes (pufferfi...
A new fossil gray whale genus and species, Glaucobalaena inopinata, is established based on craniomandibular remains from the Pliocene Sabbie d'Asti Formation, Piedmont, northwestern Italy. The holotype (MGPT-PU 19512) consists of two cranial fragments corresponding to the postero-lateral corners of the skull, including both partial periotics, and...
The well-known Eocene Bolca Fossil-Lagerstätte is a prominent and influential fossil site of the Cenozoic Era, renowned for its exceptional completeness, diversity, and preservation of vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant fossils (Carnevale, 2020). Centuries of excavation at primary sites like the Pesciara, Monte Postale, Purga di
Bolca, and Monte V...
"Pegasus" volans is a highly unusual fossil teleost fish from the celebrated Eocene Bolca Lagerstatte. The fossil, known on the basis of two specimens, has been historically assigned to seamoths (Pegasidae), then to oarfish and relatives (Lampriformes). We describe its enigmatic skeletal anatomy in detail, and provide a new genus name. "Pegasus" vo...
Study of the relationships of fossil and living billfishes is crucial for understanding the ecological drivers that control their biodiversity through time and how distributional
patterns of extant populations may be affected by current abiotic events. Here we describe six istiophorid species that lived sympatrically in the central Mediterranean Se...
During the sampling of a stratigraphic section along the shore of the Fiastra Lake (Carg Project-Sheet 313 "Camerino" of the Geological Map of Italy at 1:50 000 scale), a small rock boulder with partially exposed bony material was discovered at the base of a small cliff at the northern termination of the Sibillini Mts. In this area, the classical f...
The holotype and only specimen referred to the Early Miocene shark Acanthias bicarinatus Sismonda, 1849 is housed in the collections of the Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia dell’Università degli Studi di Torino and was collected from the serpentinite sandstone of the middle-late Burdigalian Termofourà Formation of the Torino Hill. The specimen, fo...
Our presentation focuses on the discovery of craniomandibular remains of a new Pliocene gray whale from Piedmont, northwestern Italy and its impact on our understanding of trophic webs of Mediterranean during Pliocene.
Eucyon is a genus of jackal-sized canids considered among the earliest members of the tribe Canini. Its first occurrence is recorded in the Clarendonian (Late Miocene; 10–9 Ma) of North America with the species Eucyon davisi. From a biogeographical perspective, soon after its origin in North America (Tedford et al., 2009), Eucyon dispersed towards...
Siluriformes are considered as primarily freshwater and have frequently been a model for the study of historical biogeography. Among catfishes, the most diverse clade is the Loricarioidei, a Neotropical group for which the fossil record extends back to the Palaeocene of Argentina. Here we describe a fossil from the early Late Cretaceous of Morocco,...
The Late Cretaceous was a time of blossoming teleost diversification that came to a sudden restriction and partial termination during the extinction event at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary. Among the dominant and diverse Late Cretaceous teleost groups prior to the K/Pg boundary event were certain pelagic Aulopiformes (e.g., Ichthyotringoi...
The acanthuriform family Zanclidae, whose members are commonly known as moorish idols, has until now been comprised of two species, the extant Zanclus cornutus and the Eocene Eozanclus brevirostris. Herein, a new moorish idol, Angiolinia mirabilis n. gen. et sp., is described based on three specimens from the Eocene Pesciara site of the Bolca local...
The tympanoperiotic complex of a blue whale Balaenoptera musculus is described and compared to the homologous structures in the other extant and fossil baleen whale species. The periotic and the tympanic bulla represent informative anatomical regions in both functional and phylogenetic studies and for this reason a micro‐CT scan of the bones was pe...
A partial skeleton of a Pliocene balaenid whale (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti) is described and compared to a large set of extant and fossil Balaenidae. The specimen (MCRE 232834) includes a jugal, both mandibular rami and part of the postcranial skeleton including several vertebrae, complete ribs, hyoid, pelvis, a single scapula and a single parti...
The Rhamphosidae is an extinct family of syngnathiform fishes from the lower Eocene deposits of Europe, primarily known from specimens derived from the Ypresian Konservat-Lagerstätte of Bolca (Verona province, Italy). A descriptive analysis of 28 specimens of Rhamphosus from Bolca revealed the existence of six species, showing
a greater taxonomic d...
The Eocene Bolca Fossil-Lagerstätte represents one of the best known and most important fossil sites of the Cenozoic Era. Vertebrate, invertebrate and plant fossil remains from Bolca, characterized by an extraordinary completeness, diversity and conservation, can in fact be considered as true icons of Italian paleontology, with specimens that, over...
Elasmobranchii are a relatively well-studied group. However, numerous phylogenetic uncertainties about their relationships remain un-answered. Recently, molecular analyses have shifted long-standing conceptions regarding their taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships. Here, we revisit the phylogenetic evidence based on a detailed morphological re-e...
Studies of the origin of evolutionary novelties (novel traits, feeding modes, behaviours, ecological niches, etc.) have considered a number of taxa experimenting with new body plans, allowing them to occupy new habitats and exploit new trophic resources. In the marine realm, coloniza-tion of pelagic environments by marine fishes occurred recurrentl...
Delphinids are mostly known as fossils from Pliocene deposits of the Emilia Romagna, Piedmont, and Tuscany regions of Italy. Many of the Italian delphinid remains belong to Hemisyntrachelus, an extinct genus that appears to be crucial for reconstructing the evolutionary history of this highly derived odontocete clade. Hemisyntrachelus is a delphini...
During the sampling of a stratigraphic section along the shore of the Fiastra Lake (Carg Project - sheet 313 Camerino of the Geological Map of Italy 1:50000), a rock boulder with partially exposed skeletal materials has been discovered at the base of a small cliff at the northern termination of the Sibillini Mts. Ridge. In this area the Umbria-Marc...
The northern Mediterranean reptiles and amphibians show contrasting biogeographic histories during the Plio-
Pleistocene. The influence of European climate changes on the evolution of the biogeographic ranges of taxa with
a rich fossil record is determined herein combining different proxies to obtain well-supported palaeoclimatic
scenarios. Ecolo...
An upper anterior tooth of Cosmopolitodus hastalis (Elasmobranchii: Lamnidae) from Burdigalian strata of the shallow-marine Chilcatay Formation exposed at Zamaca (East Pisco Basin, Peru) exhibits the remarkable occurrence of a serrated bite mark consistent with Linichnus serratus (Praedichnia: Machichnidae). In marine successions of Cenozoic age, t...
Micro–X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) is an increasingly popular tool within the Earth sciences, although its full potential within palaeontology remains to be explored. In palaeoichthyology, the anatomical descriptions necessary for taxonomic identification of fossil fishes require specialist knowledge and often still relies solely on traditional studie...
The Lower Cretaceous (Albian) clupeomorph fishes of the Pietraroja Plattenkalk were among the first fishes described for this celebrated Italian Konservat-Lagerstätte. However, a detailed anatomical and phylogenetic study has never been carried out on these fishes in order to clarify their taxonomic status, systematic position, and relationships wi...
A new genus and species of stromateiform fish, Butyrumichthys henricii gen. et sp. nov., from the Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark is described. The description is based on six well-preserved, almost complete articulated skeletons plus a well-preserved head. All the specimens originate from the carbonate concretion horizons of the Fur Formation. The...
We provide a new study of previously published eurhinodelphinid materials from the early Miocene of Piedmont (NW Italy) based on a new preparation of the fossil specimens. We studied specimens previously assigned to Tursiops miocaenus and Dalpiazella sp. and provide new anatomical data on the eurhinodelphinid skull and ear bones. In particular, we...
Bony fishes are among the best represented macrofossils from the earliest Eocene Fur Formation, northern Denmark. The most abundant fish of the formation has never been formally described, in spite of its abundance throughout the formation, and only referred to as an ‘argentinoid’. This work provides a taxonomic study of this argentinoid taxon, whi...
The Late Cretaceous double-armoured herring Diplomystus solignaci, represented by a single specimen collected from a limestones outcrop near El Hamma, in the region of Gabès of central Tunisia (North Africa), is redescribed in detail herein. This taxon exhibits a unique combination of features that clearly support its alignment with the ellimmichth...
In 2007, a whale skeleton was found and excavated in Lower Pliocene sediments at Poggio alle Mura (southern Tuscany, central Italy). This partially complete skeleton is known by the nickname ‘Brunella’. The extracted blocks containing the fossil whale were deposited in a warehouse where they remained for nine years. A new project started in 2016 wi...
The osteology of European urodeles was studied extensively in the past, but comparative analyses of isolated bones are rare, despite being the most useful tool for the identification of fossil remains. The present work is focused on the most robust skeletal elements (therefore, common in the fossil record: otic–occipitum complexes and vertebrae) an...
The collection of mammals from the Late Miocene (7-8 Ma) from Pikermi (Attica, Greece) represents one of the most significant paleontological collections of the "Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia dell'Università degli Studi di Torino", now housed in the "Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali" in Turin. The collection reached Turin in 1853 as a gift t...
The family Molidae comprises one of the tetraodontiform lineages with the least known fossil record. Each new addition to the short list of extinct molid taxa significantly contributes to shed light on the patterns of diversity and distribution of ocean sunfishes through time. This is particularly true for the Miocene, which is regarded as an inter...
A new specimen of the fossil puffer fish Archaeotetraodon winterbottomi (Tetraodontidae) is described from the lower Oligocene deposits of the Sheshory locality, Ukraine. The specimen reveals a number of characters, some of which are diagnostic and others which were recognized herein for first time, such as the possession of a relatively narrow neu...
The earliest Eocene (Ypresian) Fur Formation (Denmark) is globally renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved fossils, including birds, sea turtles, insects, plants, and fishes. Fishes, albeit abundant and diverse, however, are only superficially known and very few detailed, taxonomic studies have been realized to date. A new polymixiiform fish,...
The disjunct geographical range of many lineages of caudates points to a complex evolutionary and biogeographic history that cannot be disentangled by only considering the present-day distribution of salamander biodiversity. Here, we provide a critical reappraisal of the published fossil record of caudates from the Palearctic and quantitatively eva...
A new periotic (MuMAB 240508) is described from the Tortonian of the Stirone River, Northern Italy. The new specimen is described and compared to all the known periotics of extant and extinct balaenopterid species. The new specimen shows balaenopterid characters, including the triangular anterior process, the transverse and anteroposterior elongati...
The biogeochemical cycles of carbon and silicon are tightly coupled in modern marine environments due to the pivotal role of planktonic diatoms. Once diatoms are sedimented, the fate of organic matter and biogenic silica is initially governed by bottom water oxygen levels and bacterial communities involved in remineralization processes. The early d...
In this study the presence of Buteo sp. is documented from the Late Miocene (early Messinian MN 13) of Roddi, northwestern Italy. The findings are based on an almost complete skeleton discovered within a 1.5-m-thick succession of laminated grey-brown marls, which have yielded numerous fish and plant remains. Despite the limited osteological informa...
The Messinian laminated diatomites exposed in the Capo di Fiume stratigraphic section, near the town of Palena, along the slopes of Mt. Porrara in the Abruzzo Apennines, contain well-preserved articulated fish skeletal remains, often associated with plants. A large collection of fossils from this section was accumulated and donated by Erminio Di Ca...
The definition of the Cretaceous shark genus Cretodus Sokolov, 1965 is primarily based on isolated teeth. This genus includes five species. Among these, Cretodus houghtonorum Shimada and Everhart, 2019 is the only species based on a partially preserved skeleton. Here, the taxonomic attribution of a virtually complete skeleton of Cretodus from the T...
Body size is an important species trait, correlating with life span, fecundity, and other ecological factors. Over Earth’s geological history, climate shifts have occurred, potentially shaping body size evolution in many clades. General rules attempting to summarize body size evolution include Bergmann’s rule, which states that species reach larger...
A small collection of fish otoliths, mostly myctophids, from a bathyal environment is described from the Bartonian (late middle Eocene) Marne di Monte Piano Formation of San Genesio, Turin Hill, Piedmont. Myctophids have been rarely recorded from the Eocene in general, and few bathyal environments have been sampled for otoliths of that time interva...
We describe here a new bony fish assemblage collected from a fossiliferous outcrop located in Perarolo, Berici Hills, Venetian Southern Alps. The fossiliferous deposits pertain to the Rupelian (lower Oligocene) Castelgomberto Calcarenite and are indicative of a tropical marine shallow water setting associated with coral reefs. The assemblage is cha...
Stingrays are a group of batoid fishes comprising more than 360 extant species in 11 families, typically characterized by venomous tail stings. Living taxa are grouped in two different ecomorphotypes, with most species (the dasyatoid ecomorph) living in demersal habitats being characterized by a benthic lifestyle; their rounded, flattened, soft and...
Elasmobranchii are relatively well-studied. However, numerous phylogenetic uncertainties about their relationships remain. Here, we revisit the phylogenetic evidence based on a detailed morphological re-evaluation of all the major extant batomorph clades (skates and rays), including several holomorphic fossil taxa from the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and...
Colour patterning in extant animals can be used as a reliable indicator of their biology and, in extant fish, can inform on feeding strategy. Fossil fish with preserved colour patterns may thus illuminate the evolution of fish behaviour and community structure, but are understudied. Here we report preserved melanin-based integumentary colour patter...
During the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC, 5.97–5.33 Ma) the synergy between tectonic and climatic processes promoted the deposition of evaporites throughout the Mediterranean Basin. The disappearance of calcareous nannofossils and foraminifers at the MSC onset has been traditionally interpreted as the result of the establishment of hypersaline con...
A conger eel (Anguilliformes, Congridae) is described from the lower Lutetian concretionary nodules of the Lillebælt Clay Formation exposed at Trelde Næs, eastern Jutland, based on two partially complete articulated cranial skeletons. One of the cranial specimens exhibits an otolith void from which a cast was taken, used by Schwarzhans (2007) to de...
Almost fifty years after the first definition of the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC), the events that occurred in the Mediterranean during the terminal portion of the Miocene still attract the attention of a large and diverse scientific community. Although fossils are relatively common in the deposits that accumulated during the MSC, their signific...
A review of the morphological patterns exhibited by all the main radiations of mysticete
(baleen whale) cetaceans provided a broad assessment of the fundamental morphological transformations that occurred in the transition to the Mysticeti clade. Skull and postcranial characters were illustrated, described and compared, and their distribution was m...