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Libralces gallicus (Cervidae, Mammalia) from the Upper Pliocene of the Northeast Azov Region
Abstract
A fossil of Libralces gallicus Azzaroli from the Khaprovian beds of the Liventsovka locality (lower course of the Don River, Middle Villafranchian) is redescribed. The proportions of the antler beams and small measurements of the lower jaw show that the elk from Liventsovka is more primitive than other Villafranchian forms of the genus Libralces.
... My study permits me to confirm that the weak Palaeomeryx fold is present in M 1 and M 2 of the specimen M6227 (the holotype of Libralces minor). Nikolsky & Titov (2002) also reported the weak Palaeomeryx fold in lower molars of Alces gallicus from Liventsovka (Russia). Therefore, the occasional presence of a vestigial Palaeomeryx fold should be regarded as a specific character of Alces gallicus. ...
... 1). Remains of Alces gallicus are known from France, England, Romania, Azov Area of Russia, Tajikistan (Azzaroli 1952(Azzaroli , 1953Heintz & Poplin 1980;Vislobokova 1986;Boeskorov 2001;Nikolsky & Titov 2002;Breda & Marchetti 2005;Radulesco 2005). ...
... The elk from Udunga is characterized by an oblique position of the antler burr as in Alces gallicus and a slight anteroposterior compression of the pedicle. The oldest remains of Alces gallicus are known from the Middle Villafranchian of Navrukho (Tajikistan) and Livenzovka (Azov Sea Area of Russia) (Vislobokova 1986;Nikolsky & Titov 2002). The antlers of Alces gallicus seem to be extremely specialized and most distant from the initial capreoline antler bauplan. ...
... Whether the dimensional and morphological replacement of C. gallicus by C. carnutorum and then C. lati frons was anagenetic or cladogenetic, and whether gradualistic or punctuated, is still to be determined. Lister (1993b) suggested that the apparent gradualistic evolution may be due to gaps in the fossil record, whereas Nikolskiy (1996;2010) and Nikolskiy and Titov (2002) suggested a gradualistic sequence with additional intermediate species recorded through Eurasia. ...
The deer remains from the Early Pleistocene site of Untermassfeld (Thuringia, Germany) are analysed in detail, including published and previously unpublished material. The analysis confirms the presence of four species previously recorded at the site: the roe deer Capreolus cusanoides, the moose Cervalces carnutorum, the fallow deer ›Pseudodama‹ vallonnetensis and the large comb-antlered deer Eucladoceros giulii.
The remains of roe deer and moose are extremely rare in general, so each new specimen has been described in detail and measurements have been provided. Their importance rests in Untermassfeld being the type locality for C. cusanoides and the earliest European occurrence of the genus, and for C. carnutorum providing the richest collection of this otherwise poorly recorded species. E. giulii and ›P.‹ vallonnetensis are very abundant at the site, thus only selected antler, cranial and dental remains have been described in detail.
In particular, their completeness and good state of preservation allows a detailed morphological analysis which, by comparison with modern deer taxa of known ecology, allows the reconstruction of their likely feeding habits. The Untermassfeld sample of E. giulii represents the species’ type-population and last known representative of the Eucladoceros lineage. ›P.‹ vallonnetensis is the richest published collection of this last
representative of the ›Pseudodama‹ lineage which likely includes the ancestor of the modern genus Dama.
Updated MNIs haves been calculated for the four species recorded.
... Whether the dimensional and morphological replacement of C. gallicus by C. carnutorum and then C. lati frons was anagenetic or cladogenetic, and whether gradualistic or punctuated, is still to be determined. Lister (1993b) suggested that the apparent gradualistic evolution may be due to gaps in the fossil record, whereas Nikolskiy (1996;2010) and Nikolskiy and Titov (2002) suggested a gradualistic sequence with additional intermediate species recorded through Eurasia. ...
La révision et l’étude de nouveaux fossiles de grands mammifères provenant des dépôts de travertins du bassin de Denizli ont permis de reconnaître les espèces suivantes : Archidiskodon meridionalis meridionalis, Stephanorhinus cf. etruscus, Equus cf. altidens s. l., E. cf. apolloniensis, Metacervoceros rhenanus, Cervalces (Libralces) ex gr. minor-gallicus, Palaeotragus sp., Bovinae gen. et sp. indet. Biochronologiquement, cette association ressemble à celles reconnues au Villafranchien supérieur au Sud et à l’Est de l’Europe, et en partie à l’Ouest de l’Asie, et serait plus ancienne qu’1,2 Ma.
Pour citer cet article : Boulbes, N., et al., Les grands mammifères du Villafranchien supérieur des travertins du Bassin de Denizli (Sud-Ouest Anatolie, Turquie). L'Anthropologie (2014), http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anthro.2014.01.001 Article original Les grands mammifères du Villafranchien supérieur des travertins du Bassin de Denizli (Sud-Ouest Anatolie, Turquie) Résumé La révision et l'étude de nouveaux fossiles de grands mammifères provenant des dépôts de travertins du bassin de Denizli ont permis de reconnaître les espèces suivantes : Archidiskodon meridionalis meridionalis, Stephanorhinus cf. etruscus, Equus cf. altidens s. l, E. cf. apolloniensis, Metacervoceros rhenanus, Cervalces (Libralces) ex gr. minor-gallicus, Palaeotragus sp., Bovinae gen. et sp. indet. Biochronologi-quement, cette association ressemble à celles reconnues au Villafranchien supérieur au Sud et à l'Est de l'Europe, et en partie à l'Ouest de l'Asie, et serait plus ancienne qu'1,2 Ma. # 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés.
Systematics, taxonomy and phylogeny of Eurasian fossil moose are discussed in order to analyse their distribution in space and time. The largest European collections were studied. We recognise the genus Cervalces, including the chronospecies C. gallicus, C. carnutorum and C. latifrons, as well as the genus Alces, with the species A. alces. Cervalces differs from Alces in the facial area, in the length of the antlers and in the orientation of the palmation. Taking into account as more bibliography as possible, we suggest that the Siberian remains, due to their distance from the type localities, have size ranges and beam proportions a little different from the coeval European ones, so they are regarded as different geographic populations. Cervalces latifrons postremus systematics and chronology have been reconsidered. It results that it was present only in Siberia during the penultimate glaciation and was of the same body size as typical C. latifrons. It is likely that A. alces is not the direct descendant of the last European Cervalces, but its origin is still an open question. The present analysis provides a clearer picture of the geographical and chronological distribution of Cervalces and Alces.
This paper presents the first complete estimate of the phylogenetic relationships among all 197 species of extant and recently extinct ruminants combining morphological, ethological and molecular information. The composite tree is derived by applying matrix representation using parsimony analysis to 164 previous partial estimates, and is remarkably well resolved, containing 159 nodes (> 80 % of the potential nodes in the completely resolved phylogeny). Bremer decay index has been used to indicate the degree of certainty associated with each clade. The ages of over 80% of the clades in the tree have been estimated from information in the literature. The supertree for Ruminantia illustrates which areas of ruminant phylogeny are still only roughly known because of taxa with controversial relationships (e.g. Odocoileini, Antilopinae) or not studied in great detail (e.g. Muntiacus). It supports the monophyly of the ruminant families and Pecora. According to this analysis Antilocapridae and Giraffidae constitute the superfamily Giraffoidea, which is the sister group of a clade clustering Bovoidea and Cervoidea. The position of several taxa whose systematic positions have remained controversial in the past (Saiga, Pelea, Aepycerus, Pantholops, Ammotragus, Pseudois) is unambiguously established. Nevertheless, the position of Neotragus and Oreotragus within the original radiation of the non-bovine bovids remains unresolved in the present analysis. It also shows that six successive rapid cladogenesis events occurred within the infraorder Pecora during the Oligocene to middle Pliocene, which coincided with periods of global climatic change. Finally, the presented supertree will be a useful framework for comparative and evolutionary biologists interested in studies involving the ruminants.
Seven species of artiodactyls from the Udunga locality in the Selenga basin, Trans-Baikal, Russia, are described: Capreolus constantini, sp. nov., Axis shansius, Orchonoceros gromovi, Alcinae gen. indet., Gazella sinensis, Antilospira zdanskyi, and Ovis sp. Capreolus constantini, the oldest known roe deer, is a possible descendant of Procapreolus wenzensis, which existed at the end of the early Pliocene (zone MN 15). The Udunga fauna is correlated with lower Villafranchian faunas (zone MN 16). The fauna existed on the southern border of the boreal forest at the boundary between the European-Siberian and Central Asian paleozoogeographic sub-areas after 3.5 million years ago.
Deer species provide a valuable biostratigraphical tool through Cromer Forest-bed times, due particularly to species turnover between the Early and early Middle Pleistocene. This study is based on the reidentification of 348 fossil antlers. The provenance of most large mammal fossils from the CF-bF, collected over 150 years, was recorded only by the nearest coastal village. None the less, analysis of the cervid taxa by these ‘localities’ reveals interesting patterns. The fauna of the West Runton Freshwater Bed is of early Middle Pleistocene complexion, and that from the foreshore at East Runton is of Early Pleistocene. Pure or nearly pure early Middle Pleistocene assemblages also occur at Kessingland-Pakefield and at Trimingham. At Overstrand, Sidestrand, Mundesley, Bacton and Happisburgh, there is a mixture of Early and early Middle Pleistocene elements. Analysis of Savin's data shows that fossils of earlier species were generally found further down the beach than those of later ones. Late nineteenth century geological surveys, made when bone collecting was at its peak, give additional information about fossil horizons, which in several cases can be related to modern stratigraphical units. Most Early Pleistocene large-mammal bones came from Pastonian conglomerates, in contrast to small-mammal and molluscan assemblages mostly extracted from Pre-Pastonian Crag. However, the diversity of Early Pleistocene CF-bF cervid species in comparison with continental faunas, and their pattern of distribution between sites, suggests they may span more than one chronostratigraphic stage. Early Middle Pleistocene assemblages came from strata now referred to the Cromerian, and the differing proportions of taxa between sites provide limited evidence of time-transgression.