Page 10 - Palombo_Ferretti _2005

ARTICLE IN PRESS
116 M.R. Palombo, M.P. Ferretti / Quaternary International 126–128 (2005) 107–136

Fig. 6. M. cf. trogontherii from Monte Spaccato, Rome (early Middle Pleistocene), MPR, skull. (A) left lateral view; (B) anterior view; (C), molar,
occlusal view. Scale bar is 20 cm in (A–B) and 5 cm in (C).

Guenther, 1969). Because of poor preservation and within the range of M. trogontherii from S.ussenborn.
absence of comparable M. trogontherii skulls, identifica- A complete lower m3 (DSTT 14765; Figs. 7a and b)
tion of this specimen is tentative. The Monte Spaccato from Rome (the exact site is unknown) possesses 16
skull is more derived than M. meridionalis in the plates (excluding the mesial and distal talons; Table 5), a
morphology of the tusk alveoli and the height of the value which is at the extreme lower end of the variability
maxilla, while it is more primitive than M. primigenius range of the species. Age and stratigraphic context are
for its more robust morphology, more elongated skull, known only for specimens from Monte Spaccato,
and more primitive molars. Thus, the Monte Spaccato Valdemino, Fontignano, and Ponte Galeria, all of which
mammoth appears morphologically intermediate be- are dated to the early Middle Pleistocene (see below).
tween these two species. For these reasons, and taking
also in consideration the age of the Monte Spaccato 2.1.4. Taxonomic status of late Middle Pleistocene
deposits (see below), we refer this specimen to M. cf. mammoths from Italy
trogontherii. Still unresolved is the systematic position of several
The remainder of the material from the Italian late Middle Pleistocene Italian mammoth samples. It is
localities listed above is represented by molars whose debated whether they represent late occurrences of M.
morphological and metric characters (Table 5) are trogontherii, or early representatives of the woolly