Page 21 - Palombo_Ferretti _2005

ARTICLE IN PRESS
M.R. Palombo, M.P. Ferretti / Quaternary International 126–128 (2005) 107–136 127

assemblages belonging to this unit: Mammut borsoni and the oldest sure record of ‘‘typical’’ M. meridionalis in
Anancus arvernensis, while no elephant remains have Italy is from the type locality of Upper Valdarno. As
been retrieved to date. mentioned above, from this locality several fossiliferous
A faunal turnover related to the cooling event that levels containing late Villafranchian taxa are recorded.
took place around 2.6–2.5 Ma (Alberdi et al., 1998; Based on systematic composition, two successive faunas
Caloi and Palombo, 1999; Palombo, 1994, in press; have been recognized (Azzaroli, 1977b), namely the
Palombo et al., 2003), marks the transition to the middle Matassino (Olivola FU) and Tasso (Tasso FU) faunas.
Villafranchian, which is here considered to include the Attempt by researchers of the IGF and DSTFI at
Montopoli, Saint Vallier and Costa San Giacomo FUs. locating the stratigraphic provenance of several Upper
The Montopoli FU is based on the rich fauna from a site Valdarno fossils belonging to the IGF old collections,
near Montopoli, Lower Valdarno. The fossil level at together with new magnetostratigraphic data and new
Montopoli is at the top of a marine sequence with fossil findings, indicate that the age of the Matassino
Globorotalia crassaformis and has been calibrated with fauna is confined to the Late Pliocene, spanning about
the Gauss/Matuyama transition (Lindsay et al., 1980). 150 kya, from ca. 1.99–1.83 Ma (Torre et al., 1993, 1996;
The Montopoli FU can be thus confidently dated to Napoleone et al., 2001, 2003). Recently, a new faunal
about 2.6 Ma (late Middle Pliocene). This FU records assemblage, that can be correlated with the Matassino
the first appearance of an elephantine species in Italy, fauna has been discovered at Poggio Rosso, near Figline
represented by an early member of the Mammuthus (Upper Valdarno; Mazzini et al., 2000). Interpretation
lineage (see above). Mammut borsoni is no more of the Poggio Rosso fauna indicates this is of
recorded in Italy, while Anancus is still present, though intermediate age between that of the Olivola and Tasso
less abundant. At Laiatico, a site near Montopoli, a FUs. This contradicts the previous hypothesis that the
nearly complete skeleton of a primitive mammoth was Matassino fauna from Upper Valdarno belongs to the
retrieved from a shallow marine sequence possibly Olivola FU. The Poggio Rosso fauna has been dated on
correlative with the marine sequence below the level at magnetostratigraphic grounds to 1.870 Ma (Napoleone
Montopoli, thus indicating a possibly slightly earlier age et al., 2001, 2003), an age slightly older than the
for the arrival of Mammuthus in Italy. The age of the Plio-Pleistocene boundary (sensu Aguirre and Pasini,
Montopoli fauna is roughly equivalent to that of other 1985). Accordingly, the age of the older Olivola FU is
early appearance of Mammuthus in Western Europe tilted somewhat back within the last part of the Late
(Lister and Van Essen, 2003). These seem to postdate Pliocene.
the first appearance of mammoths in Eastern Europe A rich fauna, representing the younger Tasso FU, was
(R* adulescu and Samson, 1995, 2001; Markov and retrieved at Casa Frata (Upper Valdarno), for which
Spassov, 2003). Indeed, at Cernatesti, Romania, remains exact stratigraphic data are available (Borselli et al.,
of a primitive mammoth, referred to M. rumanus 1980; De Giuli and Masini, 1987; Azzaroli et al., 1988).
(R* adulescu and Samson, 1995, 2001; Lister and van The Casa Frata fauna has been calibrated with the top
Essen, 2003), are associated with Mammut borsoni, of the Olduvai subchron, ca. 1.77 Ma (Torre et al.,
suggesting a correlation with the Triversa FU. 1996), thus representing the base of the Early Pleisto-
Poor sampling of Late Pliocene mammal faunas does cene.
not allow to reconstruct in detail the pattern of A palynological investigation of an Upper Valdarno
extinction of Anancus arvernensis on the one hand and sequence confirmed a cold and mainly dry episode
the origin of M. meridionalis on the other. Current corresponding to the Matassino and Tasso faunas
evidence suggests Anancus arvernensis became extinct at (Torre et al., 1996). M. meridionalis is represented in
the beginning of the late Villafranchian (Olivola FU; latest Villafranchian faunas, belonging to the Farneta
Late Pliocene). Zanchetta and Mazza (1996), however, and Pirro Nord FUs (Early Pleistocene; ca. 1.5 to
proposed an earliest Pleistocene age for a fragmentary 1.2 Ma; Gliozzi et al., 1997) by a very large and possibly
skeleton of Anancus from Monte Castello, Lower cranially advanced form (see above), and persists well
Valdarno. In this case Anancus would have made its through the first half of the succeeding LMA.
last appearance during the successive Tasso FU.
Fragmentary remains of Mammuthus have been col- 3.2. Galerian
lected at Costa San Giacomo (Anagni; St. Vallier FU,
middle Villafranchian, early Late Pliocene). Due to its In the Galerian a marked turnover of Italian mammal
incompleteness the material from Costa San Giacomo faunas is recorded, linked to the onset of the ‘glacial’
prevents any definite systematic identification. At Pleistocene in Europe. Many modern genera made their
Olivola (type fauna of the Olivola FU) an elephantine appearance during this time, while Villafranchian taxa
species is represented by abundant post-cranials. Lack gradually disappear. Early Galerian assemblages show,
of dental and cranial remains, however, prevents to indeed, that the faunal change was a gradual process,
assign the material to any specific taxa. At present, thus, involving origin of new adaptations, faunal migrations