Suidae Transition at the Miocene-Pliocene Boundary: a Reassessment of the Taxonomy and Chronology of Propotamochoerus provincialis

The Miocene-Pliocene (Turolian-Ruscinian) transition represents a fundamental interval in the evolution of Euro-Mediterranean paleocommunities. In fact, the paleoenvironmental changes connected with the end of the Messinian salinity crisis are reflected by a major renewal in mammal faunal assemblage...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mammalian evolution 2021-06, Vol.28 (2), p.323-335
Main Authors: Iannucci, Alessio, Cherin, Marco, Sorbelli, Leonardo, Sardella, Raffaele
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Genetics and Genomics
Anthropology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Diagnosis
Dispersal
Evolutionary Biology
Human Genetics
Life Sciences
Miocene
Original Paper
Pleistocene
Pliocene
Porcellio provincialis
Species
Suidae
Taxonomic revision
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Summary:The Miocene-Pliocene (Turolian-Ruscinian) transition represents a fundamental interval in the evolution of Euro-Mediterranean paleocommunities. In fact, the paleoenvironmental changes connected with the end of the Messinian salinity crisis are reflected by a major renewal in mammal faunal assemblages. An important bioevent among terrestrial large mammals is the dispersal of the genus Sus , which replaced all other suid species during the Pliocene. Despite its possible paleoecological and biochronological relevance, correlations based on this bioevent are undermined by the supposed persistence of the late surviving late Miocene Propotamochoerus provincialis . However, a recent revision of the type material of this species revealed an admixture with remains of Sus strozzii , an early Pleistocene (Middle Villafranchian to Epivillafranchian) suid, questioning both the diagnosis and chronological range of P. provincialis . Here we review the late Miocene Suidae sample recovered from the Casino Basin (Tuscany, central Italy), whose taxonomic attribution has been controversial over the nearly 150 years since its discovery. Following a comparison with other Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene Eurasian species, the Casino Suidae are assigned to P. provincialis and the species diagnosis is emended. Moreover, it is recognized that all the late Miocene (Turolian) European Propotamochoerus material belongs to P. provincialis and that there is no compelling evidence of the occurrence of this species beyond the Turolian-Ruscinian transition (MN13-MN14).
ISSN:1064-7554
1573-7055
DOI:10.1007/s10914-020-09521-w