Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the early Upper Pleistocene of Bois Roche Cave (Charente, southwestern France)

Abstract

The layers, ascribed to the early Upper Pleistocene (Middle Palaeolithic) of Bois Roche Cave, contain an abundant bone assemblage, as well as a few lithic artifacts, in a hyena den. The amphibians and squamate reptiles fauna consist of: Pelobates fuscus (Pe- lobatidae), Pelodytes punctatus (Pelodytidae), Bufo bufo and Bufo calamita (Bufonidae), Hyla sp. (Hylidae), Rana temporaria and Rana cf. R. lessonae (Ranidae), a small lacertid (Lacertidae), Anguis fragilis (Anguidae), Natrix natrix and Coronella austriaca (Colubri- dae) and a Vipera berus complex species (Viperidae). The herpetofauna may be con- temporaneous of cold-temperate climatic conditions. P. fuscus, R. lessonae and V. berus complex underline more continental climatic conditions mitigated by the occurrence of species like P. punctatus and B. calamita with western Atlantic affinities. The palaeoenvi- ronment, suggested by herpetofauna, was a very open environment, with damp meadows and small grove areas of broad-leaved trees and conifers. The proportion and distribution of species in the stratigraphic sequence allow hypotheses concerning minor climatic variations to be advanced.