Ericek, a new Pliocene vertebrate locality in the Çameli Basin (southwestern Anatolia, Turkey)

Abstract

The Cameli Basin in southwestern Anatolia preserves a sequence of fossiliferous sediments that record the Pliocene and early Pleistocene faunal development in the area. Here, we present the fauna of Ericek, a locality near the bottom of the sequence. The locality is rich in fish remains, particularly pharyngeal teeth of the cyprinids Barbus, Carassius and Capoeta, but also includes rare tooth-bearing bones of a possible cobitid and gobiid. The abundant fish remains agree with the geological interpretation that the Ericek sediments were deposited in a palaeolake. That interpretation is further supported by the abundance of mollusc fossils. The gastropod fauna is dominated by Pseudamnicola, Valvata and other freshwater prosobranch taxa. The dominance of prosobranch taxa over freshwater pulmonate species indicates a well-oxygenated lake environment. A range of aquatic, swamp and terrestrial tetrapod taxa are also represented. The amphibian fauna, documented mainly by anuran skull and postcranial bones and by a single salamander jaw, is consistent with a lacustrine setting for Ericek. Notable among the amphibian fossils are two jaws that may document the second record of palaeobatrachid frogs from Anatolia. Reptiles are represented by a few, incomplete vertebrae of colubroid and indeterminate snakes. Micromammal molars suggest the presence of a forested environment surrounding the palaeolake. Muridae are represented by three species, of which Apodemus cf. dominans is the most abundant. The shrew Asoriculus is the second most abundant species, which argues for a humid palaeoenvironment. The co-occurrences of the vole Mimomys occitanus and of the murids Orientalomys cf. similis and Rhagapodemus cf. primaevus indicate a late MN 15 age for the fauna, at an estimated age of 3.4 Ma.