Mammuthus meridionalis (Nesti, 1825) from Campo di Pile (L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Central Italy)

Abstract

In the summer of 2009, four molars and two tusks, of a single individual of Mammuthus meridionalis, (a female, 28–30 year old) were discovered at Campo di Pile (L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Central Italy) in fluvial beach sediments of a depositional unit dated to the late Early Pleistocene. A new fragmentary tusk of a second individual has been recently discovered not far from the former. The morphology and dimensions of the penultimate molariform teeth fall within the range of variation of the Upper Valdarno specimens. The enamel pattern is consistent with that commonly found in M. meridionalis. Moreover, the relative thickness of the layers indicates a less advanced Mammuthus representative. In the L'Aquila Basin, at Madonna della Strada-Scoppito, a complete skeleton of M. meridionalis was found in sediments dating to the pre-Jaramillo Early Pleistocene, while some other isolated remains have been recorded at Rocca Santo Stefano and Colle Mancino. During the early Middle Pleistocene, Mammuthus (? Mammuthus trogontherii) and Palaeoloxodon co-occurred in the faunal assemblage of Pagliare di Sassa. Based on stratigraphic evidence, the Campo di Pile findings seem to be intermediate in age between the Madonna della Strada and the Pagliare di Sassa specimens. Ongoing research on the Campo di Pile site contributes to enhancement of knowledge of the Quaternary fauna and paleoenvironmental evolution of the L'Aquila Basin.