Middle Pleistocene small mammal and mollusk locality Levada (lower Dniester river basin) and its position in the Tiraspolian faunas of the Russian plain

Abstract

The analysis of small mammal and freshwater mollusk remains from the fluvial deposits of VI terrace of Dniester R. in Levada section (Moldova, Transnistria) revealed the main characteristic of species composition and evolutionary level of these remains and permitted their placement in the stratigraphic scale of Middle Pleistocene faunas of Eastern Europe. The Levada fauna corresponds to the same stage as the fauna from the fluvial deposits of VI terrace of Dniester in stratotype of Tiraspolian faunistic complex in Kolkotova Balka section. These faunas existed between the Early Tiraspolian faunas which correlate to the second part of MIS 19 and with MIS 18, and the Late Tiraspolian (MIS 16 and MIS 15). Mimomys savini, Lagurus transiens, Microtus (Terricola) arvalidens, Lasiopodomys (Stenocranius) gregaloides are the species most characteristic of these faunas. The Levada fauna reflects interglacial climate conditions. The faunas of this evolutionary level existed during the second part of the Iliinskian Interglacial of the Russian Plain and during the Cromer Interglacial 2 of West Europe. The freshwater mollusks from Levada section (Viviparus tiraspolitanus Pavl., V. subcrasus Lung., Lithoglyphus naticoides C. Pf. and others) reflects a warm climate close to that of the Mediterranean.