Prominatherium dalmatinum from the late Eocene of Grancona (Vicenza, NE Italy). The oldest terrestrial mammal of the Italian peninsula

Abstract

So far, the oldest terrestrial mammal associations in Italy dates to the beginning of the Oligocene, with Anthracotheriidae being the most represented taxon. Sites from northern Italy yielded remains of the genus Anthracotherium that spread from Asia to western Europe after the Grande Coupure. A finding at Grancona, which is Priabonian in age, implies that Anthracotheriidae family reached the Italian Peninsula before the Eocene–Oligocene boundary. Thus, the dispersal of this family in northern Italy is anterior than previously believed. The fossil consists of a poorly preserved right hemi-maxilla with well-preserved P4 and M3. The shape and the size of the teeth are not compatible with the genus Anthracotherium. On the contrary, the closer affinities with the Croatian species Prominatherium dalmatinum suggest a connection between the Balkan area and the Italian peninsula and a possible new way of dispersal for this family.