The Early Pleistocene Equidae from Pirro Nord (Apricena, Southern Italy)

Abstract

Fossil horse remains from Pirro Nord (Southern Italy) are described and compared with the late Early to Middle Pleistocene equids from the main sites ofWestern and Central Europe (Spain, France, Italy and Germany). Morphological features and dimensions indicate the unequal occurrence of two horses, close in morphology but different in size as supported by the statistical analyses (PCA and DA) performed including the most significant samples of Spain (VentaMicena, Barranco Leon-5, Fuente Nueva-3, Huescar-1, Cullar de Baza-1), France (Soleilhac), Italy (Venosa Loreto, Ponte Galeria), and Germany (Susenborn, Untermasfeld). The middle-sized horse is identified as Equus altidens altidens von Reichenau, 1915, its similarity with to the late early to Early Middle Pleistocene specimens from Guadix-Baza basin and Susenborn is briefly discussed in order to chronologically assess the Pirro Nord “population”. The second species Equus suessenbornensisWust, 1900, poorly represented, is larger and close to the type population of Susenborn, as well to the latest Early-earlyMiddle Pleistocene large equids from South-Eastern Spain (Cullar de Baza-1 andHuescar-1), and Italy (Venosa Loreto).