The Late Pliocene Bovidae and Cervidae (Mammalia) of Milia (Grevena, Macedonia, Greece)

Abstract

Since 1996 Late Pliocene ruminants have been excavated from sand deposits exposed along the Aliakmon River valley at Milia (Grevena, Western Macedonia, Greece). The Bovidae include five species: the new large Bovini Grevenobos antiquus, Alephis sp., Bovini indet., Gazella borbonica, and Antilopinae indet., Cervidae are less common and include Croizetoceros ramosus, Praeelaphus cf. lyra and Cervidae indet. The association of Alephis sp., G. borbonica, Cr. ramosus, Homotherium sp., Agriotherium sp., Mammut borsoni, Anancus arvernensis, Tapirus arvernensis arvernensis, Stephanorhinus jeanvireti, Hipparion sp. (H. crassum group) and Sus arvernensis arvernensis allows us to date this faunal assemblage to the transition between MN 15 and MN 16a. It is the first time that such transitional assemblage is documented in Europe.