Fossil records of Bovidae and Cervidae from the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene of Slovenia: Implications for Eurasian correlations and evolution of ungulate fauna communities

High-resolution 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Koobi Fora Tuff Complex, Turkana Basin: Implications for the hominin bearing strata of the Early Pleistocene (1.6–1.4 Ma)

Vampire bats likely first appeared in South America in the early Miocene (~20 Ma) and evolved to feed upon the blood of native South American mammals of medium to large body size, in particular, xenarthrans–ground sloths, armadillos, pampatheres, and glyptodonts, and native ungulates–notoungulates and litopterns. Following the formation of the Panamanian Isthmus (~5 Ma), vampire bats immigrated into North America as participants in the Great American Biotic Interchange, following their preferred prey species, probably xenarthrans. The earliest records of vampire bats are the extinct species Desmodus archaeodaptes from three early Pleistocene faunas in Florida. The large extinct vampire D. stocki occurs in 18 late Pleistocene faunas in the southern US and Mexico. The giant extinct vampire D. draculae is known from eight late Pleistocene faunas from Mexico and Belize south to Brazil and Argentina. The late Pleistocene extinction of D. draculae and D. stocki coincided with the extinction of their primary source of blood, the mammalian megafauna. The common vampire bat D. rotundus survived and now occurs throughout tropical America because it had a broader prey base, feeding on the blood of a variety of medium- to large-sized mammals, and currently preying preferentially on non-native domestic livestock.

The African Early Pleistocene is a time of evolutionary change and techno-behavioral innovation in human prehistory that sees the advent of our own genus, Homo, from earlier australopithecine ancestors by 2.8-2.3 million years ago. This was followed by the origin and dispersal of Homo erectus sensu lato across Africa and Eurasia between ~ 2.0 and 1.1 Ma and the emergence of both large-brained (e.g., Bodo, Kabwe) and small-brained (e.g., H. naledi) lineages in the Middle Pleistocene of Africa. Here we present a newly reconstructed face of the DAN5/P1 cranium from Gona, Ethiopia (1.6-1.5 Ma) that, in conjunction with the cranial vault, is a mostly complete Early Pleistocene Homo cranium from the Horn of Africa. Morphometric analyses demonstrate a combination of H. erectus-like cranial traits and basal Homo-like facial and dental features combined with a small brain size in DAN5/P1. The presence of such a morphological mosaic contemporaneous with or postdating the emergence of the indisputable H. erectus craniodental complex around 1.6 Ma implies an intricate evolutionary transition from early Homo to H. erectus. This finding also supports a long persistence of small-brained, plesiomorphic Homo group(s) alongside other Homo groups that experienced continued encephalization through the Early to Middle Pleistocene of Africa.

Over the last twenty-five years, the study of hominin evolution and archaeological assemblages has become increasingly complex, due to new archaeological and paleoanthropological discoveries, and the advent of innovative analytical approaches. Findings from paleontological and archaeological sites and localities along the East African Rift Valley reveal substantial cultural and biological diversity during the Lower Pleistocene. From this context emerge critical questions about the relationships between the different material cultures and hominins. To explore these questions, I propose a cross-disciplinary approach that examines both the skeletal anatomy of hominins and the associations between hominins and archaeological assemblages in Lower Pleistocene sites and localities in East Africa. Anatomical evidence suggests that the dexterity required to produce Oldowan assemblages was likely not exclusive to the genus Homo. Moreover, multiple hominin species appear to have been involved in tool-making, particularly within Oldowan assemblages. These assemblages have been associated with Homo sp. and Homo habilis (n = 10), Homo erectus/ergaster (n = 6), and with a significant number, of Paranthropus remains (n = 8). Given this evidence, Paranthropus should now be recognized as a stone tool-maker alongside early Homo.

The temporal sequence and mechanistic interplay between life-history and mating-system transitions in plants remain poorly understood. Here, we combine crossing experiments with population genomic analyses to investigate these processes in the Incarvillea sinensis complex (Bignoniaceae), which contains annual selfing and perennial outcrossing populations. Crossing experiments revealed complete post-zygotic isolation between annuals and perennials. Genomic data derived from de novo assemblies of annual and perennial individuals, along with SNP and chloroplast sequencing of 126 individuals from 30 populations, demonstrated strong genetic divergence between life histories, with no evidence of contemporary gene flow between them. Compared to perennials, annuals exhibited significantly reduced genetic diversity, elevated differentiation and a greater number of chromosomal rearrangements-particularly translocations. Divergence time estimates indicated that annual and perennial lineages split during the early Pleistocene (ca. 2.22 Mya), whereas the shift to selfing from outcrossing within the annual lineage was a more recent event, occurring during the late Pleistocene (~0.03 Mya). These results indicate that the mating-system shift was not the initial driver of divergence, and we infer that the life-history transition likely occurred earlier, although its precise timing could not be directly determined. Our findings support a two-stage model of divergence in which adaptation to seasonally arid environments first drove the evolution of annuality, initiating speciation through ecological isolation and genetic divergence. The subsequent evolution of selfing then likely further promoted reproductive isolation via both pre- and post-zygotic mechanisms, potentially accelerating rapid genomic differentiation and effectively completing the speciation process.

Ancient lakes often harbor endemic species that are invaluable for studying adaptive radiation and speciation. In Yunnan Province, southwestern China, a number of ancient lakes emerged as a result of Cenozoic tectonic activities. Within these lakes, ostracods constitute a crucial component of the ecosystems, yet they remain poorly studied. Here, we describe Limnocythere curvispinosa sp. nov. (Limnocytheridae Sars, 1925) from Fuxian and Yangzong Lakes in east-central Yunnan. This new species belongs to the L. stationis group based on its posteriorly inclined dorsal valve margin and the reduced seventh limb. It can be distinguished from other species in this group by the three long, curved dorsal spines on the right valve, the small antero-dorsal spine on the left valve, and the unique morphology of the hemipenis. Our data indicate that Limnocythere curvispinosa sp. nov. colonized Yangzong Lake by the Early Holocene at the latest, but it is uncertain if it still occurs there today. Some females and a few males of this species still live in Fuxian Lake. Together, Limnocythere curvispinosa sp. nov. , Limnocythere xinanensis Zhao, 1987, and another undescribed but closely related species represent a small evolutionary lineage within the L. stationis group that has inhabited southwestern China since the Early Pleistocene.

The fossil horses from the Farneta Faunal Unit (Early Pleistocene, central Italy): a review with new remarks on the paleobiogeography and biochronology of the Late Villafranchian equids in Western Eurasia

Abstract Megantereon is an iconic sabertoothed cat known from the Quaternary deposits of the Old World, being its evolutionary scenario and phylogenetic relationships hotly debated the last decades. Several authors proposed that there is only one species, i.e. M. cultridens , or two species, plus M. whitei in Eurasia and Africa of Pleistocene, while some authors proposed multiple species present. Here we describe a mostly complete cranium and several fragmented mandibular fragments of a very large and robust form of Megantereon from Bajiazui, Qingyang, northwestern China, assigned to M. inexpectatus . Several new skulls/crania of M. nihowanensis from Longdan (Gansu, China) were analysed and they further provide a better basis for evaluating the intraspecific variability of this lineage. The analyses here reported, support the recognition of two species from a single lineage of Megantereon in northern China since the earliest Pleistocene to the middle Pleistocene, with smaller M. nihowanensis in the Gelasian, and slightly larger and more robust M. inexpectatus with more derived dentition during the Calabrian to the early Middle Pleistocene. This scenario is different from what is seen in Europe, where the primitive M. cultridens evolved to smaller and dentally specialized M. adroveri .

ABSTRACT More than five decades after the first report of fossil remains found in a limestone quarry near Crespià, NE Spain, we provide here the first dating results for the palaeontological assemblage from Incarcal‐I, one of the various fossil‐rich sinkholes identified at the locality that has yielded ~2,000 remains representing at least 15 taxa of large mammals. Palaeomagnetism in conjunction with combined U‐series and electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of fossil teeth consistently constrain the age of Incarcal‐I to the latest part of the Early Pleistocene. Specifically, with palaeomagnetic results showing reverse magnetic polarities for the large majority of the samples and no indisputable evidence of normal polarity in the stratigraphic succession, the deposits may be reasonably correlated to the Matuyama Chron (2.61–0.77 Ma), thus providing a minimum age constraint of 0.77 Ma for the sedimentary infill. Additionally, direct dating of two fossil teeth of Hippopotamus antiquus using the most advanced analytical procedures, through a combination of unusually high sampling density ( n = 17) for bulk ESR and U‐series analyses and high‐resolution laser ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry (ICP‐MS) analyses, yields a mean age of 862 ± 52 ka (1σ). Interestingly, the data set collected shows the exceptionally high spatial homogeneity of the ESR and U‐series data across dental tissues and of the natural radioactivity of the sedimentary environment. Furthermore, the uncertainty around the uranium uptake modelling carries very little weight in the age calculation, which is unusual for such old fossil teeth. Consequently, this set of evidence supports the robustness and reliability of the ESR chronology, adding a new solid chronological tie point for biochronological inferences. In summary, the various lines of evidence available enable confident positioning of Incarcal‐I in the latest part of the Early Pleistocene, that is, somewhere between the end of the Jaramillo Subchron (1.01 Ma) and the Matuyama–Brunhes boundary (0.77 Ma). The numerical dating results indicate that the fossil assemblage of Incarcal‐I is coeval with those from other well‐constrained key Spanish localities such as Atapuerca Gran Dolina TD4‐6, and Vallparadís Station EVT7, highlighting the overall exceptional density of the Iberian fossil record between ~0.8 and ~1.0 Ma. Finally, a critical evaluation of the existing age constraints available for the Calabrian (1.80–0.77 Ma) fossil localities of the Iberian Peninsula is also proposed here, with a first tentative classification of the sites into four main categories (A to D) based on the robustness and precision of their chronostratigraphic framework.

Salinization in the western Songnen Plain has limited regional ecology and land use for decades, with its primary cause closely tied to sediment transport. To elucidate sediment evolution and its role in soil salinization, a borehole from saline-alkali land in Taonan County, west of the Songnen Plain, was investigated within an AMS14C, OSL, and ESR dating framework. Grain size analysis, end-member modeling, and major-element geochemistry revealed four transport components—fluvial, aeolian, glacio-fluvial, and lacustrine. Five provenance stages from the late Early Pleistocene to the Early Holocene were found: (1) distal weathered volcanic rock transport with minor fluvial–alluvial input; (2) proximal alluvial–proluvial transport; (3) ice meltwater and wind-driven transport; (4) predominantly wind transport; and (5) renewed fluvial–proluvial transport. These shifts correspond to regional paleoclimate fluctuations driven by global ice volume cycles, which control sediment supply, hydrology, and consequently salt accumulation in warm humid periods and upward salt migration in cold dry periods. The findings of this study demonstrate that Pleistocene glacial–interglacial climate cycles are the dominant driver of sediment transport and salinization dynamics on the western Songnen Plain.

New postcranial material of Panthera gombaszoegensis, a large pantherine felid, is analyzed from the English site of Corton (early Middle Pleistocene, possibly 0.7–0.6 mya) and the Polish site of Rogóżka Cave (0.45–0.35 mya). Both records are attributable to Panthera gombaszoegensis gombaszoegensis. This robust chronosubspecies is characteristic of the late Early and Middle Pleistocene, ca. last 1.5 mya. Both findings contribute valuable data on the knowledge of the species. The most likely factors that contributed to the extinction of P. gombaszoegensis were intraspecific competition with African newcomers, such as P. s. fossilis and C. crocuta, combined with climatic fluctuations and shifts in prey availability.

Three populations of a new genus and populations of five Anatolian species of Gomphocerus are examined morphologically using morphometric analysis (Canonical Discriminant Function Analysis, CDF). The phylogenetic relationship between the new genus and the morphologically similar genera of Gomphocerus, Gomphocerippus, and Aeropedellus are assessed using the mitochondrial COI and Cyt-b gene sequences. Additionally, the bioacoustics of the three populations of the new genus are compared with previous bioacoustic descriptions of the related Gomphocerinae genera. The morphometric data based on the eigenvalue criterion (eigenvalue > 1) 31 morphometric variables are grouped under seven distinct factors. The morphometric analysis clearly separates the new genus from Gomphocerus acutus and G. hemipterus by Function 2 and from G. eyluldenizi, G. turcicus, and G. transcaucasicus by Function 1. Bioacoustics data demonstrate a unique calling song pattern of the new genus, which clearly differs from those of its related genera. The morphological, bioacoustic, and genetic data support the description of a new genus within the subtribe Gomphocerini: Salmanihippus gen. nov. The new genus is endemic to the northeastern Black Sea region of Anatolia. The previously known species Aeropedellus turcicus was transferred to a new genus, Salmanihippus turcicus (Karabag, 1959) gen. et comb. nov., and redescribed. A key to genera of Gomphocerini, necessary illustrations and diagnostic figures are provided. BEAST analysis conducted with 25 sequences (1077 bp) show that the diversification of the genera started in the Miocene (Tortonian) at approximately 9.5 Mya. According to the chronogram, the new genus diverged from its closest relative approximately 1.88 million years ago (Ma). This periodization places the divergence in the early Pleistocene, suggesting that Quaternary climatic oscillations could have played a significant role in the isolation and evolution of this lineage.

his study provides a taxonomic description of two new species of fossil Harpidae from the the Bioclastic limestones of the Roe Calcarenite South Western Australia, which is late Pliocene to early Pleistocene in age (2.59 - 1.81 Ma). The new species have been compared to their congeners and evolutionary aspects discussed.

New palaeoecological insights for the early human occupation in Europe: amphibians and reptiles from the Early Pleistocene of Pirro Nord 13 (Apricena, southern Italy)

The impact of strongly differentiated populations on species delimitation due to limited or sex-biased dispersal remains challenging and under-explored in the framework of integrative taxonomy. The Mediterranean chafer beetle genus Pachypus is remarkable for its extreme female philopatry, with entirely wingless and subterranean females. This makes Pachypus an interesting case study. Based on a dataset of over 900 protein-coding genes (metazoan universal single-copy orthologs; mzl-USCOs), we investigated phylogeny, species delimitation, gene flow, and population differentiation to provide an integrative assessment of species boundaries. Integrative consideration of all results led to the recognition of 14 mostly morphologically cryptic species, including several new taxa. Most inferred speciation events occurred in the time between the end of the Messinian salinity crisis (about 5.3 million years ago) and the early Pleistocene. Phylogenetically old species and lack of recent speciation was unexpected because of the extreme philopatry, the morphological similarity of the species, and the high degree of differentiation observed among populations of the same species. Speciation was partly associated with the disruption of previously more connected ranges after the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC). This also helps clarify the extent to which the Mediterranean dried out during the MSC, since land connections in the circum-Tyrrhenian region must have persisted long enough for flightless Pachypus females to disperse across drifting land areas connecting the Apennine Peninsula and Africa. We found evidence for historical gene flow between species, while more recent gene flow between populations is low, which is potentially the cause of considerable over-splitting found in the Bayesian Phylogenetics & Phylogeography (BPP) species delimitation analysis. We showed that integrating the outcome of the BPP species delimitation with genealogical divergence index (gdi) values proved to be helpful in some cases but was inconclusive in many others. Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC) and Poisson Tree Processes (PTP) analyses were less prone to over-splitting. This illustrates how species delimitation analyses of cases with restricted or sex-biased dispersal and highly differentiated populations can serve as empirical tests of the utility and robustness of delimitation approaches.

A new fossil honey bee Apis (Apis) aibaisp. nov. was discovered in the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene lacustrine deposit in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Fossil species are identified based on their distinct forewing venation, thick, lighter-colored abdomens, and hind legs. Honeybee fossils exhibit a highly uneven distribution across time. Fossil species are primarily derived from older Oligocene-Miocene deposits, mostly in Europe and China, while fossils of a few modern species have been recovered from younger Pleistocene and Holocene deposits. Apis (Apis) aibaisp. nov. bridges the gap between older and younger fossil records. Additionally, this species represents the most recent extinct honey bee and the oldest known record of the subgenus Apis.

Pietrafitta is one of the richest Early Pleistocene localities in the Italian Peninsula and it hosts one of the latest occurrences of the discoglossid frog Latonia in Europe. This occurrence is here described as a new species of Latonia, a large-bodied frog, potentially feeding on hard invertebrates in the Pietrafitta palaeoswamp. Our first attempt at the phylogenetic reconstruction of Latonia, based on a matrix consisting of 20 taxa and 39 characters, placed the new Italian species within a poorly understood clade that also includes Latonia caucasica from the Late Miocene of northern Caucasus. Almost all other extinct Latonia species make up a second clade, represented in the fossil record from the Oligocene and including the youngest occurrence of the genus in Europe, from the Middle Pleistocene of Hungary. The only extant species, Latonia nigriventer, was the earliest branching taxon in our topology, which could be due to its unique unsculptured morphology, a trait that may represent a secondary loss during the Quaternary. The exostosis on cranial bones, which is considered a diagnostic feature of the genus, might have developed in the earliest Latonia in response to pronounced warming and drought. Later, starting after the Middle Miocene, this exostosis underwent a reduction process, possibly triggered by cooling, that led to Plio–Pleistocene forms sharing a narrower frontoparietal with a less pustular sculpturing. Latonia dimenticata is a clear example of this frontoparietal morphology. Latonia nigriventer may have further evolved a completely unsculptured morphology to face rapid environmental changes in the last Quaternary glacial phases and ultimately facilitating its survival into the present day. https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E0502A26-F909-4240-97CC-1C98E606322B

ABSTRACTAimThe aim of this study was to investigate the evolutionary and palaeogeographical drivers of diversification in the Neotropical sand fly group Lutzomyia s.l., a major vector of leishmaniasis, across the Americas.LocationThe study was focused on the Neotropical regions of the Americas.Time PeriodThe diversification of Lutzomyia s.l. was examined over the past 9 million years, with emphasis on the Late Pliocene and Quaternary.Major Taxa StudiedA total of 68 extant taxa of Lutzomyia s.l. were analysed.MethodsA phylogenetic time tree was reconstructed to estimate divergence times. Kernel density estimation was applied to identify diversification peaks. Palaeoclimatic suitability models were developed for the mid‐Piacenzian, MIS19, the Last Interglacial and the Last Glacial Maximum to assess historical distributional shifts.ResultsIt was revealed that all extant lineages of Lutzomyia s.l. originated within the last 9 million years, with a diversification peak between 3.25 and 0.6 million years ago, particularly around 1.625 million years ago. The emergence of key vector groups, including the Lutzomyia longipalpis complex, was shown to coincide with periods of increasing climatic instability and with major palaeogeographical events such as the final closure of the Isthmus of Panama. Kernel density analysis indicated that most divergence events occurred during the early Pleistocene, closely aligned with the onset of end‐Pliocene cooling. Climatic suitability models demonstrated expansions and contractions of habitats in response to climatic transitions, sea level fluctuations and biome shifts. Following the Last Glacial Maximum, a general poleward expansion and regional habitat recovery were observed, particularly in the Brazilian Highlands and Central America.Main ConclusionsIt was demonstrated that past climatic and palaeogeographical changes strongly shaped the diversification and distribution of Lutzomyia s.l. These findings provide insights into the historical biogeography of this vector group and contribute to understanding the potential future spread of leishmaniasis.

A normal magnetostratigraphic polarity interval in the Main Ethiopian Rift at 1.6 Ma: Implications for Acheulean and Homo erectus chronology.