Small Vertebrate Fauna Research Articles

New occurrences of mammals from McKay Reservoir (Hemphillian, Oregon)

AbstractEncompassing global cooling, the spread of grasslands, and biogeographic interchanges, the Hemphillian North American Land Mammal Age is an important interval for understanding the factors driving ecological and evolutionary change through time. McKay Reservoir near Pendleton, Oregon is a natural laboratory for analyses of these factors. It is remarkable for its small vertebrate fauna including rodents, bats, turtles, and lagomorphs, but also for its larger mammal fossils like camelids, rhinocerotids, canids, and felids. Despite the importance of the site, few revisions to its faunal list have been published since its original description. We expand on this description by identifying taxa not previously known from McKay Reservoir based on specimens collected during fieldwork and through reidentification of previously collected fossils. Newly identified taxa include the borophagine canid Borophagus secundus (Matthew and Cook, 1909), the camelids Megatylopus Matthew and Cook, 1909 and Pleiolama Webb and Meachen, 2004, a dromomerycid, and the equids Cormohipparion Skinner and MacFadden, 1977 and Pseudhipparion Ameghino, 1904. Specimens previously assigned to Neohipparion Gidley, 1903 and Hipparion de Christol, 1832 lack the features necessary to diagnose these genera, which are therefore removed from the site's faunal list. The presence of Borophagus secundus, Cormohipparion, and Pseudhipparion is especially important, because each occurrence represents a major geographic range extension. This refined understanding of the fauna lays the foundation for future studies of taphonomy, taxonomy, functional morphology, and paleoecology—potentially at the population, community, or ecosystem levels—at this paleobiologically significant Miocene locality.

Stratigraphic and Paleoecological Significance of the Early/Middle Pleistocene Vertebrate Fauna of the Süttő 21 Site

The Süttő 21 site is a fissure fill of the freshwater limestone of the Gazda quarry in Süttő. The material was collected between 2017 and 2019, and the results are summarised in this article, with a special focus on the small vertebrate fauna of the site and its stratigraphic and paleoecological significance. The fissure fill can be placed around the Early/Middle Pleistocene boundary (ca. 1.1 and 0.77 Ma). The paleoecological analysis of the herpeto- and mammal fauna of the sequence indicates the proximity of a permanent water body. The lower part of the sequence is dominated by open habitat indicator taxa indicating a cool, dry climate. Towards the upper part of the sequence, the climate remained cool, but became wetter, and the vegetation gradually changed to forest-steppe/open forest. The fauna of the Süttő 21 site can be compared with the material of sites that are of a similar age, thus revealing taxonomic and paleoecological differences between different areas of the country. While a warm, dry climate and open vegetation can be reconstructed in the Villány Hills around the Early/Middle Pleistocene boundary, the Northern Hungarian areas had a cooler, wetter climate and a slightly more closed (sparse forest, forest-steppe) vegetation during this period.

New constraints on the closure of the Betic Seaway and the western Mediterranean palaeoclimate during the Messinian Salinity Crisis from the Campo Coy Basin (SE Spain)

The Campo Coy Basin (SE Spain) exposes >1 km of sedimentary succession with a variety of rocks including a thick evaporitic succession previously associated with the Messinian time. These evaporites were supposedly deposited in a restricted Mediterranean-Atlantic seaway connecting the Lorca and Guadix-Baza basins, although no chronological or geochemical data existed. Here we use palaeomagnetism together with vertebrate and foraminifera biostratigraphy to constrain the age of the Campo Coy succession between <9 Ma and 4.7 Ma. We use geochemistry (δ34S, δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr values) of the gypsum deposits to evaluate their marine or continental origin. In addition, we describe the underlying and overlying lithostratigraphic units to reconstruct the palaeogeographic evolution of this region. Our results show that the sediments were deposited in a continental environment, indicating that the Betic Seaway was already closed in this region during the late Tortonian and that the neighbouring marine basins of Guadix-Baza and Lorca were disconnected during that time. The δ34S, δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr values of the gypsum indicate recycling from the Triassic sulphates. Sedimentary facies of the evaporites point to an environment dominated by a saline lake with continental sabkha episodes developed during the driest periods. Well-defined and laterally continuous evaporitic cyclicity suggests an orbital forcing and high sedimentation rates preceding the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). Alluvial deposits are contemporaneous with the MSC indicating a dry continental environment in this region during the Mediterranean restriction. Overlaying lacustrine carbonates are rich in small vertebrate fauna including African species that migrated to Europe during the MSC. These carbonates have low δ18O and δ13C values characteristic for freshwater input in an open lake just after the Zanclean flood, suggesting that a wet climate followed the MSC.

A new middle Pleistocene small vertebrate fauna from the Nagyharsány Crystal Cave (Villány Hills, Southern Hungary)

The Nagyharsány Crystal Cave in the Villány Hills (Southern Hungary) has yielded a very rich assemblage of small vertebrate material, mainly consisting of isolated frog bones. Th e systematic collection involved sampling from several levels in three diff erent sites. During the detailed taxonomic processing of the vertebrate material, a total of 78 taxa were identifi ed. In addition to the rich herpetofauna, birds as well as small and large mammal remains were found. Preliminary palaeoecological studies have also been carried out on material from Site I. Th e small vertebrates of the lower levels indicate a warmer, moister, and more closed environment. Towards the top of the series, this gradually changes to a cooler, drier, more open one. Th e taxonomic, allometric, and palaeoecological results also allowed the stratigraphic position of the sites to be determined. We found that the material from the Nagyharsány Crystal Cave is most resembling to the material from the MIS 11 sites of the Vár Cave (Budapest). With 3 figures and 3 tables.

Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late Pleistocene of the “Caverne Marie-Jeanne” (Hastière-Lavaux, Namur, Belgium): Systematics, paleobiogeography, and paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions

Archeological sites usually provide important information about the past distribution of small vertebrate fauna, and by extension about past terrestrial environments and climate in which human activities took place. In this context, Belgium has an interesting location in northwestern Europe between the fully studied zooarcheological records of Germany and England. We present here the revision of the late Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stages 3 and 2) collection of the “Caverne Marie-Jeanne” (Hastière-Lavaux, Namur), studied by Jean-Claude Rage in the 1970s and the revision of the whole “indeterminate” small vertebrate materials from the “Caverne Marie-Jeanne” stored in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) Quaternary collections in search of more herpetofaunal remains. It is now by far the largest late Pleistocene collection at RBINS with more than 20,500 recognized bones of amphibians and reptiles and covering the last 60,000 years. The faunal list comprises two urodeles (Lissotriton gr. L. vulgaris and Salamandra salamandra), four anurans (Bufo gr. B. bufo-spinosus, Epidalea calamita, Rana temporaria and Rana cf. R. arvalis), three lizards (Lacerta cf. L. agilis, Zootoca vivipara and Anguis gr. A. fragilis), and three snakes (Natrix gr. N. natrix, Coronella austriaca, and Vipera berus). This study represents the first fossil record in Belgium for L. gr. L. vulgaris, R. arvalis, Z. vivipara, N. gr. N. natrix and C. austriaca. As a whole, this assemblage suggests a patchy humid landscape under colder and dryer climatic conditions in comparison with present ones. This study also underlines the necessity of a primary separation in larger taxonomical categories by the specialist itself.

Interactions among dwarf bamboo, litter and consumption by small vertebrates place multiple constraints on the establishment of native tree seedlings in a Japanese agricultural landscape

Faunal assemblage alterations due to anthropogenic impacts have changed herbivore–vegetation relationships in various ecosystems, but the influences of small vertebrates on revegetation processes remain unclear. In a peri-urban agricultural landscape in eastern Japan that lacks large ungulates but supports small generalist herbivores, fewer native seedlings have become established in thickets dominated by native dwarf bamboo, Pleioblastus chino (Franch. et Sav.) Makino. The mechanisms limiting tree seedling establishment are unknown. Our aim here was to evaluate the influence of interactions among the dwarf bamboo, its litter cover and small vertebrate herbivores on the microsite conditions governing the establishment of native tree seedlings from different successional stages in an old field in temperate Japan. First, seedling emergence and survival of seeded Pinus densiflora Siebold et Zucc., Celtis sinensis Pers., Aphananthe aspera (Thunb.) Planch., Quercus serrata Murray, Quercus myrsinifolia Blume and Castanopsis sieboldii (Makino) Hatus. ex T. Yamaz. et Mashiba were observed in a factorial design that accounted for the presence or absence of dwarf bamboo and its litter cover, as well as the exclusion or access of small vertebrate fauna, in 2009 and 2010. To identify small vertebrate herbivores that reduced the emergence or survival of tree seedlings in the first experiment, reseeding experiments using P. densiflora, C. sinensis, A. aspera and Q. myrsinifolia were conducted by video trapping in 2011 and video and still-camera trapping in 2012. The abiotic conditions under the dwarf bamboo were lethal to early- to mid-successional P. densiflora, C. sinensis, A. aspera and Q. serrata but led to better survival—although spindly growth—of late-successional Q. myrsinifolia and C. sieboldii. The main consumers and the plants they found palatable differed between the bamboo thickets and the intervening gaps. Predation by mice appeared to have severely limited the emergence of all species, particularly in the bamboo thickets but occasionally in the gaps, whereas litter cover slightly mitigated this limitation. However, bamboo litter cover reduced the emergence of P. densiflora in the gaps. Chinese bamboo partridge (Bambusicola thoracicus Temminck), an introduced game bird, selectively and severely fed on the cotyledons—and probably seeds—of A. aspera and moderately preyed upon those of P. densiflora in the gaps. Apparent consumption of seedlings in the gaps by the Japanese hare (Lepus brachyurus Temminck) suppressed the growth of all species but apparently did not severely affect emergence and survival. Thus, the net balance of positive and negative interactions at the bamboo thicket scale (i.e. the presence of dominant dwarf bamboo cover or intervening gaps and the herbivore behaviours in these two environments) and at the microsite level (i.e. litter cover) shapes the early establishment patterns of native tree seedlings, and this balance differs among tree seedling species.

Cephalopods, small vertebrate fauna and stable isotope (δ13C, δ18O) record from the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition (uppermost Crassicollaria through Calpionella Zones) of the Outer Western Carpathians, Kurovice quarry (Czechia)

An unusual and very important macrofauna has been recorded in the deep water environment (i.e. below the aragonite CCD) of the uppermost Tithonian – lower Berriasian carbonate calpionellid-bearing sequence of the Kurovice section (Czechia). Rhyncholites, belemnites, and small vertebrate fauna of elasmobranchians (Neoselachii) are reported herein from a submarine slump probably resulting from a tsunami-like event. The Jurassic – Cretaceous (J/K) boundary interval is well demarcated by the occurrence of small globular Calpionella alpina, the J/K boundary marker established by the Berriasian Working Group. Rhyncholites, belemnites, and elasmobranchians are re-evaluated herein within the modern taxonomic concept, and they are stratigraphically investigated. High resolution sampling provided new data on the stable isotope record (δ13C and δ18O) from the uppermost part of the Crassicollaria through the Calpionella Zones. The stable isotope record shows only minor excursions of the δ13C, with values below 0.5‰, and typically varying from 0.7‰ to 1.2‰ V-PDB; the most negative peak δ13C = 0.2‰ V-PDB is recorded in the uppermost Crassicollaria Zone. A slightly negative shift of carbon isotope values exceeds about 0.2‰ at the J/K boundary. A similar trend at the critical J/K boundary interval (base of the Calpionella Zone) is seen in several Tethyan sections. The δ18O curve shows larger excursions varying between −1.4 and −4.3‰ V-PDB in the J/K boundary interval.

Sedimentological, taphonomical and palaeoecological aspects of the late early Pleistocene vertebrate fauna from the Somssich Hill 2 site (South Hungary)

The Somssich Hill 2 site (Villány Mts., South Hungary) yielded one of the richest late Early Pleistocene vertebrate assemblages within the Carpathian Basin. The present paper provides a summary of all former and new taxonomical results, as well as biostratigraphical and palaeoecological conclusions, which is completed with previously unpublished sedimentological and taphonomical observations on the locality. The bulk of the fauna can be referred to the Mimomys savini–Mimomys pusillus Biozone in the Biharian (MQ1), whereas a few specimens suggest an older age, namely the Mimomys pliocaenicus Biozone in the late Villanyian (MN17). The bones were affected by only a short-distance aquatic transport, thus they represent a parautochtonous and relatively unaltered assemblage. Consequently, the material was considered here as a reliable base for reconstructing the direct palaeoenvironment of the cavity. The entire section was divided here to five different palaeoecological units based on the small vertebrate fauna.

Late Miocene lagomorphs from the Republic of Moldova

The aim of this paper is to enlarge knowledge about still poorly documented and understood record of Lagomorpha (Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of Moldova. The lagomorph material from two new Late Miocene localities, Razeni (MN11/12), Gradishte (MN12), and re-sampling locality Chimislyia (MN12), of Southern Moldova, is described in detail here. The localities yielded small vertebrate fauna including five lagomorph taxa: Prolagus cf. oeningensis, “Proochotona” cf. eximia, Alilepus laskarewi, “Proochotona” sp., and Alilepus sp. P. cf. oeningensis is described for the first time in the studied area. A short review of the lagomorph record from the Republic of Moldova is provided. This contribution outlines the importance of the lagomorphs for biostratigraphic purposes, and highlighs the gaps in our knowledge related to the faunal succession in this area.

Bronze Age barrows at Longstone Edge: Taphonomy and site formation

The taphonomy of the small vertebrate fauna from Longstone Edge is compared and contrasted with the site formation processes of the Bronze Age round barrows from which they were recovered. The microfauna may provide important clues about the site formation processes of the barrows, including access to and exposure of the structures in different periods. Two contexts, the earth barrow 1 and the burial cists beneath barrow 1, have rich small vertebrate faunas preserved, and taphonomic evidence of breakage and digestion provides evidence of two predators responsible for the accumulation of the faunas. The preservation context indicates that the predators were nesting or roosting on the ground. Three other contexts in barrow 1 (subsoil, stone mound underlying the earth mound, and a later fissure cutting across the mound) have only scattered remains, and barrow 2 also has dispersed remains. The taphonomy and site formation processes of the two Longstone Edge barrows complement each other, but the nature of the evidence from the two sources is quite different: taphonomy is a constructive discipline that adds information to animal and plant assemblages, shows what processes were operating in the past, and allows us to retrieve the original information of past ecosystems. Site formation processes and destruction of the structural elements that make up the barrows may show how the site was formed, and how it has deteriorated over time. Attempts to refer to both subjects as aspects of taphonomy are misguided.

The impacts of abandoned mining shafts: Fauna entrapment in opal prospecting shafts at Coober Pedy, South Australia

Summary The impacts of uncapped, abandoned mining shafts on small vertebrate species were investigated by monitoring numbers of fauna falling into opal prospecting shafts near Coober Pedy, in the far north of South Australia. Catching devices made from 10 L buckets were installed in the top of 43 shafts and checked regularly by local community members for a total of 10 840 trap nights over a 13‐month period. A total of 190 individual reptiles of 18 species were captured in this manner after falling into shafts, including the nationally vulnerable Bronzeback Legless Lizard (Ophidiocephalus taeniatus). While the tops of these shafts resemble conventional pitfall traps used in scientific monitoring and therefore readily ‘trap’ ground‐fauna, they may be over 30 m deep and are permanently open. Capture rates in this study, calculated at 4.1 reptiles/shaft/year, highlight the potential impact of the similar shafts that remain uncapped in the Coober Pedy opal fields, roughly estimated to be anywhere from 1 to 2 million shafts. The inferred total number of captures from these shafts may represent 10–28 million reptiles/year or an equivalent of 25–72 tonnes of biomass. The results highlight the potential threat that uncapped shafts may pose to Bronzeback Legless Lizard populations in this area and suggest that they may also have major impacts on other small vertebrate fauna in the Coober Pedy area and in other similar opal mining areas.

A latest Biharian small vertebrate fauna from the lacustrine succession of San Lorenzo (Sant’Arcangelo Basin, Basilicata, Italy)

The Sant’Arcangelo Basin is located in the southern part of the Apennine chain (Basilicata). It is filled by a siliciclastic sequence 3500 m thick, dated to the Late Pliocene–Middle Pleistocene time interval. In this basin an Early Middle Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine sequence, known as San Lorenzo Cycle, has been recognised. In the upper part of the sequence, in Rifreddo, a fairly diversified small vertebrate assemblage has been recovered. The occurrence of Mimomys savini allows to the fauna to be considered as Biharian. The presence of some faunal elements such as Microtus ( Terricola) arvalidens, Microtus ( Iberomys) ex gr . huescarensis-brecciensis, and Macroneomys cf. brachygnathus restricts the age of the Rifreddo assemblage to the latest part of this Mammal Age. In several European localities, sediments containing such late Biharian faunas are correlated with the lower part of Brunhes magnetochrone (e.g. the normally magnetised sections at West Runton in the United Kingdom, Voigtstedt in Germany and Přezletice in the Czech Republic) or just below this boundary (e.g. the negatively magnetised part of the Atapuerca section —levels TD4-6 in Spain). Taking into account the faunal composition and the positive magnetisation of the sediments outcropping at the Rifreddo locality, the chronological referral of the mammal assemblage can be restricted to the early Brunhes and therefore to the early middle part of Middle Pleistocene.

Owl Pellet Taphonomy: A Preliminary Study of the Post-Regurgitation Taphonomic History of Pellets in a Temperate Forest

Abstract Owls are important contributors to the Tertiary small-vertebrate fossil record. They concentrate small-vertebrate remains by producing pellets rich in skeletal material that provide a sample of the small-vertebrate fauna of an area. A common assumption is that different predators inflict unique fragmentation and skeletal element representation signatures, thus providing a method for identifying a field assemblage as pellet derived, and possibly identifying the predator. In addition to the digestive process of pellet formation, the taphonomic history of a pellet includes the post-regurgitation processes of weathering, disintegration, transport, and burial, all of which can introduce biases into an assemblage and confound paleoecological interpretation. Analysis of a modern accumulation of small-vertebrate remains from Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) pellets in a temperate forest environment on San Juan Island, Washington, reveals that fragmentation and skeletal-element representation change wi...

Spatial patterns and factors influencing small vertebrate fauna road-kill aggregations

We examined the spatial patterns and factors influencing small terrestrial vertebrate road-kill aggregations in the Bow River Valley, Alberta, Canada. We surveyed roads varying in traffic volume, configuration and adjacent landscape attributes for road-kills between 1997 and 2000. The spatial pattern of road-kills was described using neighbour K statistics. We investigated the importance of road-kills at three taxonomic levels using logistic regression. Mammal and bird road-kill indices were consistently higher on a low volume parkway than on the high-speed, high volume Trans-Canada highway (TCH). Birds were more vulnerable to collisions than mammals on the TCH. Road-kill aggregations were nonrandomly distributed. Parkway road-kills were aggregated on small scales and characterized by low clustering intensities compared to the TCH. Road-kills were less likely to occur on raised sections of road. Road-kills tended to occur close to vegetative cover and far from wildlife passages or culverts. Our findings reveal how two distinct road types can have different effects in terms of vertebrate mortality and their spatial pattern. We recommend a series of mitigation measures for existing roads or future road planning projects.

The impact of cats and foxes on the small vertebrate fauna of Heirisson Prong, Western Australia. II. A field experiment

The hypothesis that predation by feral cats and introduced foxes reduces population sizes of small, native vertebrates was supported by results of a predator-removal experiment at Heirisson Prong, a semi-arid site in Western Australia. The methods of control used against cats and foxes to protect native mammals reintroduced to Heirisson Prong produced three broad ‘predator zones’: a low-cat and low-fox zone, where foxes were eradicated and spotlight counts of cats declined after intensive cat control; a high-cat and low-fox zone where spotlight counts of cats increased three-fold after foxes were controlled; and a zone where numbers of cats and foxes were not manipulated. Small mammals and reptiles were monitored for one year before and three years after predator control began. Captures of small mammals increased in the low-cat and low-fox zone, but where only foxes were controlled captures of small mammals declined by 80%. In the absence of cat and fox control, captures of small mammals were variable over the sampling period, lower than where both cats and foxes were controlled, yet higher than where only foxes were controlled. The capture success of reptiles did not appear to be related to changes in predator counts. This study presents the first experimental evidence from mainland Australia that feral cats can have a negative impact on populations of small mammals.

The impact of cats and foxes on the small vertebrate fauna of Heirisson Prong, Western Australia. I. Exploring potential impact using diet analysis

The diets of cats (Felis catus) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes) killed during predator control at a semi-arid site in Western Australia were studied to see which prey species may be affected by predation from these introduced predators. The number of items, biomass and frequency of occurrence of each food type in the gut contents from 109 feral cats, 62 semi-feral cats and 47 foxes were used to calculate an Index of Relative Importance for each food category for each predator. Mammals were the most important prey group for all three predators, with rabbit being the most highly ranked prey species. The diets of feral and semi-feral cats were similar in dietary diversity but differed in the frequency of occurrence of some food categories. Native rodents, birds and reptiles occurred more frequently and were ranked higher in the diet of feral cats, and food scraps occurred more frequently in the diet of semi-feral cats. The diet of foxes was less diverse than that of either group of cats. Invertebrates and sheep carrion were more important prey categories for foxes than for cats. In the summer–autumn period, foxes ate more sheep carrion and invertebrates than they did in winter–spring. The diet of feral cats was more diverse in summer–autumn, including a greater range of invertebrates and more rodents, birds and reptiles than in the winter–spring period. We predict that cats are more likely to have an impact on small vertebrates at this site and that the control of cats could lead to recoveries in the populations of native rodents, birds and reptiles. By contrast, the control of foxes alone may lead to a rise in cat numbers and a consequent detrimental impact on small vertebrate populations.

Mid-Wisconsinan vertebrates and their environment from January Cave, Alberta, Canada

January Cave, in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Alberta, has yielded vertebrate remains from a coprocenosis of mid-Wisconsinan-age. Taphonomic analysis indicates accumulation by raptors, mostly owls, and mammalian carnivores. The vertebrate record, together with pollen analysis, indicates that cool, dry conditions prevailed in an extensive tundra-like environment, with prairie elements in the valleys below. Thirty-four mammalian taxa have been recovered from January Cave. Today, some of these species (e.g., Lemmus sibiricus and Dicrostonyx torquatus) do not coexist with others (e.g., Cynomys sp., Mustela nigripes, Vulpes velox, and Lagurus curtatus). Therefore, the January Cave local fauna represents a “nonanalog” mammalian community characteristic of the late Pleistocene. It suggests that the region enjoyed an equable climate, with reduced climatic extremes but still cool, further supporting a mid-Wisconsinan age estimate for the fauna. It is the first major, small vertebrate fauna of its age to be reported from Alberta.

Découverte de Dipneustes triasiques( Ceratodontiformes, Dipnoi) dans la formation de Cenger («Arkoses rouges) du Taurus lycien (Turquie occidentale)

Red arkosic sandstones (Cenger Fm.) are known atthe Paleozoic-Mesozoic boundary in some allochtonous series of the lycian Taurus ( de Graciansky, 1972). A small vertebrate fauna discovered near the base of the formation mainly contains fish remains among which Ptychoceratodus and Arganodontidae, represented by teeth plates of young individuals. The Late Triassic age of this faunal assemblage sets an upper limit for orogenic movements that are now known in the south-anatolian Taurus.