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The Lower Pleistocene Karnezeika locality, lies in the Peloponnese, southern Greece, and its fauna corresponds to the Middle Villafranchian biochronological unit (MN17). The recovered mammal assemblage includes, among others, a few remains of a large Cercopithecid. Herein, we describe this material, including an upper second molar, a partially preserved proximal radius and, possibly, an upper first incisor. The teeth show advanced stages of wear but retain their typical papionin characters, such as a strong lingual cleft and four bilophodont cusps in the molar. The general morphology and wear pattern of the teeth rules out the possibility that the remains belong to the genus Theropithecus, while the general size of the corresponding material excludes the possibility of a Macaca representative as well. On the contrary, the studied material better fits the size range of Paradolichopithecus. Even though this genus is likely represented in the Villafranchian of Europe by a single species, Par. arvernensis, the scarcity of the studied material imposes reservations and thus the Karnezeika papionin is referred at the moment to cf. Paradolichopithecus sp. As in the rest of Europe, the Paradolichopithecus record is rare in Greece, having been found in only two localities, Vatera and Dafnero. Despite its scarcity, the new material from Karnezeika indicates a wide distribution of this important taxon in the Greek peninsula.

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya The late Villafranchian is one of the pivotal timespans in the succession of Pleistocene European faunal assemblages, setting the bases for the major faunal renewal that characterized the continent during the Epivillafranchian. Bison is one of the most important and successful large mammals to spread in Europe at the latest stages of the Early Pleistocene. Here we describe the remains of a large bovid from the late Villafranchian site of Pietrafitta (ca. 1.5 Ma), previously attributed to Leptobos. Our analyses allow to refer this sample to the genus Bison. The primitive characters featured by this sample suggest the attribution to the subgenus Eobison, a long-debated taxon which includes all the earliest forms of Bison. At Pietrafitta, thus, one of the largest and most complete record of primitive Bison is recorded. The vague diagnosis and confused taxonomic history of Eobison called for a reappraisal of its status. We present a re-definition of the diagnostic characters and a review of the Eurasian record of Eobison with a focus on the late Villafranchian samples from the Mediterranean area. We recognize at least three valid species of Eobison remarking, however, the extreme morphological variability of this group. The comparative analysis of Eobison and its closest relatives (i.e., Leptobos and Bison s.s.), confirms that both the leptobovine and bisontine clades underwent to an increase of stoutness of the appendicular skeleton in response to the shrinking of forested habitats and the onset of colder, arid climate during the Pleistocene.

Fossil remains of late Miocene Propotamochoerus Pilgrim, 1925 from several sites of SE Europe are part of a long-lasting discussion. The sparsely known material, usually toothrows, does not fit well with any known Propotamochoerus species and therefore local peri-Balkan samples have been referred to different species. Based on a fairly complete cranium and a mandible from the Turolian fauna of Kryopigi (Northern Greece), and combined with other Balkan evidence, we propose that this Eastern Mediterranean taxon represents a new species. Propotamochoerus aegaeus n. sp. is characterized by moderate cranial and dental size, widely separated temporal lines, long zygomatic arches, elongated upper incisors and diastemata in each side of the first upper premolar; relatively small male lower cani­nes, broad upper and lower third premolars and short lower fourth premolar, and a small hexaconid on the talonid of the lower third molar. A thorough morphological and metric analysis contradicts recent views of the taxon as invalid and provides new evidence on the late Miocene diversity and distribution of the genus.

We describe here five new bovid crania from the Çorakyerler fossil site (Tüglu Formation, Çankırı Basin, north-central Anatolia, Turkey), the fauna of which is dated by magneto- and biostratigraphy to the late Miocene, around the Vallesian–Turolian boundary. The material is assigned to a new bovid taxon of medium-to-large size, Gangraia anatolica gen. and sp. nov., characterized by horn cores that are long, keelless, compressed, obliquely inserted on the frontals, transversally ridged, moderately diverging from each other, slightly twisted homonymously, and sigmoidally curved in lateral view with long, fairly straight tips. The horn core features, along with the presence of a single large sinus occupying the pedicle and the base of the horn core, a strong cranial flexion, a short braincase, the presence of a distinct dorsal parietal boss, wide-apart temporal crests, and a widened anteriorly basioccipital, indicate a mixture of caprine-like and alcelaphine-like features that relate Gangraia anatolica gen. and sp. nov. to the Alcelaphini–Caprini–Hippotragini clade.

In this paper, we described the unpublished cervid material from the latest Upper Miocene deposits of the Monticino Quarry (Brisighella, central Italy). The material includes a few teeth, some post...

A new sample of 65 specimens representing a minimum number of 15 individuals of the Eurasian antelope Gazellospira torticornis is described from the Lower Pleistocene fossil sites of Dafnero (DFN, N. Greece). The intrapopulation comparisons highlight that several cranial (frontal sinuses, inter-frontal sutures, longitudinal grooves, degree of the horn-cores torsion, and development of anterior keel) and postcranial features are likely subject to sexual dimorphism, suggesting a mixed-herd DFN population of both males and females with a social distribution estimated at a ∼1:2 ratio (seven females and three presumed males). The analysis also reveals that both cranial and postcranial elements of G. torticornis are subjected to a strong temporal linear regression during the Villafranchian; this trend appears more evident in western than eastern European territories. Furthermore, for contemporaneous samples, the metapodials of G. torticornis show higher dimensions in northern (above ca. 42.5° of latitude) than in meridional latitudes. A preliminary ecomorphological study suggests that open landscapes with plains and quite homogeneous substrates was the preferred habitat of Gazellospira from Dafnero. A revision of Eurasian specimens and taxa referred to several genera and species of heteronymous spiral horned antelopes spanning from the Late Pliocene to the Early Pleistocene, allows us to propose synonymizing Gazellospira gromovae with Antilospira? zdanskyi, and to recognize Parastrepsiceros sokolovi as an early eastern subspecies of G. torticornis. Our morphological analysis does not support recent results about close phylogenetic relationships of Gazellospira with either Antilospira or Spirocerus. A biogeographic scenario is proposed, in which Gazellospira originates in the peri-Black Sea region with a radiation westwards and eastwards during the early Villafranchian.

Extant suids are represented today in the Greek fauna only by the wild boar Sus scrofa, whose local fossil record extends back to the beginning of Middle Pleistocene. Members of the superfamily Suoidea were never abundant in the Neogene-Quaternary of Greece, usually represented by one to two taxa per fossil site. Earliest suoid occurrences are from the Orleanian faunas of Chalkidiki Peninsula and Chios Island, represented in both cases by sanitheres and listriodontines. Hippopotamodon major and Propotamochoerus predominate during the Late Miocene, both replaced after the Messinian Salinity Crisis by early members of Sus. As a total two families, five genera and ten suoid species have been so far described from Greece.

Though widely distributed in Europe since the late Eocene and quite abundant since Oligocene to early Miocene, anthracotheres have a very restricted Greek record due mostly to the limited exposure of similar-aged lithostratigraphic formations. Two bothriodontine genera are known so far from coal deposits of three localities in Western (Greek) Thrace, Katerini Basin, and Euboea Island. All of them lack, however, associated fauna and precise stratigraphic context.

Extant wild bovids of Greece include only the Balkan Chamois and the Wild Goat of Creta, though past bovid biodiversity was tremendously higher, accounting up to ten contemporaneous species and representing a wide array of ecomorphological types. Despite the known stratigraphic discontinuity of the Greek fossil record, the review of the Greek fossil bovids from a total of 80 fossil localities revealed the presence of at least fifty two (52) genera and eighty three (83) valid species of Bovidae [among which 17 species of Bovinae, and 66 of Antilopinae] distributed from early middle Miocene (Orleanian) till latest Pleistocene. Fifty eight (58) of these species were named from type localities in Greece, and twenty three (23) represent genotypes, mostly from Pikermi, Samos, and Axios Valley classical fossil sites. The peak in bovid taxonomic diversity is noted during the Turolian. Gazella s.l. stands as the taxon with the widest temporal distribution from late Vallesian to late Villafranchian (ca. 7 Ma). Most of the Greek bovids through time seem to represent the westernmost populations of taxa with a Central-West Asian distribution, though taxa with a more restricted South European/European distribution are also present especially during late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene.

This study presents the new fossil material of bovids from the recently discovered upper Miocene locality of Platania, Drama (Greece). The material was excavated from 2012 to 2016 and yielded approximately 760 specimens attributed to hipparions, rhinos, cervids, giraffids, suids, proboscideans, hyaenids, and turtles. The bovid material described here includes six taxa of Antilopinae and one of Bovinae. Antilopines are represented by Gazella sp., Gazella cf. ancyrensis, Prostrepsiceros aff. syridisi, cf. Palaeoreas, Palaeoryx minor nov. sp., and Tragoreas? aff. oryxoides. Bovines are recorded by a single boselaphine attributed to Miotragocerus sp. Departing from other Palaeoryx species, the new species P. minor has rather straight and weakly divergent horn-cores tilted backwards, obtuse facial and occipito-parietal angles, and smaller cranial and horn-core size, though associated with a proportionally large toothrow. Miotragocerus sp. from Platania seems to be conspecific to the Miotragocerus sp. from the end-Vallesian Nikiti-1 fauna (Greece). The bovid assemblage of Platania shows a mix of both Vallesian and Turolian taxa indicating a likely late Vallesian-early Turolian age.

Currently, very little is known about the ecology of extinct Eurasian cercopithecids. Dietary information is crucial in understanding the ecological adaptations and diversity of extinct cercopithecids and the evolution of this family. For example, the colobine genus Dolichopithecus is represented by multiple large-bodied species that inhabited Eurasia during the Pliocene-Early Pleistocene. The available evidence, though limited, suggests semiterrestrial locomotion, which contrasts with most extant African and Asian colobines that exhibit morphological and physiological adaptations for arboreality and folivory. These differences raise questions regarding the dietary specialization of early colobine taxa and how/if that influenced their dispersion out of Africa and into Eurasia. To further our understanding of the ecology of Plio-Pleistocene cercopithecids, we characterized the dental capabilities and potential dietary adaptations of Dolichopithecus ruscinensis through dental topographic and enamel thickness analyses on an M

The first detailed systematic analysis of the mammal fossils from Dimeh, a new locality in the Zagros basin of Iran, is presented here. The fossil material studied includes cranial remains mostly horn cores of gazelles. Along with these fossils, some new gazelle material recovered from the renowned fossil localities of the middle Maragheh biostratigraphic levels in northwest Iran are also described. The fossils are attributed to three species: Gazella capricornis, G. cf. pilgrimi and Gazella aff. mytilinii. The last two species are recorded for the first time in Iran. The co-occurrence of the first two taxa in the Dimeh assemblage, together with other bovids, suggests a paleobiological spectrum more similar to the Samos fauna in Greece. The two gazelle species also indicate the presence of open environments in the Zagros area around 8–7 Ma (early-middle Turolian).

Samotherium Major, 1888 (Giraffidae) is recorded from several late Miocene localities, primarily in the Balkans, the northern Black Sea region, Anatolia, central Asia and China. The first complete cranial material, with several mandibular rami, and postcranials of Samotherium are described here from the Middle Maragheh sequence in northwest Iran. The Maragheh taxon appears metrically and morphologically similar to the smaller Samotherium taxon from the Samos Island (Greece) referred to as S. boissieri Major, 1888, type species of the genus. These new data trigger further discussion about the Iranian Samotherium record, including Alcicephalus Rodler & Weithofer, 1890, which was recently resurrected as a valid genus in the Maragheh fauna. Our analysis of the material referred to this genus indicates that Samotherium is the most likely attribution for the Maragheh A. neumayri Rodler & Weithofer, 1890. Differences between S. boissieri and S. neumayri are more pronounced in postcranial elements than in cranial and dental ones and need further investigation.

International audience; The homotheres, although known from the Greek fossil record since the beginning of the 1930’s, have only been recorded from fragmentary material, sometimes undescribed and with questionable determinations. In 2017, the discovery of an almost complete cranium and a fairly complete humerus of a machairodontine in Dafnero-3, a lower Pleistocene site from Western Macedonia (Greece), confirm the presence of homotheres in Greece. The Dafnero-3 material is described and compared with Eurasian specimens. We conclude that in morphology and size the Dafnero-3 specimen coincides with Homotherium latidens (Owen, 1846). The taxonomy, geographic and stratigraphic distribution of Homotherium Fabrini, 1890 is also discussed. A biostratigraphic revision gives the distribution of the genus in Greece. Homotherium is referred from six Greek localities and its distribution covers the time span from the early Villafranchian (early Villafranchian, locality Milia, Western Macedonia; MN16, 3.0-2.5 Ma) to the middle Pleistocene (locality Tourkovounia near Athens, c. 0.4 Ma).; Les homotherinés, bien que connus depuis 1930 dans le registre fossile grec, sont représentés par des restes fragmentaires, parfois non décrits, et dont l’attribution taxinomique reste incertaine. En 2017, la découverte d’un crâne quasi-complet et d’un humérus complet d’un félin machairodotiné sur le site du Pleistocène inférieur de Dafnero-3 en Macédoine occidentale (Grèce) confirme la présence des homothérinés en Grèce. Le matériel de Dafnero-3 est décrit et comparé avec les spécimens eurasiatiques. Nous concluons que la crâne de Dafnero-3 coïncide en taille avec et est semblable à Homotherium latidens (Owen, 1846). La taxonomie, la distribution géographique et stratigraphique sont également discutées. Une révision biostratigraphique renseigne la distribution du genre en Grèce. Homotherium Fabrini, 1890 est présent sur six localités réparties depuis le Pléistocène inférieur (Villafranchien ancien, localité de Milia, Macédoine occidental, MN16, 3.0-2.5 Ma) au Pléistocène moyen (localité de Tourkovounia, près Athènes, c. 0.4 Ma).

New bovid material from the Upper Miocene site of corakyerler (Canlun basin, Anatolia, Turkey) is described and compared here. the described taxon is identified as a representative of the stem caprine genus Qurlignoria, previously known from the pen-Tibetan area exclusively. the stronger horn-core divergence, weaker anterior keel, smoother horn-core surface, stronger lateral horn-core curvature, stronger and thicker interfrontal suture, less flexed and less pneumatized frontals, and smaller supraorbital foramina differentiate the corakyerler Qurlignoria from the type and only known species of the genus, Q. cheni from China, and demand the erection of a new species, Qurlignoria chorakensis n. sp. A review of other late Miocene bovid records allows the recognition of Qurlignoria in Sinap Tepe (Turkey) and Platania (Greece), suggesting a westward propagation of the genus during the Vallesian. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ireland Ltd Elsevier B.V. and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved., Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism; General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums; Ankara UniversityAnkara University; Turkish Historical Society, corakyerler excavations are supported by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, Ankara University, and the Turkish Historical Society; we are thankful to all of them. Thanks are also due to Wei Dong for fruitful comments and Denis Geraads for valuable suggestions, and information concerning Turkish specimens in his knowledge.

The pyroclastic rocks of the Lesvos Petrified Forest in the North Aegean comprise one of the early Miocene's most imposing megaflora assemblage. In this area, the new outcrop of Akrocheiras yielded numerous leaf compressions. Based on their macroscopic characteristics, we identified a total of sixteen different taxa, most of them of palaeotropical origin. Dominant species are Daphnogene polymorpha, Pungiphyllum cruciatum and Phoenicites sp., represented by more than 50% of the specimens. Several taxa are new for the Neogene palaeobotanical record of Lesvos Island, such as Laurophyllum sp. 1, Smilax weberi, Celtis japeti, div. Juglandaceae, Ilex miodipyrena, cf. Ilex sp. and Apocynophyllum sp., and provide new floristic data for the area. According to the vegetation analysis, the plant assemblage of Akrocheiras site assigned to lowland/riparian and mesophytic forests on well drained soils. The palaeoclimatic analysis for the new flora revealed a humid warm-temperate climate with seasonal alternations from wetter to drier conditions. The floristic characteristics are outlined, and the record is compared to other ones of the early Miocene period.

The study of the bovid assemblage from the primate-bearing site of Xirochori-1 in Axios Valley, Northern Greece, reveals the presence of four taxa, namely Gazella sp., Ouzocerus cf. pentalophosi, Helladorcas sp. and ‘Protoryx’ sp., and allows updating the faunal list of the Xirochori-1 Vallesian mammal fauna, dated at around 9.6 Ma. Gazella sp. from Xirochori-1 is distinct from Gazella sp. from the late Early Vallesian fauna from Pentalophos-1, suggesting the presence of two gazelle lineages in the Vallesian of Greece, the former possibly related to the Turolian Gazella pilgrimi. The solid evidence of Ouzocerus and Helladorcas in Xirochori-1 extends the ranges of these two genera into the Late Vallesian of Greece, whereas the presence of a large bovid of the ‘Protoryx group’ increases the signal of caprine-like bovids in the Vallesian of the area. The revision of the Xirochori-1 bovids allows reconsidering the changes through time of the artiodactyl assemblage associated with the hominoid primate Ouranopithecus.

A new comparative study of the two crania, LGPUT RZO-03 and LGPUT RZO-68 attributed to Palaeoreas zouavei Bouvrain, 1980 from the Late Miocene of Axios Valley, Greece reveals great morphological and metric differences between them, which require the exclusion of LGPUT RZO-68 from this species and even from Palaeoreas Gaudry, 1861. This decision leaves unsupported many diagnostic features of P. zouavei applied by previous authors and along with recent data from Bulgaria put in doubt the validity of P. zouavei as a whole. As a result, the genus Palaeoreas is re-defined as monotypic and the cranial morphometric changes of P. lindermayeri (Wagner, 1848) are discussed on a temporal basis. An updated taxonomic analysis confirms the presence of P. lindermayeri in the Late Turolian mammal assemblage of Dytiko-1 (Axios Valley, Greece) but rejects its occurrence at Dytiko-2. Instead, a re-examination of old cranial specimens and a study of new ones suggest the presence in both sites of Majoreas Kostopoulos, 2004 a Late Miocene taxon previously mostly known from the eastern banks of the Aegean Sea. A reassessment of the LGPUT RZO-68 cranium, and its comparison with Palaeoreas and Criotherium Forsyth-Major, 1891, suggests that it deserves taxonomic distinction at genus and species levels: Stryfnotherium exophthalmon.

The early Pleistocene is represented by a succession of glacial-interglacial cycles character-ized by a general tendency towards global cooling, with increasing aridity and seasonality.The large deer Eucladoceros is found in abundance in Europe during this period of faunaldispersions. The dietary plasticity of Eucladoceros and how it can mirror early Pleistoceneclimatic variations will be explored here using Dental Microwear Texture Analysis. Thewide range of dental microwear textures for Eucladoceros reflects a low selectivity and highplasticity in its diet. It is an appropriate proxy to track vegetal resource availability. Oscil-lations were identified between a browsing and a grazing signal. This study proposes thata browsing signal is associated with a fossil assemblage deposited during an interglacialevent characterized by warmer temperatures and deciduous vegetation. A grazing signalmore likely indicates a glacial event with cooler temperatures and a developed herbaceous,bushy layer. Le Pléistocène inférieur correspond à une succession de cycles glaciaires-interglaciairescaractérisée par une tendance générale au refroidissement global, avec une aridité et unesaisonnalité croissantes. Le cervidé de grande taille Eucladoceros est abondant en Europedurant cette période de dispersions fauniques. Grâce à l'analyse de texture de la micro-usuredentaire, nous explorons la plasticité alimentaire d'Eucladoceros et la manière dont celle-ci reflète les variations climatiques du Pléistocène inférieur. La large gamme de texturesde micro-usure dentaire d'Eucladoceros reflète sa faible sélectivité et sa forte plasticité ali-mentaire. De fait, il constitue un outil approprié pour aborder la disponibilité en ressources végétales dans le milieu. Nous identifions des oscillations entre un signal brouteur et unsignal paisseur. Nous proposons qu'un signal brouteur soit associé à un assemblage fossiledéposé lors d'un évènement interglaciaire caractérisé par des températures plus chaudeset une végétation décidue, tandis qu'un signal paisseur correspondrait plutôt à un évène-ment glaciaire, avec des températures plus froides et la présence d?une strate herbacée etarbustive développée. This project was supported by the “Agence nationale dela recherche” (ANR TRIDENT: grant number: ANR-13-JSV7-0008-01; PI.: Gildas Merceron).

Having arrived 1.8 Ma ago, bison prevailed in the bovid assemblages of the European subcontinent for more than 1.5 Ma. The current geometric morphometric study outlines a framework of ecomorphological differences among several Bison populations of the western Palaearctic, shown by inferences from the tibial and tarsal joint surfaces of their astragalus. Given the principal biomechanical role of this element in the locomotion mechanism, its anatomical features could be linked to diverse functional aspects. In terms of morphological affinity, it is possible to attribute the studied fossil Bison astragalar material to several morphological trends. Shape variation is not explained by size differences and is possibly associated with an open-close habitat gradient, as indicated by the presence of expanded or compressed astragali, respectively. This intragroup spatial and temporal phenotypic diversity among the examined populations could indicate a biogeographic segregation influenced by regional climatic and landscape heterogeneity in the European territory during Pleistocene. Furthermore, a relation to habitat-specific locomotor ecology could be supported, revealing forms with increased cursoriality, operating in open biomes and closed-country dwellers as well.

A new Late Miocene bovid, Urmiatherium kassandriensis sp. nov., from Northern Greece is described. The material comes from the Fourka locality in the Kassandra Peninsula (Chalkidiki), and the included fauna is estimated to be of Vallesian age. The two preserved crania represent a medium-sized taxon with short, conical horn cores, a flat cranial roof (consisting of the posterior part of the frontals, parietal and occipital), thick and porous frontals and pneumatized short parietals, an extremely thick basioccipital with voluminous posterior tuberosities and accessory articular facets for the atlas. The specialized atlanto-occipital joint recalls Pleistocene and extant ovibovines, but the braincase structure as a whole and the horn core features closely match Late Miocene ovibovine-like taxa, especially Plesiaddax and even more Urmiatherium. Nevertheless, the Kassandra bovid differs from representatives of both genera in the simpler horn core morphology and external brain anatomy. Urmiatherium is known to appear first in China and Iran at about 7.8 Ma, whereas its westernmost appearance on Samos Island (Greece) is dated much later. The presence of Urmiatherium kassandriensis sp. nov. in N. Greece suggests a farther west and earlier (Vallesian at least) first appearance of the genus. This would justify a basic geographic and phylogenetic split of Urmiatherium into two main Turolian lineages: a central-eastern Asian one leading to the sister species U. polaki and U. intermedium and a western one leading to U. rugosifrons.

The remains of equids are abundant in the Early Pleistocene faunas of Greece. “Apollonia-1” is one of the richest localities from the latest Villafranchian, providing eight skulls, mandibular remains and plenty of postcranial material during several field campaigns. This study focuses mainly on the skulls, mandibular remains and metapodials from the old and new collection described in detail. The specimens are compared with equids from several Greek and European fossiliferous localities dating from the late Villafranchian to the middle Galerian. The systematic position of Equus apolloniensis is also discussed. Based on its basicranial proportions, E. apolloniensis is considered a true Equus. A second species has also been identified recently, here referred to as Equus sp.; it is poorly represented, and it is even larger and more robust than E. apolloniensis based on a single metacarpal and third phalanges. The presence of two equid species in Apollonia 1 validates its Epivillafranchian (=latest Villafranchian) age.

The upper Miocene vertebrate locality of Kucukcekmece West, European Turkey, had provided an artiodactyl assemblage that is rich in species but poor in specimens. The present study allows revising previous artiodactyl lists provided for this site, by recognizing Hippopotamodon cf. antiquus, Dorcatherium maliki n. sp., Palaeotragus sp. (large size), Palaeogiraffa pamiri (Ozansoy, 1965), Bohlinia cf. attica, Gazella cf. ancyrensis, Majoreas cf. elegans, Prostrepsiceros sp., aff. Protoryx cf. enanus, cf. Miotragocerus sp., and Bovidae indet. (large size). The presence of a second suine and a cervid are poorly supported by current data but not excluded. The bulk of this artiodactyl association is also recognized in the Kucukcekmece East fossil assemblage. The Kucukcekmece tragulid is allocated to a new species of a medium sized Dorcatherium with bunoselenodont dentition, long premolars, tricuspid dp2 (p2) and p3, long hypoconid on dp2 and p3, simple distal fossette on p4, and presence of a lingual pr...

The mammal collection of Nikiti 1 (NKT) is relatively poor; it has been already described in a series of publications. During the last field trips in Nikiti (2004–2009), the unearthed material from NKT remained scarce; it is described herein, alongside a revision of the old collection. The newly described material includes some rhinocerotid remains assigned to “Diceros” neumayri and Dihoplus pikermiensis . The revision of the old collection upgrades the systematics of the rest of the fauna. The large-sized hipparion is assigned to Hipparion aff. giganteum ; the subspecies Prostrepsiceros houtumschindleri syridisi is upgraded to a separate species, P . syridisi ; the NKT boselaphine is transferred to Miotragoceros and possibly represents a new species; last, the material previously assigned to ?Oioceros and Gazella is transferred to Hispanodorcas . The new faunal list from NKT consists of the following taxa: Ouranopithecus macedoniensis , Hyaenidae sp ., Hipparion aff . giganteum , Hipparion macedonicum , Dihoplus pikermiensis , “Diceros” neumayri , Microstonyx major , Helladotherium duvernoyi , Bohlinia attica , Bohlinia nikitiae , Palaeotragus sp., Prostrepsiceros syridisi , Hispanodorcas cf . orientalis , Miotragocerus nov. sp., and Bovidae indet. The revised fauna and the evolutionary relationships of the various species highlight the Vallesian age of the fauna and help to a more precise dating of the locality.

In the present article, we study the mammoth remains from the late Villafranchian (Early Pleistocene) locality Apollonia-1 (Mygdonia Basin, Northern Greece). The material consists of a hemi-mandible with the m3, isolated m3/M3 and a maxilla fragment with DP2-DP3. The mandibular and dental features permit their attribution to the southern mammoth Mammuthus meridionalis (Nesti, 1825). Yet, the dental features indicate an evolutionary stage somewhat more derived than the Upper Valdarno mammoth (beginning of late Villafranchian) in terms of the higher number of plates in the DP3 and the marginally higher hypsodonty index in the M3. This is also revealed by the application of a Principal Component Analysis, where several dental features are combined. Moreover, the relatively deep mandibular corpus is a derived feature. In these aspects, the Apollonia-1 sample fits better with corresponding specimens from European localities correlated to the second part of the late Villafranchian and the Epivillafranchian. From this period, two subspecies have been proposed from Western Europe: M. m. vestinus (Azzaroli inAmbrosetti, Azzaroli, Bonadonna & Follieri, 1972) from Italian localities correlated to the Farneta Faunal Unit and M. m. deperetiCoppens & Beden, 1982 from Saint-Prest (France). We propose that M. m. vestinus can be regarded a valid subspecies of the southern mammoth and that M. m. depereti is possibly a junior synonym. The results of this study are in agreement with the existing biochronological correlation of the Apollonia-1 fauna and further support the potential biostratigraphic significance of M. meridionalis within the Early Pleistocene, albeit conclusions based on limited/fragmentary sample should always be taken with caution.

International audience; A new fossil cranium of a large papionin monkey from the Lower Pleistocene site of Dafnero-3 in Western Macedonia, Greece, is described by means of outer and inner morphological and metric traits using high-resolution micro-computed tomography. Comparisons with modern cercopithecids and contemporaneous Eurasian fossil taxa suggest that the new cranium could equally be ascribed to either the Eurasian Paradolichopithecus or to the East Asian Procynocephalus. The combination of the available direct and indirect fossil evidence, including the new cranium from Dafnero, revives an earlier hypothesis that considers these two sparsely documented genera as synonyms. The timing and possible causes of the rise and demise of Paradolichopithecus - Procynocephalus are discussed.

A right elephantine maxilla bearing the two last molars is described and discussed here. The specimen comes from the fluvial deposits filling up the post-molassic morpho-tectonic valleys of the upper Haliakmon river-system in NW Greece. According to indirect evidence it would be chronologically framed between 3.5 and 3.0 Ma (late Pliocene). A detailed morphological and metrical comparison supported by computed tomography allows ascribing the maxilla to a primitive Eurasian mammoth species, more advanced than the “Hadar type” of mammoth from Ethiopia and less than Mammuthus africanavus from North Africa or Pleistocene southern mammoths (Mammuthus meridionalis) from Eurasia. The molars show strong affinities to several Eurasian specimens recently referred to Mammuthus rumanus, a species that needs, however, a systematic revision.

Two new vertebrate fossiliferous localities from the Pleistocene of the Mygdonia Basin (Macedonia, Greece), Tsiotra Vryssi (TSR) and Platanochori-1 (PLN), are presented in this article. TSR belongs to the Gerakarou Formation and its preliminary faunal list includes the corvid Corvus pliocaenus , the hyaenid Pachycrocuta brevirostris , the canid Canis etruscus , the rhinoceros Stephanorhinus sp., two species of Equus , the bovid Bison sp., the cervid Metacervocerus rhenanus and the giraffid Palaeotragus sp. PLN belongs to the Platanochori Formation (overlying Gerakarou Formation) and its fauna includes the following taxa: Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis , Equus apolloniensis , Bison sp. and Pontoceros ambiguus . The preliminary comparison of these faunal assemblages with the already known localities from the Mygdonia Basin and the wider region, combined with the geological data, suggest a Late Villafranchian age for TSR, chronologically intermediate between the localities Gerakarou-1 and Apollonia-1, while the fauna from PLN is indicative of a Latest Villafranchian age, similar to that of Apollonia-1. These new localities will enhance our understanding of the crucial time period of the earliest dispersal of hominins into Europe.

The present article is dealing with some rhinocerotid teeth from the Middle Miocene mammal locality Chryssavgi (CHR), which is situated in the Mygdonia Basin (Macedonia, Greece). The material was incorrectly described earlier as Diceros pachygnathus (Psarianos, 1958) or Dicerorhinus orientalis (Dimopoulos, 1972) and considered as Late Miocene to Early Pliocene in age. The morphological characters of the CHR rhinocerotid and its comparison with the Eurasian ones indicate that it belongs to Brachypotherium brachypus (Lartet, 1851). The correlation of the studied material to the local stratigraphy, as well as to the micromammalian fauna, found in CHR, suggests a Late Astaracian age, MN 7+8. The presence of the taxon in CHR corresponds to first occurrence of Brachypotherium Roger, 1904 in Greece from where was previously unknown. The geographic and biostratigraphic occurrence of B. brachypus in the Eastern Mediterranean region is also discussed. The species is quite common in Turkey but rare in the B...

Eurasia was home to a great radiation of hominoid primates during the Miocene. All were extinct by the end of the Miocene in Western Eurasia. Here, we investigate the hypothesis of climate and vegetation changes at a local scale when the cercopithecoid Mesopithecus replaced the hominoid Ouranopithecus along the Axios River, Greece. Because they are herbivorous and were much more abundant than primates, bovids are preferred to primates to study climate change in the Balkans as a cause of hominoid extinction. By measuring carbon stable isotope ratios of bovid enamel, we conclude that Ouranopithecus and Mesopithecus both evolved in pure C3 environments. However, the large range of δ13C values of apatite carbonate from bovids combined with their molar microwear and mesowear patterns preclude the presence of dense forested landscapes in northern Greece. Instead, these bovids evolved in rather open landscapes with abundant grasses in the herbaceous layer. Coldest monthly estimated temperatures were below 10 °C and warmest monthly temperatures rose close to or above 20 °C for the two time intervals. Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate from bulk samples did not show significant differences between sites but did show between-species variation within each site. Different factors influence oxygen isotope composition in this context, including water provenience, feeding ecology, body mass, and rate of amelogenesis. We discuss this latter factor in regard to the high intra-tooth variations in δ18Op reflecting important amplitudes of seasonal variations in temperature. These estimations fit with paleobotanical data and differ slightly from estimations based on climate models. This study found no significant change in climate before and after the extinction of Ouranopithecus along the Axios River. However, strong seasonal variations with relatively cold winters were indicated, conditions quite usual for extant monkeys but unusual for great apes distributed today in inter-tropical regions.

Extensive fieldwork and detailed studies during the last three decades have enriched our understanding of the Plio-Pleistocene large mammal record of Greece. While the unearthed material is abundant, it is not evenly distributed throughout the Plio-Pleistocene; therefore, there are time intervals in this period for which the known large mammal fauna is limited and our knowledge is poor. The Greek Plio-Pleistocene large mammal record reveals a paleoenvironmental transition from open woodlands in late Pliocene, to savannah-like landscape during the early Pleistocene, and to open grasslands during the late early Pleistocene. During this environmental shift, several taxa arrived in Greece in their westward expansion, whereas others made their last European appearance. The arrival of Homo in Europe is discussed in relation to the Greek faunal record. The available data cannot clearly distinguish between an African or an Asian origin, but the latter is supported by more evidence.

Study of a newly discovered cranial specimen of Urmiatherium polaki from Karaj Abad site in Maragheh, Iran, allows us to describe the complete skull and present a new diagnosis for this late Miocene mammal species. In the comparative study of the specimen we propose the relative position of the upper teeth as a reliable metrical method for discriminating bovids of similar size. Based on the available information, a skull reconstruction of Urmiatherium polaki is provided and its ecological profile is outlined. Both the cranial and dental features of U. polaki indicate a gregarious grazing bovid of medium size, adapted to uneven ground and exhibiting ramming as the predominant fighting behavior.

Large-scale fluctuations in global climate and resulting changes in ecology had a profound effect on human evolution and dispersal. Though hominin remains are scarce, studies focussing on the more abundant records of fossil land mammal communities can contribute greatly to our knowledge of the palaeoenvironmental circumstances that influenced and directed the global spread of hominins. To produce a comprehensive and accurate account of the evolution of western Palaearctic habitat diversity between 2.6 and 0.4 Ma BP, information generated from large mammal communities from 221 key sites has been included in this study. The palaeoecological conditions of the western Palaearctic during the Early and early Middle Pleistocene were principally controlled by the following key factors: (1) a widespread trend of temperature decrease, (2) the periodicity of the global temperature record, (3) the intensity of single climatic stages, (4) the temporal pattern of climatic variation, (5) geographical position, and (6) the distribution of continental water resources. A general picture of the evolution of western Palaearctic habitat diversity saw the replacement of extensive forested terrain by an alternating sequence of varied savannah-like and forested habitats during the 2.6–1.8 Ma span, as well as an alternation between different types of predominantly open habitats between 1.8 and 1.2 Ma. Both of these processes were governed by 41 ka temperature periodicity. During the 1.2–0.9 Ma time span, irregular climatic fluctuations were more common and habitat variability increased. The subsequent 0.9–0.4 Ma interval, a period controlled by 100 ka periodicity, was by comparison more stable, with longer climatic cycles alternating between open and forested landscapes. During the entire Early and early Middle Pleistocene, assemblages of large mammal communities reveal a distinct trend of decreasing continentality between Eastern and South-Eastern Europe on the one hand, and South-Western and North-Western Europe on the other. This trend was due to the effect of the Atlantic Ocean, while in Southern Europe the relatively low continentality was balanced by influences from the Mediterranean Sea. When plotted against evidence of hominin occurrence, the data on western Palaearctic habitat diversity inferred from large mammal communities indicate clear environmental stimuli for the earliest human dispersal in Europe. These are: (1) a wide range of habitats, implying a high diversity of resources; (2) mild climates with low seasonality, implying a lack of strong environmental fluctuations. Around 1.8 Ma at the latest, hominins of African origin entered the western Palaearctic for the first time, taking advantage of the diversity of habitats and resources, particularly along large river systems. Their subsequent westward spread between 1.7 and 1.3 Ma was restricted to Mediterranean-influenced areas, which offered a high variability of habitats and relatively low seasonality. The increase in environmental diversity, which occurred from 1.2 Ma onwards, opened up South-Eastern and Eastern Europe for hominin occupation. According to the available records, North-Western and Central Europe were initially colonized during late Early to early Middle Pleistocene interglacials, when these regions experienced periods of low seasonality and considerable habitat diversity.