Mammals are among the fastest-radiating groups, being characterized by a mean species lifespan of the order of 2.5 million years (Myr) 1, 2 . The basis for this characteristic timescale of origination, extinction and turnover is not well... more
Mammals are among the fastest-radiating groups, being characterized by a mean species lifespan of the order of 2.5 million years (Myr) 1, 2 . The basis for this characteristic timescale of origination, extinction and turnover is not well understood. Various studies have invoked ...
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Mazza and Rustioni [Mazza, P.P.A., Rustioni, M., 2008. Processes of island colonization by Oligo-Miocene land mammals in the central Mediterranean: New data from Scontrone (Abruzzo, Central Italy) and Gargano (Apulia, Southern Italy).... more
Mazza and Rustioni [Mazza, P.P.A., Rustioni, M., 2008. Processes of island colonization by Oligo-Miocene land mammals in the central Mediterranean: New data from Scontrone (Abruzzo, Central Italy) and Gargano (Apulia, Southern Italy). Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 267 (3–4), 208–215.] suggest that land bridges played an important role in the colonization of the Abruzzo–Apulian bioprovince, as shown by the fossil vertebrates from Scontrone and Gargano. Would they have been able to demonstrate that land bridges indeed played a role in the dispersion of mammals, this would have implied that we had to rethink the modes of colonization for many other isles and rewrite our theories on island biogeography. Unfortunately, their evidence falls short, and even though their paper provides new insights in the history of the insular faunas of the Apulia platform, there is no reason to assume that land bridges played any role in the colonization of these islands.
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The interest in mammalian palaeohistology has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Starting in 1849 via descriptive approaches, it has been demonstrated that bone tissue and vascularisation types correlate with several... more
The interest in mammalian palaeohistology has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Starting in 1849 via descriptive approaches, it has been demonstrated that bone tissue and vascularisation types correlate with several biological variables such as ontogenetic stage, growth rate, and ecology. Mammalian bone displays a large variety of bone tissues and vascularisation patterns reaching from lamellar or parallel-fibred to fibrolamellar or woven-fibred bone, depending on taxon and individual age. Here we systematically review the knowledge and methods on mammalian bone and palaeohistology and discuss potential future research fields and techniques. We present new data on the bone microstructure of two extant marsupial species and of several extinct continental and island placental mammals. Three juvenile specimens of the dwarf island hippopotamid Hippopotamus minor from the Late Pleistocene of Cyprus show reticular to plexiform fibrolamellar bone. The island murid Mikrotia ma...
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The amphibian type specimens held in the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden are listed. A total of 775 type specimens representing 143 taxon names were encountered. The list provides the original name, the original publication... more
The amphibian type specimens held in the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden are listed. A total of 775 type specimens representing 143 taxon names were encountered. The list provides the original name, the original publication date, pagination and illustrations, current name, type locality and notes on the type status.
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The presence of Galerix molars in the South German fossil locality Hammerschmiede 3 is interpreted as evidence for a reimmigration of West European origin into the North Alpine Foreland Basin at the transition of the Middle to Late... more
The presence of Galerix molars in the South German fossil locality Hammerschmiede 3 is interpreted as evidence for a reimmigration of West European origin into the North Alpine Foreland Basin at the transition of the Middle to Late Miocene. The brief re-appearence of Galerix in southern Germany can be used as a biostratigraphic marker that allows promising correlations between local biostratigraphic subdivisions from Spain and Germany, suggesting that, contrary to previous thought, the Hammerschmiede locality may antedate the hipparionine horses’ appearance event. Based on the supposed climatic adaptation of galericine taxa and lower vertebrate record, it is hypothesized that short term climatic fluctuations occurred in South Germany around the time of the first appearance of the hipparionine horses in Europe.
Research Interests: Zoology and Late Miocene
Recently Papagomys theodorverhoeveni was reported to be still extant on the basis of a single museum specimen. Based on comparison with extensive zooarchaeological material from Liang Bua, the identification of this specimen is refuted.
Research Interests: Zoology and Extinction
The interest in mammalian palaeohistology has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Starting in 1849 via descriptive approaches, it has been demonstrated that bone tissue and vascularisation types correlate with several... more
The interest in mammalian palaeohistology has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Starting in 1849 via descriptive approaches, it has been demonstrated that bone tissue and vascularisation types correlate with several biological variables such as ontogenetic stage, growth rate, and ecology. Mammalian bone displays a large variety of bone tissues and vascularisation patterns reaching from lamellar or parallel-fibred to fibrolamellar or woven-fibred bone, depending on taxon and individual age. Here we systematically review the knowledge and methods on cynodont and mammalian bone microstructure as well as palaeohistology and discuss potential future research fields and techniques. We present new data on the bone microstructure of two extant marsupial species and of several extinct continental and island placental mammals. Extant marsupials display mainly parallel-fibred primary bone with radial and oblique but mainly longitudinal vascular canals. Three juvenile specimens of...
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[Proceedings of the VII international symposium 'Cultural heritage in geosciences, mining and metallurgy : libraries, archives, museums' : "Museums and their collections" held at the Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum Leiden (The Netherlands), 19-23 May, 2003 / Cor F. Winkler Prins and Stephen K. ...more
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The Czech locality of Merkur-Nord (MN 3) has yielded one species of erinaceid and five species of talpids. The hedgehogs are represented by a few fossils of Galerix only. The talpid assemblage is characterised by a dominance of Mygalea... more
The Czech locality of Merkur-Nord (MN 3) has yielded one species of erinaceid and five species of talpids. The hedgehogs are represented by a few fossils of Galerix only. The talpid assemblage is characterised by a dominance of Mygalea magna. The position of Mygalea within the Desmaninae, which previously had been open to some doubt, could be ascertained. The excellent preservation of the material, including post-cranial remains, allowed the association of humeri to all of the five talpid species. The position of Desmanella, represented by the new species D. gudrunae, as a uropsiline talpid is confirmed, as for the first time a Desmanella dentition could be associated with a uropsiline type of humerus. Overall, the talpid assemblage shows its greatest similarity with the MN 2 locality of Ulm-Westtangente. However, the presence of Galerix, an MN 3 immigrant in European faunas, confirms the assumed age of the locality. Kurzfassung Die Fauna von Merkur-Nord (Tschechische Republik), die...
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One of the most important contributions of Nieves López Martínez in Palaeobiogeography is the study of the 'centre of origin of species' concept and the proposal of the 'Asymmetric Time Model' as an alternative to the... more
One of the most important contributions of Nieves López Martínez in Palaeobiogeography is the study of the 'centre of origin of species' concept and the proposal of the 'Asymmetric Time Model' as an alternative to the 'Symmetric Time Model', a key concept in dispersalist Historical Biogeography. As a consequence of these ideas, she discussed the methodology to establish biostratigraphic scales, pointing out that the higher number of 'First Appearance Datum' (FADs) over that of 'Last Appearance Datum' (LADs) in the fossil record supports the Asymmetrical Time Model. In this study we analyse the middle Miocene micromammal appearance and extinction events (FADs and LADs) based on well-calibrated local biostratigraphic scales from different European basins, in order to determine which of the proposed biogeographical models better fi ts the Miocene RESUMEN Entre las aportaciones de Nieves López Martínez a la Paleobiogeografía, se puede destacar el ...
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An inventory of type material in the ‘Martin Collection’ at the Division of Cenozoic Mollusca of the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, The Netherlands has been made. In total 1842 lots containing over 5700 type specimens of 912... more
An inventory of type material in the ‘Martin Collection’ at the Division of Cenozoic Mollusca of the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, The Netherlands has been made. In total 1842 lots containing over 5700 type specimens of 912 species were encountered. The status of the types is outlined.
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ABSTRACT Villafranchian faunas were widely spread throughout the European continent during the Plio-Pleistocene. Ungulates, and particularly ruminants, are very well represented in most of the localities of this period. The fossil site of... more
ABSTRACT Villafranchian faunas were widely spread throughout the European continent during the Plio-Pleistocene. Ungulates, and particularly ruminants, are very well represented in most of the localities of this period. The fossil site of Tegelen (Province of Limburg, the Netherlands) is a classical Villafranchian locality where cervids are especially abundant. Some of the sites from this period have been thoroughly studied in various aspects, such as faunal assemblages, biochronology, magnetostratigraphy, sedimentology or palaeoenvironmental conditions, among others. Tegelen has been as well studied, but its particular exploitation has hampered its study for years. In order to reconstruct its prevailing palaeohabitat, we have applied statistical analyses based on functional morphology for the first time for this fossil site. In this work, we have analysed the ecomorphology of the postcranial skeleton of Eucladoceros ctenoides and Metacervoceros rhenanus, the two extinct species of deer present in Tegelen. Results show that the best ecological indicators are the metapods and the tibia, while the astragalus seems to be the least informative element. The analyses reveal likewise how both taxa show adaptations to both open and forest environments, but with a slight trend to the former. These results disagree with the general assumption that E. ctenoides and M. rhenanus are indicative of forested settings, as well as with the classical interpretations of the palaeoenvironment of Tegelen made to date, which are exclusively based on the fauna. However, they go along with the appearance of some taxa typical of open habitats, such as the micromammals Hystrix and Dicrostonyx, which could help to explain their enigmatic presence. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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ABSTRACT This paper provides new information on the Late Miocene small mammal assemblage from Plakias, which includes a re-evaluation of the rodents described in De Bruijn and Meulenkamp (Proceedings Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van... more
ABSTRACT This paper provides new information on the Late Miocene small mammal assemblage from Plakias, which includes a re-evaluation of the rodents described in De Bruijn and Meulenkamp (Proceedings Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Series B, 75(1), 54–60, 1972) and a description of the rodents and insectivores collected in 2011. Combined, they show a quite diverse fauna, dominated by the eomyid Eomyops cf. catalaunicus. The new collection yielded a hitherto unknown genus of murid (Cricetinae gen. et sp. indet), which brings, combined with Eumyarion leemanni and Cricetulodon cretensis, the number of murids on three. The previous identifications of the scuirids and glirids have been revised. Insectivores, not know from the original collection, are represented by Erinaceinae gen. et sp. indet, Lantanotherium sanmigueli and Paenelimnoecus sp. The assemblage is tentatively correlated to the lower part of MN 9, with an estimated age of ~9.9Ma. KeywordsLate Miocene–Rodentia–Insectivora–Crete
ABSTRACT Many Miocene localities yielded considerable numbers of eulipotyphlan fossils. The group as a whole is generally considered to be indicative for humid environments, but little is known about the preferences of specific taxa. We... more
ABSTRACT Many Miocene localities yielded considerable numbers of eulipotyphlan fossils. The group as a whole is generally considered to be indicative for humid environments, but little is known about the preferences of specific taxa. We discuss the insectivores found in the German fissure filling Petersbuch 28, including an insectivorous marsupial, in an attempt to refine the knowledge of the preferred environments of insectivores. For this, we compared the assemblage in quantitative analyses with other insectivore assemblages of similar age. Our results show that, in full accordance with previous hypotheses, dimylids, most moles and shrews were shown to be indicators for humid environments, like swamps or humid forests, whereas the hedgehogs, the moles Desmanodon and Theratiskos and the shrew Oligosorex were more common in dryer environments.
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Two new species of Galerix (Erinaceidae, Insectivora) are described from Lower Miocene localities of Anatolia. These species are G. saratji n. sp. from Kilçak 0, Kilçak 0", Kilçak 3A, Kilçak 3B, Harami 1 and Harami 3, and G. uenayae... more
Two new species of Galerix (Erinaceidae, Insectivora) are described from Lower Miocene localities of Anatolia. These species are G. saratji n. sp. from Kilçak 0, Kilçak 0", Kilçak 3A, Kilçak 3B, Harami 1 and Harami 3, and G. uenayae n. sp. from Keseköy. The recent literature on Galerix is reviewed and the phylogenetic relationships of the Early Miocene species of Galerix are elaborated. The presence of the erinaceid Neurogymnurus in Kilçak 3A indicates that the Kilçak localities are probably older than the Harami localities.
ABSTRACT Cordimus, a new genus of cricetid rodent, is described from Neogene deposits on the islands of Curaçao and Bonaire, Dutch Antilles. The genus is characterized by strongly cuspidate molars, the presence of mesolophs in most upper... more
ABSTRACT Cordimus, a new genus of cricetid rodent, is described from Neogene deposits on the islands of Curaçao and Bonaire, Dutch Antilles. The genus is characterized by strongly cuspidate molars, the presence of mesolophs in most upper molars and the absence of mesolophids in lower molars. Similarities with the early cricetid Copemys from the Miocene of North America coupled with apparent derived characters shared with the subfamily Sigmodontinae suggest that Cordimus may be close to the root of the sigmodontine lineage, a possibility that remains to be tested through explicit phylogenetic analysis. Three species are recognized on the basis of size and details of molar morphology. Cordimus hooijeri sp. nov. is described from Bonaire on the basis of Holocene owl pellet material that consists of dentaries and postcranial material only. This species is presumed to be extinct, but focused surveys are needed to confirm this hypothesis. Cordimus debuisonjei sp. nov. and Cordimus raton sp. nov. are described from deposits on Tafelberg Santa Barbara in Curaçao. Although the age of these deposits is not known, they are most likely of late Pliocene or early Pleistocene age. Both are represented by numerous isolated molars and some osteological material.
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Excavations at Liang Bua, a limestone cave on the island of Flores, East Indonesia, have yielded a well-dated archaeological and faunal sequence spanning the last 95k.yr., major climatic fluctuations, and two human species -H.... more
Excavations at Liang Bua, a limestone cave on the island of Flores, East Indonesia, have yielded a well-dated archaeological and faunal sequence spanning the last 95k.yr., major climatic fluctuations, and two human species -H. floresiensis from 95 to 17k.yr.(1), and modern humans from 11k.yr. to the present. The faunal assemblage comprises well-preserved mammal, bird, reptile and mollusc remains, including examples of island gigantism in small mammals and the dwarfing of large taxa. Together with evidence from Early-Middle Pleistocene sites in the Soa Basin, it confirms the long-term isolation, impoverishment, and phylogenetic continuity of the Flores faunal community. The accumulation of Stegodon and Komodo dragon remains at the site in the Pleistocene is attributed to Homo floresiensis, while predatory birds, including an extinct species of owl, were largely responsible for the accumulation of the small vertebrates. The disappearance from the sequence of the two large-bodied, endemic mammals, Stegodon florensis insularis and Homo floresiensis, was associated with a volcanic eruption at 17 ka and precedes the earliest evidence for modern humans, who initiated use of mollusc and shell working, and began to introduce a range of exotic animals to the island. Faunal introductions during the Holocene included the Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) at about 7ka, followed by the Eurasian pig (Sus scrofa), Long-tailed macaque, Javanese porcupine, and Masked palm civet at about 4ka, and cattle, deer, and horse - possibly by the Portuguese within historic times. The Holocene sequence at the site also documents local faunal extinctions - a result of accelerating human population growth, habitat loss, and over-exploitation.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Evolutionary Biology, Archaeology, Anthropology, Human Evolution, and 15 morePalaeoecology, Evolution and Human Behavior, Human, Humans, Late Pleistocene, Fossils, Animals, Homo Sapiens, Long Tail, Biological evolution, Habitat loss, Flores, Homo floresiensis, Liang Bua, and Hominidae
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ABSTRACT Le remplissage de la fissure bavaroise Petersbuch 28 (Miocène inférieur, MN 3/4, Allemagne) a livré une faune diversifiée de musaraignes. Les taxons Soricella discrepans Doben-Florin, 1964 et Paenelimnoecus micromorphus... more
ABSTRACT Le remplissage de la fissure bavaroise Petersbuch 28 (Miocène inférieur, MN 3/4, Allemagne) a livré une faune diversifiée de musaraignes. Les taxons Soricella discrepans Doben-Florin, 1964 et Paenelimnoecus micromorphus (Doben-Florin, 1964) présentent une distribution bimodale pour certaines variables dentaires que nous interprétons ici comme la conséquence d’un intervalle de temps prolongé d’accumulation des fossiles. De même, deux classes de taille d’incisives supérieures de Miosorex desnoyersianus (Lartet, 1851) ont été observées, suggérant également la présence de deux populations diachrones. En plus de ces espèces, le site a livré Heterosorex neumayrianus (Schlosser, 1887), l’unique hétérosoricidé représenté, Lartetium petersbuchense Ziegler, 1989, L. cf. prevostianum (Lartet, 1851) et Florinia stehlini (Doben-Florin, 1964). Ces soricidés confirment que l’âge de Petersbuch 28 correspond à un intervalle de temps proche de la transition MN3/MN4. Ce site comble ainsi une lacune entre les localités de Wintershof-West et de Petersbuch 2. Les deux espèces de Lartetium Ziegler, 1989 sont considérées comme de probables immigrants.
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ABSTRACT Vallesian (early Late Miocene) strata from the recently introduced Ca˜nada section (province of Zaragoza, east Central Spain) have yielded fairly large insectivore assemblages. These show that, after the generally dry Aragonian,... more
ABSTRACT Vallesian (early Late Miocene) strata from the recently introduced Ca˜nada section (province of Zaragoza, east Central Spain) have yielded fairly large insectivore assemblages. These show that, after the generally dry Aragonian, the Vallesian gave rise to more humid conditions that were favourable to insectivores, both in number of taxa, and in overall number of specimens. The assemblage of Ca˜nada 8 (Biozone H) is dominated by shrews, whereas the assemblage of Ca˜nada 10 (uppermost Biozone H) contains the oldest record of Desmanella in the area. This seems to signify a bioevent in which after millions of years of absence, talpids return to the area. In addition to the Vallesian assemblages, a small Turolian insectivore fauna has been recovered. On the basis of the rodents, Ca˜nada 12 was assigned to Biozone L, and the insectivore assemblage is very similar to the assemblages from the Teruel basin of that zone. This implies that the discovery of Postpalerinaceus in Ca˜nada 12 is the youngest published record of this large spiny hedgehog.
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Dubois recently suggested that Linnean taxa should be quoted with the year of publication only, rather than with the author ± year of publication. This would reduce the perceived artificial nomenclatural inflation produced by new... more
Dubois recently suggested that Linnean taxa should be quoted with the year of publication only, rather than with the author ± year of publication. This would reduce the perceived artificial nomenclatural inflation produced by new synonyms. We do not consider this inflation a ...
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Since 2005, excavations at Mare aux Songes, Mauritius, have revealed the presence of a very rich, ∼4,200-year-old fossil bone bed including dodo (Raphus cucullatus) bones and bone fragments. The recently excavated dodo assemblage... more
Since 2005, excavations at Mare aux Songes, Mauritius, have revealed the presence of a very rich, ∼4,200-year-old fossil bone bed including dodo (Raphus cucullatus) bones and bone fragments. The recently excavated dodo assemblage comprises at least 17 individuals and is characterised by the presence of small and fragile skeletal elements, a dominance of leg elements and an absence of juveniles. The hydrology of the area suggests that dodos, like many other species, were probably lured to Mare aux Songes by the presence of freshwater during times of drought. The most likely scenario for the origin of the fossil deposit is that animals became trapped in the sediment in repeated miring events, which would favour the conservation of hindlimbs. Such a scenario is fully in accordance with the taphonomic characteristics of the bone assemblage.
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ABSTRACT At the time of its discovery, over 25 years ago, the Greek locality of Aliveri preserved the easternmost occurrence for the early Miocene of cricetodontine hamsters such as Cricetodon, Megacricetodon and Democricetodon. As... more
ABSTRACT At the time of its discovery, over 25 years ago, the Greek locality of Aliveri preserved the easternmost occurrence for the early Miocene of cricetodontine hamsters such as Cricetodon, Megacricetodon and Democricetodon. As knowledge on the early Miocene history of the eastern Mediterranean increased, the faunal composition became more enigmatic, because of the presence of typical European elements (Pseudotheridomys, Heterosorex, Plesiodimylus, Myxomygale), absent from Anatolia. Recently, the ungulates from the locality were rediscovered, expanding the faunal list with the equid Anchitherium and the pecorans Lagomeryx (two species), Eotragus and Palaeomerycidae gen. et sp. indet. In this paper, we examine the fauna of Aliveri in the light of the current state of knowledge. The assemblage is typical for MN 4, but is believed to pre-date European localities of that biochronological unit. Similarity with Anatolian MN 3 localities suggests that the origin of the fauna lies mostly in that region, whereas the major differences with European localities suggest relative isolation, in line with palaeogeographic reconstructions of the period. However, when isolation was lifted, a number of European elements were added to the local fauna, but, presumably because of an ecological barrier, did not move further into Anatolia. Migrations at the onset of MN 4 can explain the composition of the Greek fauna, but we are still far from completely understanding the complex history of the eastern Mediterranean during the early Miocene.
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A bridge too far. Comment on “Processes of island colonization by Oligo-Miocene land mammals in the central Mediterranean: New data from Scontrone (Abruzzo, Central Italy) and Gargano (Apulia, Southern Italy)” by P.P.A. Mazza and M. Rustioni [Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 267 ...more
Mazza and Rustioni [Mazza, PPA, Rustioni, M., 2008. Processes of island colonization by Oligo-Miocene land mammals in the central Mediterranean: New data from Scontrone (Abruzzo, Central Italy) and Gargano (Apulia, Southern Italy).... more
Mazza and Rustioni [Mazza, PPA, Rustioni, M., 2008. Processes of island colonization by Oligo-Miocene land mammals in the central Mediterranean: New data from Scontrone (Abruzzo, Central Italy) and Gargano (Apulia, Southern Italy). Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 267 (3–4), 208–215.] suggest that land bridges played an important role in the colonization of the Abruzzo–Apulian bioprovince, as shown by the fossil vertebrates from Scontrone and Gargano. Would they have been able to demonstrate that land bridges ...