Daniel Zoboli

Comparative studies on extinction scenarios are an invaluable contribution to enhance our understanding of their patterns and mechanisms underpinning them. This paper presents new radiocarbon dates based on specimens of five extinct mammal species from Mallorca and Sardinia. The new evidence permits to reanalyse the extinction dynamics on both islands. Radiocarbon ages directly obtained on bone collagen from these species show evidence of different extinction patterns on Mallorca and Sardinia. For Mallorca the most reliable scenario is a mass extinction of all non-volant mammal species as an immediate consequence of the first human irruption on the island. However, for Sardinia, the extinction of autochthonous mammals lasted over several millennia. The new radiocarbon dates of the last occurrence of endemic mammals suggest a sequence of punctuated extinction events throughout the late Sardinian Holocene. These events are here tentatively related to successive human colonisation waves. The current lack of chronological dates for some Sardinian fossil mammals impedes to outline a more accurate pattern of extinction events. The present paper points that Mallorca have been more vulnerable than Sardinia to the external disturbances introduced by humans. We suggest that the capacity of each island to absorb external perturbations could be related to the island area, the duration of the isolated evolution and the degree of faunal complexity.

In this paper, we describe pleurodire turtle material from the island of Sardinia, Italy, originating
from two Eocene localities of the Cixerri Formation. The more complete among the two specimens bears strong resemblance
with the continental Western European Eocenochelus eremberti and is tentatively referred to the same species,
while the second, less complete specimen is only provisionally referred to the genus Eocenochelus. The new Sardinian
turtles add to the so far scarcely documented fossil record of pleurodires in Italy, while it ranks as among the very few
Paleogene vertebrates known from the island. The identification of the widespread Eocene Western European genus
Eocenochelus in the fossil record of Sardinia supports recent palaeogeographic reconstructions of the island, according
to which the Sardinia-Corsica Massif was located rather close to mainland Europe and was subjected to a significant,
counterclockwise rotation during the Paleogene.

Mammuthus lamarmorai (Major, 1883) is the only dwarf proboscidean taxon known from the Pleistocene of Sardinia (Italy). The fossil record mainly consists of isolated remains reported from a few localities. The species was, however, created for an incomplete skeleton, the first finding of the taxon, fortuitously discovered at the end of the XIX century during the construction of a railway line crossing aeolian deposits cropping out near Funtana Morimenta (Gonnesa, southwestern Sardinia). Since the discovery until the beginning of the XX century, various researchers repeatedly collected elephant bones at the site that they sent to various museums or private collectors. The available bone remains of the Funtana Morimenta elephant are currently housed in three museums (Naturhistorisches Museum). The present paper aims to provide the complete list of the material collected by Forsyth Major during several excavation campaigns and currently housed in the NMB. A comparison of the lists of remains from the three museums allowed the authors to exclude the presence of duplicate elements and to attribute all the remains found at Funtana Morimenta to a single fully mature individual. RIASSUNTO-[I resti di Mammuthus lamarmorai (Major, 1883) conservati nel Naturhistorisches Museum di Basilea (Svizzera) ed il completo " puzzle-scheletrico " ]-Resti di Mammuthus lamarmorai (Major, 1883), elefante di taglia ridotta vissuto in Sardegna durante il tardo Pleistocene Medio ed il Pleistocene Superiore, sono segnalati in poche località e consistono per lo più in denti isolati e frammenti di ossa lunghe. I primi fossili, rinvenuti in località Funtana Morimenta (Gonnesa, Sardegna sud-occidentale) intorno alla fine del XIX secolo, sono tuttavia numerosi ed è stata ipotizzata la loro appartenenza ad un singolo individuo. Il recupero dei resti, rinvenuti fortuitamente durante la costruzione di una linea ferroviaria, è stato compiuto in fasi successive almeno sin dall'inizio del XX secolo da più ricercatori che hanno inviato i resti da loro recuperati a musei o collezionisti privati. Di conseguenza l'effettiva consistenza del materiale presente a Funtana Morimenta non è nota, e i fossili sono oggi conservati in diversi musei italiani e stranieri. I primi elementi ossei raccolti da Acconci furono spediti a Pisa per lo studio mentre buona parte del restante scheletro fu recuperato da Forsyth Major in almeno tre successive campagne di scavo. Altri resti, verosimilmente appartenenti allo stesso esemplare ma di cui sono ignoti anno e nome dello scopritore, sono conservati nel Museo Sardo di Geologia e Paleontologia Domenico Lovisato di Cagliari. Nella presente nota viene elencato e descritto, per la prima volta nella sua totalità, il materiale raccolto da Forsyth Major attualmente facente parte dell'omonima collezione conservata presso il Naturhistorisches Museum di Basilea (Svizzera) (NMB). I resti sono numerosi (173 campioni), anche se in molti casi si tratta di elementi ossei incompleti e frammenti di difficile determinazione. L'esame dei fossili conservati nel NMB ed il confronto con le liste del materiale conservato negli altri musei ha reso possibile escludere la presenza di elementi doppi e di attribuire quindi con sicurezza tutti i resti rinvenuti a Funtana Morimenta ad un unico individuo completamente maturo, del quale attualmente si dispone di circa il 40% dello scheletro. Da notare, infine, che la maggior parte dei campioni del NMB sono coperti da uno strato di arenaria da poco a mediamente cementato, il che se da un lato in taluni casi oblitera l'anatomia osteologica e ne rende difficile la determinazione, dall'altro consente di affermare che il materiale non ha subito alcun trattamento sin dai tempi della sua raccolta.

The Neogene fauna from Oschiri and Laerru (Sardinia, Italy) are famous for being the oldest known insular community from the Mediterranean Sea (Burdigalian). The only known ruminant specimen from Sardara is often associated to these faunas. Nevertheless, some doubts persist on its specific attribution and age. Here we re-describe the specimen and attribute it to " Amphitragulus " quercyi. This species is only known during the latest Oligocene, between 24.5 and 23 Ma. This chronological range is in agreement with the age attributed to the upper part of the Ussana Formation and the base of the transgressive marine formations of the first sedimentary cycle (Oligo-Aquitanian) of Central Sardinia where the fossil has been found. Instead of being the oldest insular mammal from Sardinia, the Sardara ruminant is the most recent fully continental mammal known in Sardinia and the first one dating from the Oligocene.

A new study of the ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology of the Late Pennsylvanian San Giorgio Basin’s
trace fossils was carried out. The tetrapod tracks were attributed to Batrachichnus salamandroides
and to indet. tracks with a possible small temnospondyl and/or lepospondyl affinity. The
invertebrate trace fossils include locomotion traces (Diplichnites isp.), grazing traces (Cochlichnus
anguineus), and feeding structures (Treptichnus bifurcus, Treptichnus isp.). The trace fossils were
evaluated by means of ichnofacies, highlighting a transitional Scoyenia-Mermia ichnofacies, typical
of Carboniferous freshwater settings. The trace fossil co-occurrence and taphonomy was utilized to
give a new interpretation of the fossil-bearing lithofacies, which are dolomitic mudstones-fine
sandstones expression of marginal lacustrine environments repeatedly subject to flooding (three
different ichnoassociations highlight different bathymetry/emersion). This is the oldest continental
ichnoassociation of Italy, and its moderately high diversity and complexity suggest further study of
this important Carboniferous trace fossil locality.

Tetrapod footprints have been reported in different types of environments, and are a suitable tool for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Previously, mammal footprints were reported in the Plio-Pleistocene fossil record of Sardinia (Italy), and were assigned to different endemic ruminants (Cervidae and Bovidae). In this work, we report the first occurrence of proboscidean footprints in the Italian fossil record. The ichnofossils are assigned to Proboscipeda panfamilia McNeil, Hills, Tolman & Kooyman, 2007. The studied footprints are preserved in highly consolidated aeolian deposits from the Pleistocene of Funtana Morimenta (Gonnesa, southwestern Sardinia, Italy). The recovered ichnofossils are represented by isolated manus-pes couples preserved as hyporeliefs and/or epireliefs. Furthermore, other footprints were observed in situ. The footprints' shape and size indicate that the track-maker is likely to be the Sardinian dwarf mammoth Mammuthus lamarmorai (Major, 1883). The Sardinian record may represent a unique example of dwarf mammoth footprints in the western Mediterranean Basin. Furthermore, a synthetic summary of the knowledge of the proboscidean ichnofossil record is also provided. RIASSUNTO-[Impronte di mammut nano dal Pleistocene di Gonnesa (Sardegna sud-occidentale, Italia)]-Le impronte fossili di tetrapodi, note in diversi tipi di ambienti, possono fornire un utile contributo nelle ricostruzioni paleoambientali. In tempi relativamente recenti, impronte riferibili a ruminanti (Cervidae e Bovidae) sono state segnalate nel Plio-Pleistocene della Sardegna (Italia). Impronte e piste lasciate da proboscidati sono note in diverse località del mondo e vengono generalmente incluse nell'icnogenere Proboscipeda, istituito da Panin & Avram nel 1962 per indicare tracce di forma ovoidale riferibili a Deinotheriidae rinvenute nei depositi miocenici della Romania. Nel presente lavoro vengono descritte le prime impronte di proboscidati segnalate nel record fossile italiano. Le impronte, riferibili all'icnospecie Proboscipeda panfamilia McNeil, Hills, Tolman & Kooyman, 2007, sono state ritrovate nei depositi eolici (s.l.) di Funtana Morimenta (Gonnesa, Sud-Ovest Sardegna, Italia). Gli icnofossili, attualmente conservati nel " Museo Sardo di Geologia e Paleontologia D. Lovisato " (Cagliari) e nel " Museo dei Palaeoambienti Sulcitani-E.A. Martel " (Carbonia), sono rappresentati da coppie di manus-pes preservate come iporilievi e/o epirilievi. Altre impronte sono state localizzate in situ. La forma e le dimensioni delle impronte suggeriscono che il track-maker possa essere identificato nella specie nana di mammut Mammuthus lamarmorai (Major, 1883), i cui resti olotipici sono stati ritrovati nella medesima successione eolica (s.l.). Gli icnofossili sardi potrebbero rappresentare l'unico esempio di impronte riferibili a mammut nani nel bacino del Mediterraneo occidentale.

A mammal assemblage discovered in a fissure filling located in a quarry near the village of Sa-matzai (Campidano, southern Sardinia, Italy) is described herein. The following taxa are reported: Microtus (Tyrrheni-cola) henseli, Rhagamys orthodon, Prolagus sardus, Asoriculus sp., Cynotherium sardous and Praemegaceros (Nesoleipoceros) cazioti. The assemblage (" Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) " Faunal Complex, Dragonara Faunal Subcomplex) infers a Late Pleistocene age and represents the richest deposit of Quaternary mammals reported in the central Campidano area.

A new vertebrate assemblage was discovered in an Early Miocene lacustrine deposit near the village of Laerru (northern Sardinia, Italy). The assemblage is composed by mammals, reptiles and a bird. The mammals are represented by three ruminants (cf. Sardomeryx oschiriensis, Pecora indet. small size and Pecora indet. very small size) and one dormouse (Peridyromys aff. murinus) while reptiles are represented by turtles (Trionychidae?) and crocodiles (cf. Diplocynodon sp.). A bird bone fragment is also reported and referred to Palaeortyx cf. brevipes (Galliformes). The assemblage can be related to the " Oschiri fauna " , one of the oldest endemic insular fauna known in the Medi-terranean. The age of the Laerru vertebrates is early-middle Burdigalian, between 18.8 and 18.3 Ma, corresponding to the mammal unit of the main land MN3. The predominance of ruminants confirms the good capacity of these mammals to colonize insular environments.

ABSTRACT - A mammal assemblage discovered in a small fissure filling in the Surconis area, near the village of Bolotana (Marghine mountain range, central-western Sardinia, Italy) is described herein. The association is composed of several taxa: Prolagus sardus, Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) henseli, Rhagamys orthodon, Cynotherium cf. sardous and Praemegaceros (Nesoleipoceros) cazioti. The analysed assemblage infers a Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene age (" Microtus [Tyrrhenicola] " Faunal Complex). The Surconis assemblage represents to date the richest fossil mammal site reported in the Marghine mountain range.

RIASSUNTO - [La fauna a mammiferi quaternari di " Surconis " , Bolotana (Sardegna, Italia)]-I primi studi sulle faune plio-quaternarie a mammiferi continentali della Sardegna risalgono ai primi anni del XIX secolo. Le località fino ad oggi studiate nell'isola sono numerose e in tempi recenti, grazie alla scoperta dei ricchi riempimenti carsici del Monte Tuttavista (Sardegna centro-orientale), le conoscenze sui complessi faunistici a mammiferi plio-quaternari hanno avuto un significativo incremento. I principali depositi fossiliferi sardi sono rappresentati da brecce ossifere in anfratti carsici, depositi di grotta, depositi eolici e subordinatamente da paleosuoli e depositi fluvio-lacustri. Per quel che riguarda i depositi in cavità carsiche, questi sono ubicati principalmente nelle vaste aree carbonatiche del Sulcis-Iglesiente (Sardegna meridionale), della Nurra (Sardegna settentrionale) e della Sardegna centro-orientale. Risultano pertanto relativamente rari quelli localizzati in aree dove gli affioramenti carbonatici sono scarsamente rappresentati. Nel presente lavoro viene segnalata un'associazione a mammiferi individuata all'interno del riempimento di una piccola cavità carsica in località Surconis, a poca distanza dal centro abitato di Bolotana (Marghine, Sardegna centro-occidentale, Italia). I taxa segnalati sono: Prolagus sardus, Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) henseli, Rhagamys orthodon, Cynotherium cf. sardous e Praemegaceros (Nesoleipoceros) cazioti. La presenza del Cricetidae esclude il Complesso Faunistico a " Nesogoral " a favore del Complesso Faunistico a " Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) " e al Sub-complesso Faunistico di Dragonara (fine Pleistocene Medio-inizio Olocene). Allo stato attuale delle conoscenze la località di Surconis rappresenta il sito a mammiferi fossili quaternari più ricco segnalato nella subregione del Marghine.

RIASSUNTO - Una recente nuova catalogazione del materiale paleontologico conservato nel Museo Sardo di Geologia e Paleontologia Domenico Lovisato di Cagliari ha permesso il riesame di alcune collezioni storiche custodite in esso. Tra queste vi è quella di vertebrati fossili quaternari raccolti intorno alla metà del XIX secolo dal Generale Alberto Lamarmora nella località storica di Bonaria (Cagliari). Dall'analisi preliminare del materiale è stato possibile individuare sette taxa di mammiferi appartenenti al Complesso Faunistico a Microtus (Tyrrhenicola). L'importanza di tale collezione è molteplice, storica poiché rappresenta una delle prime col-lezioni annesse al Museo Lovisato, donata da uno dei personaggi più illustri nel panorama scientifico dell'e-poca, e scientifica, poiché è costituita da quelli che sono alcuni tra i primi resti di vertebrati fossili quaternari sistematicamente raccolti nell'Isola. Non ultimo, i depositi fossiliferi del Quaternario di Bonaria sono ormai totalmente scomparsi, consumati prima dall'attività di cava e poi fagocitati dal tessuto urbano.

ABSTRACT - The " Lamarmora Vertebrate Collection " of the Sardinian Museum of Geology and Palaeontology Domenico Lovisato (Cagliari, Italy). Some historical collections housed in the Sardinian Museum of Geology and Palaeontology Domenico Lovisato have been reviewed during a recent cataloging. One of them is the " Lamarmora Vertebrate Collection " , a small assemblage of Quaternary vertebrate fossils gathered by General Alberto Lamarmora during the mid-nineteenth century in the historic locality of Bonaria (Cagliari). Seven mammal taxa belonging to the Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) Faunal Complex have been recognized during preliminary analysis. The collection has an historic importance because it was donated by one of the most illustrious names in that period and, secondly, it represents one of the first collections annexed to the " Museo Lovisato ". A scientific importance is given by the presence of some of the first Quaternary fossil vertebrate remains collected in Sardinia. It is important to put light on the fact that now the Quaternary fossiliferous deposit of Bonaria is totally disappeared, first exploited by quarry activity and then engulfed by the urban development.

The fossil cetaceans of the “Museo Sardo di Geologia e Paleontologia Domenico Lovisato” (CA).
In this short note are briefly listed and discussed the few remains of cetacean fossils preserved in the “Museo Sardo
di Geologia e Paleontologia Domenico Lovisato” of the University of Cagliari. Other few remains of cetaceans found
in Sardinia are currently stored at the “Museo Geologico Giovanni Capellini” in Bologna.

Several tetrapod footprints have been recently found in the U. Carboniferous fluvio-lacustrine deposits of the San Giorgio Basin (Iglesias, SW Sardinia). They represent, together with the ones figured by Fondi (1980), the earliest evidence of vertebrate tracks recorded in Italy. The studied section, about 33 m thick, is located 2.5 km SSW of Iglesias and is entirely assigned to the Westphalian-Stephanian. The specimens originate from the yellow-grey dolomitic siltstone interval of the middle unit (unit B, Del Rio et al., 2002). The collected tetrapod footprints are on eight slabs and are chiefly preserved as casts of three manus-pes couples and by other isolated footprints which, for their different shape and size, are referable to three distinct morphotypes that differ from those assigned to Salichnium (Saurichnites) heringi (Geinitz, 1885) by Fondi (1980). Additional ichnofossils are represented by tiny arthropod tracks and trails. The biota is largely dominated by diversified plant remains and palynomophs, while body fossils are represented by an exquisitely preserved Anthracomartid spider and a blattoid wing. (Del Rio et al., 2002, and cited references). These findings add new data about the U. Carboniferous of Sardinia and suggest an unexpected faunal diversity which may support more accurate age bracketing and correlations.