Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.6
2.3
Journals
Quaternary
Special Issues
Quaternary Mammals: State of the Art and New Discoveries
share announcement

Quaternary Mammals: State of the Art and New Discoveries

A special issue of Quaternary (ISSN 2571-550X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 January 2024) | Viewed by 8595

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Luca Pandolfi

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Interests: paleoecology; climate change; evolution; taxonomy; systematics; mammals; phylogenetic analysis; biodiversity; stratigraphy; paleobiogeography; biochronology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The phylogeny and systematics of Quaternary mammals, as well as their paleobiogeography and biochronology, is often a matter of discussion among palaeontologists. Despite the long history of research on these topics, Quaternary mammals are still poorly understood, and a general consensus on validity and relationships within the different species, as well as their paleobiology, still seems far from being reached.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview as well as new hypotheses and observations on fossil Quaternary mammals; on factors that lead to their extinction, dispersal, and evolution; as well as their relationships with extant species.

Contributions are requested from any taxonomic group of Quaternary mammals from all over the World, including topics on morphological and morphometric characteristics useful to discriminate or validate fossil species based on the paleobiogeography and dispersal patterns of fossil groups, on chronological and biochronological occurrences, and on phylogenetic and palaeobiological investigations. Studies at regional and continental scale are particularly welcome. All authors will provide free access to the databases used for their studies, as supplementary files or free-access repositories.

Dr. Luca Pandolfi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Quaternary is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • paleobiology
  • morphology
  • morphometry
  • phylogeny
  • biochronology
  • paleobiogeography

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 5411 KiB  
Article
The Middle Pleistocene Hippopotamus from Malagrotta (Latium, Italy): New Data and Future Perspectives
by Roberta Martino, Fabrizio Marra, María Ríos and Luca Pandolfi
Quaternary 2024, 7(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat7010013 - 29 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1523
Abstract
The Middle Pleistocene was characterized by the presence in continental Europe of at least two different species of hippopotamus: Hippopotamus antiquus and H. amphibius. Although suspected, the presence of both hippopotamuses in the same geographical area has not yet been proven. The [...] Read more.
The Middle Pleistocene was characterized by the presence in continental Europe of at least two different species of hippopotamus: Hippopotamus antiquus and H. amphibius. Although suspected, the presence of both hippopotamuses in the same geographical area has not yet been proven. The following manuscript describes findings from Malagrotta (Rome, central Italy), dating back to the time span between 0.45 and 0.38 Ma. These findings offer new insights into the Middle Pleistocene period. The fragmented mandible has a slender and low corpus, the humerus is robust with a deltoid tuberosity placed medially on the diaphysis, the unciform shows a facet for the MCIV wider than the one for the MCV and the calcaneum is clepsydra-shaped. The morphological characteristics of the sample are closer to those of H. antiquus, despite the fact that the morphometric measurements are smaller than those of the samples coming from Valdarno (Italy), Untermaßfeld (Germany) or Colle Curti (Italy). Considering all the information, the material from Malagrotta is here attributed to H. cf. antiquus, indicating the survival of the European hippopotamus until at least 0.38 Ma in central Italy. The coexistence of H. amphibius and H. antiquus in the same geographical area is also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Mammals: State of the Art and New Discoveries)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 24609 KiB  
Article
The Latest Occurrence of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis (Rhinocerotidae) in Europe: The Skeletons from the Cova del Rinoceront Site (Castelldefels, Barcelona)
by David García-Fernández, Esperanza Cerdeño, Montserrat Sanz and Joan Daura
Quaternary 2023, 6(4), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6040060 - 14 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1736
Abstract
New rhino remains recovered from Cova del Rinoceront (Castelldefels, Barcelona) confirm the presence of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis (Toula, 1902) at the site and the taxon’s persistence until the late Middle–early Upper Pleistocene in Europe, that is, its latest documented occurrence. The three individuals recovered [...] Read more.
New rhino remains recovered from Cova del Rinoceront (Castelldefels, Barcelona) confirm the presence of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis (Toula, 1902) at the site and the taxon’s persistence until the late Middle–early Upper Pleistocene in Europe, that is, its latest documented occurrence. The three individuals recovered from the site are compared with specimens of other Pleistocene species, including those of S. hemitoechus, S. kirchbergensis and Coelodonta antiquitatis, but their anatomical characteristics (a long skull, moderate occipital elevation, partial nasal septum, and slender zygomatic arch) do not coincide with the latter’s documented features. Certain similarities are found with the most frequently occurring rhinocerotid at that time in the Iberian Peninsula, S. hemitoechus, but the cranial features of the latter differ. The anatomical characteristics of the Cova del Rinoceront individuals coincide most closely with those of S. hundsheimensis (i.e., a high occipital face, with rounded proximolateral angles and oblique lateral borders, as well as the frontoparietal angle, and facial development). Despite the marked overlaps in the general measurements of S. hundsheimensis and S. hemitoechus, many (cranial and postcranial) dimensions of the Cova del Rinoceront individuals coincide more closely with those of the former, although some bone proportions are more similar to those of the latter specimens. Therefore, S. kirchbergensis and C. antiquitatis can be discarded as they tend to be larger, more robust species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Mammals: State of the Art and New Discoveries)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 6448 KiB  
Article
Quaternary Mammals from Central-Western Argentina in the Stratigraphic Context of Southern South America
by Esperanza Cerdeño, Natalia P. Lucero and Jorge O. Chiesa
Quaternary 2023, 6(4), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6040059 - 04 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2600
Abstract
This is an updated contribution to the Quaternary geology and paleontology from central-western Argentina, focused on San Luis Province. It is mostly based on unpublished data; only some fossils had previously been briefly mentioned in broader faunal contexts. The fossil-bearing sediments correspond to [...] Read more.
This is an updated contribution to the Quaternary geology and paleontology from central-western Argentina, focused on San Luis Province. It is mostly based on unpublished data; only some fossils had previously been briefly mentioned in broader faunal contexts. The fossil-bearing sediments correspond to eolian and alluvial environments of moderate energy, dominated by sands and sandy silts. They overlie high-energy fluvial cycles and underlie edaphic horizons. They have a wide distribution, and several radiocarbon dates allow their regional correlation. Stratigraphic sequences with the precise origin of fossils allow for the improvement of lithostratigraphic and faunal correlations with the Pampean Region (central and east Argentina; La Pampa and Buenos Aires provinces), where Pleistocene assemblages are better known, but also with central-western (Cuyo Region), northwestern, and northeastern Argentina. Faunal remains correspond to large mammals, represented by xenarthrans (Cingulata and Tardigrada), macraucheniids (Litopterna), gomphotheres (Proboscidea), and equids (Perissodactyla), a typical Pleistocene mixture of native (xenarthrans and litopterns) and immigrant mammals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Mammals: State of the Art and New Discoveries)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4688 KiB  
Article
The Fox from Bajiazui (Qingyang, Central China) and an Update on Early Pleistocene Foxes from China
by Saverio Bartolini-Lucenti, Qigao Jiangzuo, Hao Jiang, Zhaoyu Li, Kun Xie and Joan Madurell-Malapeira
Quaternary 2023, 6(4), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6040057 - 20 Nov 2023
Viewed by 2006
Abstract
(1) Background: despite the fact that nowadays the genus Vulpes Frisch, 1775, is the most diverse among extant Canidae, its fossil record is utterly scarce, especially in the Asian Pliocene. The sparse nature of this record further complicates the reconstruction of the evolutionary [...] Read more.
(1) Background: despite the fact that nowadays the genus Vulpes Frisch, 1775, is the most diverse among extant Canidae, its fossil record is utterly scarce, especially in the Asian Pliocene. The sparse nature of this record further complicates the reconstruction of the evolutionary scenario to fit these taxa with extant species. The situation seems to change slightly in the Early Pleistocene when two species are recorded: Vulpes alopecoides (Del Campana, 1913) in Europe and Vulpes chikushanensis, Young, 1930, in Asian localities. Unlike the former, which has an extensive record, the remains of the Chinese V. chikushanensis are sporadic and the validity of the taxon has also been questioned. (2) Methods: the study of the specimens from the Early Pleistocene site of Bajiazui (1.8–1.2 Ma, Qingyang, Gansu) in comparison to an extensive sample of Vulpes spp. The Pliocene–Early Pleistocene is relevant for the delimitation of fossil foxes variability; (3) Results: morphologically and morphometrically, the specimens of Bajiazui fit with the specimens of V. chikushanensis from other Chinese localities of the Early Pleistocene, e.g., Longdan (Gansu) and Huiyu (Fangshang), highlighting some difference with the latest Early Pleistocene forms of Jigushan fox; (4) Conclusions: the revision of the Asian fossil record of Vulpes is crucial in our attempt to understand and reconstruct the evolution of carnivoran guild during the late Early Pleistocene (1.8–0.8 Ma). The fox remains from Bajiazui, although fragmentary, add a valuable piece to our knowledge of V. chikushanensis, a species possibly strongly related to the extant Vulpes corsac (Linnaeus, 1768). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Mammals: State of the Art and New Discoveries)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop