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Palaeolithic Proboscidea PDF
Palaeolithic Proboscidea PDF
Athanassiou
Dept. of Historical Geology and Palaeontology, University of Athens
INTRODUCTION
The Proboscidea is a mammalian order that is
currently represented by just two species, but
that showed a remarkable diversity and paleogeographical distribution during passed geological epochs. The Greek peninsula was part
of this holarctic distribution, including many
localities, dated from Middle Miocene to Late
Pleistocene (Dermitzakis et al. 1982). A short
review of the available bibliographical data
for the Pliocene and Pleistocene finds is
given in this paper. Most of the localities
known include Late Pliocene or Pleistocene
Elephantidae remains, although Pliocene
mastodont fossils, especially those referred to
Anancus, are also found. Because of the relative complexity of the proboscidean taxonomy and systematics, and as a result of different opinions expressed by the many authors,
the genus and species names will be given in
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T H R A C E
2
3
10
22
23
24
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D
5
4
7
6
13 12 17
14 1618
11 19
20
15
27
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T H E S S A L Y
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45
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E P I R U S
N O R T H
A E G E A N
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30
S T E
R E
A
33
H E
L L
A S
31
32
O
N
35
36
A
N
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39
34
37
P E L O P O N N E S E
49
50
I
S
40
51
52
48
46 47
53
41
55
D
S
43
56
57
54
42
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S O U T H
A E G E A N
44
59
60
61 62-68
69
70-74
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C R E T E
Figure 1 Geographical position of the Greek Pliocene and Pleistocene localities with fossil Proboscidea.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Tenghi Philppon
Aggtis
Symbol
Allatni
Trlopho
Epanom
7 Haga Trida
8 Sni
9 Vathylakkos
10 Axis dam
11 Mili
12 Nepolis
13 Chorigs
14 Tsotylion
15 Klma
16 Lbakos
17 Polylakkon
18 Kapetnios
19 Q-Profil
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20 Amblia
21 Perdkkas
22 Na Kmi
23 Sotr
24 Ptres
25 Ionnina
39 Roupki
40 Megalpolis
41 Skora
42 Vlachitis
43 Pylos
44 Kythera
58 Apolakki
59 Akrotri
60 Mlekas
61 Expolis
62 Zourda
63 Rthymnon fissure
26 Pinis valley
27 Pinis mouth
28 Ssklo
29 Aedipss
30 Lmni
31 Alivri
32 Thva
33 Trichona
34 Canal of Corinth
35 Patras
36 Loussik
37 Nisson
38 Na Olga
45 Vater
46 Antimchia
47 Kardmaena
48 R. Almir
49 Dlos
50 Kythnos
51 Sriphos
52 Pros
53 Nxos
54 Mlos
55 Astyplaea
56 Tlos
57 Erimkastro
64 Mavromori
65 Simonelli
66 Combes
67 Panaga
68 Grid Avlki
69 Skalta
70 Akrotrion Krakas
71 Kal Chorphi
72 Bal
73 Hag. Antnios
74 Koulourdi
75 Charombes
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Other islands
Remains attributed to Palaeoloxodon antiquus mnaidriensis are described by Marinos
& Symeonidis (1973) and Symeonidis et al.
(1974) from Erimkastro57, Rhodes. Scanty
remains of dwarf elephants are also known
from the islands of Dlos49, Pros52, Nxos53,
Sriphos51, Mlos54, Kythnos50 and Astyplaea55
(Cayeux 1908; Georgalas 1929; Mitzopoulos
1961; Kuss 1973; Dermitzakis & Sondaar
1979; personal data).
DISCUSSION
The numerous sites with Proboscidean
remains show the important role of this order
in the fossil faunas of the Greek peninsula.
However, despite the abundance and wide
dispersion of the localities, the number of the
findings is in most cases very low. The specimens were usually found by chance and collected by non-specialists. As a result, little or
nothing is known about their exact location,
their taphonomy and their stratigraphy.
Another related point is that many specific or
subspecific identifications are based on the
dimensions and morphological characters of a
single tooth, or even a part of it (for example
Melentis 1960, 1965, 1966b; Mitzopoulos
1967a; Paraskevaidis 1977). Even when more
material is available, there is a tendency to
refer the several morphotypes to distinct subspecies, not allowing for any degree of intraspecific morphological variation (i.e. Melentis
1961). Hence, some identifications are quite
invalid. The need for systematic excavations
is essential, in order to make a systematic
revision possible.
Despite these problems, the succession of
proboscidean species known from Western
Europe is also recorded in the Greek mainland faunas. The older occurrences of
Mammut borsoni are replaced by the typical
Pliocene species Anancus arvernensis and the
Plio-Pleistocene Mammuthus meridionalis.
Some authors report the presence of the more
evolved M. armeniacus, a species of the
Middle Pleistocene, but the scarcity and the
absence of diagnostic characters in the availa-
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CONCLUSIONS
The oldest proboscidean species in the
Pliocene of continental Greece is Mammut
borsoni. A more advanced gomphothere species, Anancus arvernensis, survives until the
end of the Pliocene and it is often reported in
association with the first representative of the
family Elephantidae Mammuthus meridionalis, although the coexistence of these two
species has not yet stratigraphically and taphonomically been proved. Mammuthus meridionalis may have given rise to the Cretan
dwarf Elephas creticus. The recorded occurrences of Mammuthus armeniacus (M. trogontherii) are scanty and they possibly need a
revision. The end-species of the Mammuthus
lineage, M. primigenius, is present in some
localities. The typical European forest elephant Elephas antiquus is a very frequent element of the Late Pleistocene faunas of
Greece. It is the parent species of most of the
endemic island populations of the Pleistocene
and Holocene in the Aegean.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank dr G. Theodorou,
Athens, for his very useful comments on the
manuscript.
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