A review of the latest early pleistocene mammal record from Selva Vecchia (Verona, northern Italy) and its implications for “the 0.9Ma event” in European faunal dispersal during MIS 21

The mammalian assemblage from Selva Vecchia (Selvavecchia, or Domegliara) was initially attributed to the latest Early Pleistocene and designated as a Faunal Unit for European Land Mammals Biochronology during the 1980s. Nevertheless, these fossils were never described, and later studies opted for Slivia as Faunal Unit, which has a quite similar chronological context.

The fossil sample from Selva Vecchia is described here for the first time, enabling the identification of the following large mammals: Bison schoetensackii, Caprinae indet., Cervus elaphus, Sus scrofa, Homotherium latidens, Crocuta crocuta, and Ursus sp. Biochronological indication based on large and small mammals suggest an age slightly preceding the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary (between 0.85 and 0.78 Ma).

By comparing the mammal assemblage from Selva Vecchia with other European contexts, a marked faunal turnover is evident just before the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene, with the arrival of modern taxa. In particular, these faunal changes appear to be linked to a cooling trend recognized during the Epivillafranchian, also known as “the 0.9 Ma event”, which led to the disappearance of several long-lasting Villafranchian taxa. Their disappearance created vacant ecological niches, facilitating the dispersal of modern species, slightly before the 0.78 Ma, including Mammuthus trogontherii, Cervus elaphus, Sus scrofa and Crocuta crocuta.