Abstract

Information on mammal remains from 665 sites/localities was used to estimate the range of size diversity of European species in the Eem interglacial (MIS 5e) and the GS 2.1 stadial (MIS 2). Review of faunal composition and comparison of the rank distributions of the occurrence of species remains across sites allowed determination of the composition of groups of typical and indicator species for each of the time intervals. Entropy, dominance index and self-organization index were calculated from the rank distributions of the occurrence of large, small and medium-sized herbivorous, carnivorous and representatives of the order Eulipotyphla. The parameters of the non-linear function describing the increase in the average number of species that can be found in 1, 2, 3, etc. randomly selected sites were calculated. The relationship between the parameters of these functions and between them and species richness is shown. The paper discusses hypotheses about the relationship between parameter variations and changes in range size ratios in different mammal groups during the Eem interglacial and at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum.

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Abstract

The morphometric variability of the canines and cheek teeth of the fossil and modern dhole (Cuon alpinus) is considered. It was not possible to detect sexual size dimorphism in the species. Geographical variability of dental parameters established two taxon groups: northern, which included two subspecies (C. a. alpinus, C. a. hesperius), and southern, which includes all other recent subspecies. Within the southern group, animals of Southeast Asia (Malacca, Sumatra, and Java) are distinguished by their smaller size. The dhole from the Late Pleistocene of Europe (C. a. europaeus) is close in dental characteristics to representatives of the northern group, and the Late Pleistocene fossil dhole from North America (Mexico) is close to the modern nominotypic subspecies C. a. alpinus. A hypothesis of early, mid-Pleistocene divergence between dholes from the north and north-west of the range and dholes from Southeast Asia is formulated.

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Abstract

A thorough consideration is given to the geological, palaeotheriological and malacological materials obtained from the Pleistocene Sanmanych locality, which is the only locality with mammal fauna in the Manych depression (46°24′53′′ N, 42°36′25′′ E). The brackish-water mollusk composition indicated that the bone-bearing series should be correlated to the Early Khvalynian transgression. The fossil record gives an insight into the palaeoenvironment at the time that the Caspian Sea water broke through the Manych depression into the Black Sea basin. The faunal evidence points to arid conditions and a cool climate. The rodent species composition is rather poor; it exclusively includes species indicative for an open environment, which suggests a wide spread occurrence of steppe and semi-deserts in the Manych valley during the Late Glacial (~16–12 ka BP).

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