LIGHTS AND SHADOWS ON THE VILLAFRANCHIAN PERISSODACTYLS OF ITALY

A critical revision of Villafranchian fossil record of Perissodactyls in Italy is undertaken herein to provide insights (“lights and shadows”) of occurrences and evolution of this group. The genus Tapirus occurred in Italy during the latest Miocene and it became extinct in Italy at the end of the Pliocene (early Villafranchian), at the transition from the Triversa FU to the Montopoli FU. Accordingly, Tapirus represents an important biochronological element which allows us to discriminate between Pliocene and early Pleistocene faunal complexes. During the Villafranchian, the Rhinocerotidae were represented by two species: Stephanorhinus jeanvireti and S. etruscus. S. jeanvireti was present during the late Pliocene (MN 16), while S. etruscus occurred in Italy during the latest Pliocene (MN 16a and 16b), and it was reported through the middle and late Villafranchian. S. etruscus persisted in central Italy until the end of the early Pleistocene. The Equus Datum is represented in Italy by the large stenonine horse Equus from the Montopoli FU, chronologically dated at 2.58 Ma. E. stenonis and E. stehlini are the other two species known from Val di Magra basin and the Upper Valdarno deposits, referable to the Olivola FU and the Tasso FU. Equus sussenbornensis and E. altidens are reported from the Farneta FU and Pirro Nord FU, at the end of the Villafranchian. Nevertheless, recent studies pointed out the presence of small horses before the E. stehlini datum (1.6 Ma), from Coste San Giacomo (2.1 Ma) and Montecarlo (2.4 – 2.2 Ma, Upper Valdarno basin). Furthermore, the occurrence of E. sussenbornensis and E. altidens at the end of Villafranchian is still uncertain, as reported from previous authors.