Bollettino SPI Vol. 47 - Issues 1, 2, 3
Issue 1
Published in April 2008
- Marra A.C. & Bellomo E. (2008)
Equus hydruntinus from the Upper Pleistocene (MIS 4) of Calabria, Southern Italy
pp. 1-6
A third lower molar of Equus hydruntinus and two teeth of a large bovid have been recovered at Le Castella (Calabria), in marine deposits located in the Crotone-Capo Spartivento basin and dated 62 ka B.P. (MIS 4). The teeth were associated with a rich invertebrate fauna having Mediterranean character. This is the first record of E. hydruntinus in Calabria, adding new data to palaeobiogeography of mammals from peninsular Italy. Because of Calabria has been a dispersal route for faunas from peninsular Italy to Sicily, the occurrence of E. hydruntinus allows some considerations on the connection between mainland and island during the Late Pleistocene.
- Carnevale G. (2008)
Middle Pleistocene gurnard (Teleostei, Triglidae) remains from the Crotone Basin, Southern Italy
pp. 7-12
An incomplete neurocranium of a gurnard is described from the middle Pleistocene shoreface deposits of the San Mauro Marchesato area, in the Crotone Basin, southern Italy. The specimen is characterized by having several features that support its assignment to the extant triglid species Aspitrigla cuculus, including the presence of an elongate and narrow preorbital portion of the neurocranium, the structure, ornamentation, and relative development of the cranial bones, and the greatly reduced interorbital width. The material documented in this paper is the first representative of the species A. cuculus, and more generally of the genus Aspitrigla, recorded up to date as fossil. Based on its ecological requirements, the occurrence of A. cuculus in the Pleistocene of the San Mauro Marchesato area seems to be consistent with the results of the paleoenvironmental interpretation derived from the stratigraphic and sedimentological studies.
- Van der Made J., Carlos Calero J.A. & Mancheño M.A. (2008)
New material of the goat Capra? alba from the Lower Pleistocene of Quibas (Spain); notes on sexual dimorphism, stratigraphic distribution and systematics
pp. 13-23
Continuing excavations at the Early Pleistocene locality of Quibas (Murcia, Spain) greatly increased the material of Capra? alba. The generic attribution of this rare goat is under discussion; some authors prefer to place it in the genus Hemitragus. A larger number of specimens confirms that the metacarpals are more gracile than in other species of Capra and Hemitragus, including the very early species Capra primaeva. Robust metacarpals are an adaptation to mountainous or rocky environments and Capra? alba seems to be less adapted to such an environment than Hemitragus, Capra ibex, C. pyrenaica. A marked sexual dimorphism is noted in the horn cores, which are similar to those of many species of Capra. The horn cores of the Pliocene Sinocapra are similar to those of Hemitragus, while those of Capra? alba resemble those of other species of Capra. Both lines of evidence suggest that Capra? alba is not particularly related to Hemitragus, but more work on morphology is needed. A horn core from Huéscar, which was assigned to Capra sp., represents a female Capra? alba, extending the temporal range of the species so that it overlaps with that of Hemitragus bonali.
- Billia E.M.E. (2008)
New records of Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis (Jäger, 1839) (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from the Middle Pleistocene levels of the Ob’ river at Krasny Yar (Krivosheino district, Tomsk region, South-East of Western Siberia)
pp. 25-32
Isolated teeth and some other postcranial remains, which have recently been discovered in the Tobol’sky gorizont levels (Middle Pleistocene) along the Ob’ river at the village of Krasny Yar, in front of the Sargulin island (Krivosheino district, Tomsk region, SouthEast of Western Siberia), must be attributed to Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis (Jäger, 1839), better known in Russia as “nosorog Merka”. S. kirchbergensis – unlike other Plio-Pleistocene rhinoceroses – seems to be rare on Russian territory (as well as in the rest of the Eurasian area), being reported from a limited number of localities only. This is the case of one of the very few records of this species from Siberia, and a second one from the Tomsk region. The co-occurrence of S. kirchbergensis with other taxa, such as Mammuthus ex gr. trogontherii–chosaricus, Bison priscus, Equus ex gr. mosbachensis–germanicus would suggest, in the Krasny Yar area, a palaeoenvironmental landscape dominated by extensive grasslands and sparse trees.
- Sciuto F. & Rosso A. (2008)
Distribution pattern of deep-water ostracod assemblages from Lower Pleistocene sediments from Furnari, Sicily
pp. 33-43
Ostracod assemblages were analysed from three samples, from Lower Pleistocene sediments cropping out near Furnari, NE Sicily. Samples were collected from gravely sandy coral-rubbles along a palaeofault scarp and from silts and clayey silts proximally and distally located to the scarp foot. The ostracod assemblages indicate a palaeoenvironment in the upper bathyal zone, between 200 and about 600 m depth. Differences in composition, species richness and specimen abundance of autochthonous palaeocommunities are mainly due to substrate grain size and food availability, partly relating to the presence of deep-water coral build-ups along the fault. Allochthonous assemblages indicate a considerable down-slope displacement, seemingly by floating and subsequent settling.
- Esu D. (2008)
A new species of Tanousia Servain (Gastropoda, Hydrobiidae) from the Early Pleistocene of Emilia-Romagna (Northern Italy)
pp. 45-49
A new extinct freshwater prosobranch species of the genus Tanousia Servain, 1881, Tanousia stironensis n. sp., of the family Hydrobiidae, is described. It has been discovered in Lower Pleistocene non-marine clayey-sandy deposits of the Stirone River succession (Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy), well known from a geological and palaeontological point of view. The ecological features of the molluscan assemblages, in which Tanousia stironensis n. sp. widely occurs, suggest that the new species loved slow-current freshwater and warm-temperate climate conditions.
- Galácz A. (2008)
Parkinsonia parkinsoni Zone (upper Bajocian, Middle Jurassic) ammonites from Monte Kumeta (Western Sicily)
pp. 51-69
Middle Jurassic ammonites are yielded richly by the lower Rosso Ammonitico above the massive carbonates and below the upper Rosso Ammonitico in several places in Western Sicily. One of the best localities is near the top of Monte Kumeta, near Piana degli Albanesi. Here several levels with distinct fossil assemblages have been investigated and collected in the past years. A prominent level is with upper Bajocian, Parkinsonia parkinsoni Zone ammonites, which was separated from another level with Garantiana garantiana Zone ammonites below, and Bathonian ones above. The level gave a comparatively rich assemblage with seemingly reworked specimens. The ammonites, of which several species are documented from Sicily first time now, are described systematically. Their stratigraphic evaluation suggested a narrow, probably uppermost Parkinsoni Zone, i.e. uppermost Bajocian age, and their paleogeographic affinity pointed to connections with the Southern Alps and Bakony Mts., Hungary, i.e. areas representing the true pelagic regions of the Jurassic Mediterranean Tethys.
Issue 2
Published in July 2008
- Cavagna S., Cavallo O., Clari P., Dela Pierre F., Irace A., Lozar F., Martinetto E., Trenkwalder S. & Violanti D. (2008)
Introduction: Messinian Paleontology
Papers in honour of Carlo Sturani’s outstanding contributions in geology and palaeontology.
- Roveri M., Manzi V., Gennari R., Iaccarino S.M. & Lugli S. (2008)
Recent advancements in the Messinian stratigraphy of Italy and their Mediterranean-scale implications
pp. 71-85
A careful revisitation of Late Miocene successions of Italian basins carried out in the last ten years provided a significant advancement in the understanding of Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) events. New facies models for both primary and resedimented evaporites and an integrated stratigraphic approach allowed to trace key surfaces across the depositional settings of individual basins and to correlate the Messinian record of basins developed in different geodynamic settings. This results in a highresolution and dynamic stratigraphic scenario which accounts for the effects of Mediterranean-scale and local forcing factors and allows to assess important and still obscure items, like the nature of deep basinal Lower Evaporites and the meaning of the Lago–Mare event. As for the Lower Evaporites, this study suggests that they actually consist of both primary and resedimented facies fully separated in both time and space. Resedimented evaporite units have a clear chronostratigraphic value and were deposited in basinal settings during the MSC acme, following an important tectonic pulse; these deposits, which are associated with halite in Sicily and Calabria basins, fully postdate the primary evaporites (massive selenite gypsum) formed only in small, shallow and semiclosed basin in the first phase of MSC. The Lago–Mare event is characterized by the progressive dilution of surface waters after the MSC peak; the highresolution stratigraphy obtained for the Late Messinian interval suggests that this important change in basin hydrology and precipitation regime, possibly resulting from a complex interplay between tectonic and climatic factors, occurred in all the basins at around 5.42 Ma, thus defining a much more homogeneous scenario than previously thought for this event.
- Trenkwalder S., Violanti D., D’Atri A., Lozar F., Dela Pierre F. & Irace A. (2008)
The Miocene/Pliocene boundary and the Early Pliocene micropalaeontological record: new data from the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (Moncucco quarry, Torino Hill, Northwestern Italy)
pp. 87-103
This paper reports new integrated biostratigraphic and palaeoecological data from the upper Messinian to Zanclean succession exposed in the Moncucco quarry (Torino Hill, Tertiary Piedmont Basin, Northwestern Italy). The foraminifer, ostracod, and calcareous nannofossil assemblages have been studied in detail. In the Moncucco quarry the Vena del Gesso Formation is followed by post-evaporitic chaotic deposits (Valle Versa Chaotic Complex) and by continental and brackish water sediments, correlatable to the Lago–Mare deposits of the Mediterranean area. The latter are in turn followed by marine sediments of the Argille Azzurre Fm. (Zanclean) through an irregular surface that is overlaid by a 10-50 cm thick black arenitic layer very rich in organic matter. At the top of the bed an omission surface, evidenced by a network of firm ground burrows filled by the Zanclean sediments, has been observed. The ostracod assemblages recognised in the sediments just below the black layer are referable to the Loxocorniculina djafarovi biozone (upper Messinian post-evaporitic interval). They indicate oligo-mesohaline shallow-water conditions and show the influx of Paratethyan faunas. Foraminifers and calcareous nannofossils in this interval are reworked. Microfaunas and calcareous nannofossils found in the sediments just above the black layer testify the MPl1 foraminifer biozone and the MNN12 calcareous nannofossil biozone. However, the absence of the first sinistral coiling shift of Neogloboquadrina acostaensis and of Triquetrorhabdulus rugosus in the lowermost Pliocene samples suggests a short hiatus, further confirmed by the presence of the omission surface at the top of the black layer. The recognition of biostratigraphic markers along the section allows to identify the MPl2, MPl3, and MPl4a foraminifer biozones and MNN13 and MNN14-15 calcareous nannofossil biozones, even if partially documented by the sedimentary record. The occurrence of Agrenocythere pliocenica within the MPl2 biozone, confirms the biostratigraphic importance of this taxon at the Mediterranean scale. Foraminifer and ostracod palaeoecological data suggest an upper epibathyal depositional palaeoenvironment in the MPl1 biozone, a further deepening in the MPl2 biozone and a progressive reduction of the water depth in the MPl3 and MPl4a biozones. On the whole, these data suggest that also in the Tertiary Piedmont Basin the termination of the Messinian salinity crisis was abrupt, followed by the deep-sea Zanclean flooding event.
- Bertini A. & Martinetto E. (2008)
Messinian to Zanclean vegetation and climate of Northern and Central Italy
pp. 105-121
A comparative analysis of micro (pollen)- and macropalaeobotanical (leaves, fruits and seeds) data from selected Northern and Central Italy sites has been carried out in order to obtain an accurate interpretation of the palaeofloristic, vegetational and climatic setting for the Messinian and the Zanclean. Ancient plant communities, as reconstructed by means of this integrated approach, show the dominance of warm temperate forest taxa, with the highest floristic affinity to the forests of Central China. “Cool temperate” taxa are scarcely represented in pollen records, with the exception of some intervals characterized by the increase in Picea and Cedrus. The overall scantiness of herbs indicates the absence of dry conditions and no open vegetation expansion. All the analytic methods applied to such palaeofloral records indicate that precipitation was sufficiently high for the persistence of a “broad-leaved evergreen/warm temperate mixed forest” from 6.0 to 3.5 Ma. For the evaporitic Messinian (ca. 5.9 to 5.6 Ma), climatic reconstructions obtained by physiognomic analysis of leaf assemblages are in agreement with those based on pollen data according to the “Climatic Amplitude Method”, and indicate moist warm-temperate conditions. Accordingly, we suggest that the Adriatic-Padane basin would have been under dominant moist conditions, even during the deposition of evaporites. Slightly drier phases in post-evaporitic Messinian are suggested by the ecological preferences of some peculiar macrofossil taxa, which are, however, still associated to several arboreal plants, definitely indicating that forested environments persisted. Fluctuations in humidity are also attested by contemporary pollen records.
- Esu D. & Girotti O. (2008)
The late Messinian Lago–Mare molluscan assemblage from the Trave Horizon (Colombacci Fm) at Pietralacroce (Ancona, Central Italy)
pp. 123-129
A molluscan assemblage from the biocalcarenitic Trave Horizon (Colombacci Formation) cropping out at Pietralacroce (Ancona, Marche, Central Italy) is described. The fossil assemblage consists of several taxa of bivalves of Paratethyan affinity and gastropods, belonging to Lymnocardiinae, Dreissenidae, Hydrobiidae, Melanopsidae, and Thiaridae, characterizing the latest Messinian “Lago–Mare” biofacies. Pulmonate freshwater and terrestrial gastropods (Physidae or Lymnaeidae and Helicidae) are also recorded. The autochthonous character of the assemblage is pointed out. The palaeoecological analysis reveals oligo-mesohaline shallow-water environment strongly influenced by freshwater input. The Messinian character of the molluscan assemblage from the Trave Horizon and the similarity with the ones from other upper Messinian deposits of the Colombacci Formation, cropping out in the Romagna-Marche sector (Apennine foredeep), allows to infer a latest Messinian age for the fossiliferous Trave Horizon.
- Grossi F., Cosentino D. & Gliozzi E. (2008)
Late Messinian Lago–Mare ostracods and palaeoenvironments of the central and eastern Mediterranean Basin
pp. 131-146
The ostracod assemblages with Paratethyan affinity from several late Messinian Lago–Mare deposits located in Italy and Crete (Greece) have been examined and the community analyses (number of species, Margalef and Shannon-Wiener indexes) and auto/ synecological analyses have been performed on them. The results show that, generally, in the lower portion the post-evaporitic Messinian was characterised by unstable environments, which hosted poor ostracod communities characterised by low diversity, while in the upper portion the environmental conditions were more stable, allowing the subdivision of the environment hyperspace in several different niches and, thus, supporting high-diversity ostracod communities. Anyway, the correlation of the boundary between low- and high-diversity ostracod assemblages through the studied successions has shown to be heterochronous, probably because it is due both to local and regional factors. A more detailed palaeoenvironmental reconstruction across the late Messinian Lago–Mare successions showed that, while in the lower portion the palaeoenvironments are rather disomogeneous, even if investigated in nearby sections, in the upper part a general trend towards a deepening and freshening followed by a new salinity increase and depth decrease has been recognized. The palaeoenvironmental variability of the lower part probably was related to the superimposition of local factors on global climatic forcing, while in the upper part the high amplitude insolation peaks drove the palaeoenvironmental changes at a regional scale.
- Ligios S., Bossio A. & Gliozzi E. (2008)
New species of Mediocytherideis (Ostracoda, Mediocytherideisinae) in the brackish Messinian of Italy
pp. 147-167
The genus Mediocytherideis Mandelstam, 1956 with its subgenera Mediocytherideis s.s. and M. (Sylvestra) Doruk, 1973 are here revised and the emended diagnosis of the two subgenera are given. Six new species have been introduced: Mediocytherideis (Sylvestra) etrusca nov. sp., Mediocytherideis (Sylvestra) fossata nov. sp., Mediocytherideis (Sylvestra) ornata nov. sp., Mediocytherideis (Sylvestra) punctata nov. sp., Mediocytherideis (Sylvestra) sulcata nov. sp. and Mediocytherideis (Sylvestra) tetrafoveolata nov. sp., coming from the Messinian brackish sediments of the Volterra-Radicondoli and Velona basins (Tuscany, central Italy). Three more taxa are described, left in open nomenclature, coming from the Messinian brackish sediments of the Velona Basin, the Taranta Peligna cemetery section (Majella Mt., central Italy) and the Trave Section (Ancona, central Italy). An overview of the known Mediocytherideis s.l. species is given and the stratigraphic distribution and palaeobiogeography of this genus is discussed. The database shows that both Mediocytherideis s.s. and M. (Sylvestra) appear, more or less at the same time, either in the Mediterranean and in the Paratethys regions during Serravallian, a time interval in which these two palaeodomains were not yet divided. After the closure of the Mediterranean-Paratethys connection, occurred during the late Serravallian, Mediocytherideis s.l. continued to spread in each bioprovinces: in the Paratethys it is characteristic of brackish environments or, at least at the very beginning of its evolutive history, of shallow stressed marine environment; in the Mediterranean, on the contrary, since its appearance the genus gave rise to different species adapted to shallow marine environment or brackish environment. Unfortunately the too much-fragmented knowledge on Mediocytherideis s.l. species prevents the recognition of the centre of origin of the genus. Similarly, it is impossible to establish whether the brackish Mediterranean Mediocytherideis s.l. evolved from a Mediterranean stock or from Paratethyan brackish species migrated westwards by passive dispersal.
- Carnevale G., Caputo D. & Landini W. (2008)
A leerfish (Teleostei, Carangidae) from the Messinian evaporite succession of the Vena del Gesso basin (Romagna Apennines, Italy): Palaeogeographical and palaeoecological implications
pp. 169-176
A specimen of the leerfish Lichia aff. amia is described from the Messinian evaporite succession of the Vena del Gesso basin, in the Romagna Apennines. The single specimen available is solely represented by a strongly incomplete left pectoral girdle and a caudal vertebra. The palaeoecological analysis of the leerfish and its associated fish biota suggests that it represented a top predator in the coastal lagoons of the Vena del Gesso basin, in which it entered opportunistically, attracted by the abundant food resources available. The composition and ecological structure of the fish assemblage indicate that the lagoons of the Vena del Gesso basin were characterized by a brackish waterbody, periodically influenced by seawater inputs. The marine influences evocated by the presence of the leerfish unequivocally suggest that normal marine conditions occurred close to the coastal lagoons of the Vena del Gesso basin during the deposition of the primary evaporites.
- Gaudant J. & Cavallo O. (2008)
The Tortonian-Messinian fish faunas of Piedmont (Italy) and the Adriatic trough: a synthesis dedicated to the memory of Carlo Sturani (1938-1975)
pp. 177-189
During the last thirty years, significant improvements increased our knowledge of the Upper Miocene fish fauna of Piedmont where the new fossiliferous localities of Cherasco, Castagnito, Roddi, and of the Tanaro River near Alba, were found and studied. Presently, around the city of Alba, a series of well-documented localities is known, ranging from the lower to middle Tortonian to the end of the Messinian. A comparison with the more or less coeval localities of Romagna and Marche shows that the Tortonian and preevaporitic Messinian fish faunas of Piedmont differ from those of Romagna and Marche by their rather high percentage of representatives of the species Alosa elongata Agassiz, whereas this species is almost absent in Romagna and Marche. On the other hand, in both regions the fish fauna of the evaporitic episode (Gessoso-solfifera Formation) indicates that the genesis of the studied localities (Scaparoni, Castagnito and Cherasco in Piedmont; “Vena del Gesso” and Monte Castellaro in Romagna and Marche) took place in lagoons connected with a sea having a normal salt content, as demonstrated by the occurrence of marine stenohaline fishes which coexist with fishes adapted to lagoonal environments.
- Rook L., Abbazzi L., Chesi F., Delfino M., Ferretti M.P. & Gallai G. (2008)
The Italian record of latest Miocene continental vertebrates
pp. 191-194
The present paper provides an overview on the latest Miocene Italian continental vertebrate fossil record, with special emphasis on the faunal turnovers and their paleogeographic significance. The Italian Miocene fossil record of terrestrial vertebrates is relatively poor. It increases only with the latest Miocene. The pre-Messinian Late Miocene land vertebrate localities of Italy belong to three distinct bioprovinces. Two of them are characterised by faunas with manifestly endemic features, attesting to the occurrence of isolated emerged areas (the Abruzzi-Apulia and the Tusco-Sardinian paleobioprovinces). The third paleobioprovince is testified by sites in Calabria and Sicily and is characterised by non-endemized mammals, counterparts of which were identified both in North Africa and Europe. By the Messinian, the Italian continental vertebrate record shows that the region underwent a major paleobiogeographic reorganization.
- Sardella R. (2008)
Remarks on the Messinian carnivores (Mammalia) of Italy
pp. 195-202
The latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene is a period of remarkable changes in the geography and climate of the circum-Mediterranean area. Terrestrial ecosystems were strongly affected by these changes and several important mammal dispersal events took place during that period. Its geographic position in the Mediterranean region gives Italy a crucial role in the study of Messinian land mammal evolution. Carnivores are poorly represented in Italian Messinian faunal assemblages, but remains of several families are known (Viverridae, Hyaenidae, Felidae, Mustelidae and Canidae) and provide valuable information for the study of the carnivore guild during the important turnover that occurred at the Mio-Pliocene transition.
Issue 3
Published in November 2008
- Monari S. (2008)
Barnea (Anchomasa) parva (Pennant, 1777) (Pholadidae, Bivalvia) in the Pleistocene sediments of northern Latium (central Italy)
pp. 203-210
The study considers the occurrence of Barnea (Anchomasa) parva (Pennant, 1777) in a Pleistocene deposit cropping out in the Tarquinia area (northern Latium, Italy) and ascribed to the Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7). The finding represents the first quotation of the species in the Pleistocene and also in the fossil record of the Mediterranean region. The systematics, ecology and biogeographical distribution of B. (A.) parva are discussed in detail. The present-day distribution of B. (A.) parva is characterised by its highest frequency in the Boreal and northern Lusitanian regions decreasing progressively towards lower latitudes. The planktonic stage of the larval development, the adaptation to a wide variety of substrata and the absence of evident geographical barriers suggest that the seawater temperature is one of the most important factors limiting the southward dispersal of the species. The palaeoecological analysis of the associated mollusc fauna revealed that the deposit formed in the upper part of the infralittoral zone, which is consistent with the ecological data known for B. (A.) parva. That consistency and the good state of preservation of the specimens strongly suggest that they probably underwent only limited displacement, allowing the extraction of the valves from their borings. All the above suggests that the occurrence of B. (A.) parva in Pleistocene proximal sediments of the Tarquinia area would correspond to an event of dispersal during a time relatively cooler than today. However, the MIS 7 was, in general, a warm stage having maximum temperatures slightly higher than today. The available data are insufficient to clear up that contradiction. As a matter of speculation, one can presume that the species reached the Tarquinia area during the rise of temperatures at the beginning of MIS 7 or during one of its stadial-interstadial transitions.
- Manganelli G., Benocci A., Esu D. & Giusti F. (2008)
Staurodon cianfanellianus n. sp. (Gastropoda Pulmonata), a new nesopupine vertiginid snail from the Middle-Late Pliocene Fossil Forest of Dunarobba (central Italy)
pp. 211-214
Many shells of an enigmatic vertiginid snail were collected from the Middle-Late Pliocene Fossil Forest of Dunarobba (central Italy). The structure of their apertural barrier (an angular lamella joined to the upper vertex of the peristome) matches that of species traditionally assigned to the nesopupines and among them recalls the monospecific Madeiran genus Staurodon. They are therefore assigned to a new species of this genus, S. cianfanellianus, although there is awareness that its classification is somewhat tentative due to taxonomic and systematic uncertainty and frequent character homoplasy in this group of land snails. If correct, this is the first finding of a nesopupine vertiginid in the European Pliocene, since members of this subfamily, currently distributed in tropical regions, are only known in the western Palaearctic from the Late Oligocene to the early Late Miocene.
- Faranda C. & Gliozzi E. (2008)
The ostracod fauna of the Plio-Pleistocene Monte Mario succession (Roma, Italy)
pp. 215-267
The marine ostracods collected during a recent re-sampling of the “classical” Plio-Pleistocene Monte Mario succession (Roma, Latium) are here listed and, in some cases, some species have been taxonomically reviewed. Ostracod faunas come from the late Zanclean Monte Vaticano Fm. and from the early Calabrian (Santernian p.p.) Monte Mario Fm. For each species an updated stratigraphical distribution is reported. Five new species have been arisen: Callistocythere dubia nov. sp., Ionicythere planocostata nov. sp., Aurila (Aurila) diversofoveolata nov. sp., Eucytherura vaticana nov. sp. and Semicytherura marialuisae nov. sp. Except for Callistocythere dubia nov. sp., collected also in the Gelasian of Kos (Greece), Calabrian (Emilian) of Vrica (Calabria) and in the recent sediments of Golfo di Saline (NE Sardinia) and for Semicytherura marialuisae nov. sp., collected in the Calabrian (Santernian-Emilian) of Vrica (Calabria), the other new species are exclusive of the Monte Mario succession. Four new “northern guest” ostracods for the early Calabrian (Santernian) of the Mediterranean area (Bythocythere zetlandica, Cytheropteron (Cytheropteron) depressum, Paradoxostoma ensiforme and Paradoxostoma abbreviatum) have been collected in the Monte Mario Fm., in the same levels where literature reports the presence of the “northern guest” molluscs Arctica islandica, Cochlodesma praetenue and Buccinum humphreysianum, confirming the cold climatic oscillation during which the Sabbie grigie ad Arctica islandica deposited. Moreover, the already known “warm” Calabrian (Santernian) guest Mediocytherideis (Sylvestra) virgula has been collected in the upper portion of the Monte Mario succession. These findings, together with the temporal constrain of the Monte Mario Fm. to the early Calabrian (Santernian p.p., owing to the absence of Calcidyscus macintyrei and large Gephyrocapsa), allowed to tentatively refer the deposition of the Monte Mario Fm. between the cold OIS 58 and the warm OIS 55.