Vallonnet Cave bed 2, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes Maritimes: Early/Lower Pleistocene, France

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
Spantangus purpureus
Plectorhincus mediterraneus
Thecostraca - Balanomorpha - Balanidae
Balanus perforatus
Balanus sp. Da Costa 1778
Malacostraca - Decapoda - Eriphiidae
Eriphia spinifrons (Herbst 1785)
Gymnolaemata - Cheilostomata - Phidoloporidae
Retepora aff. cellulosa
synonym of Reteporella
Gastropoda - Cerithiidae
Gourmya vulgata
= Cerithium vulgartum
Gastropoda - Vermetidae
Vermetus sp. Daudin 1800
Bivonia cristata
spelled with current rank as Vermetus (Bivonia)
= Vermetus cristatus
Gastropoda - Lepetellida - Haliotidae
Haliotis sp. Linnaeus 1758
Gastropoda - Turbinidae
Astrea aff. rugosa Hall 1834
    = Bolma rugosa Linnaeus 1767
Kiessling 2009
recombined as Bolma rugosus
based on WoRMS
Gastropoda - Patellidae
Patella rustica
= Patella lusitanica
Patella ferruginea
Patella caerulea Linnaeus 1758
Bivalvia - Mytilida - Mytilidae
Lithophaga aff. lithophaga (Linnaeus 1758)
Bivalvia - Arcida - Arcidae
Arca sp. Linnaeus 1758
Bivalvia - Ostreida - Gryphaeidae
Gryphaea virleti (Deshayes 1832)
recombined as Hyotissa virleti
Bivalvia - Ostreida - Ostreidae
Gryphaea sp. Lamarck 1801
    = Ostreidae indet. Rafinesque 1815
Kiessling 2009
Gryphaea cucullata (Born 1778)
recombined as Saccostrea cuccullata
Bivalvia - Pectinida - Pectinidae
Chlamys multistriata (Poli 1795)
recombined as Talochlamys multistriata
Chlamys varia (Linnaeus 1758)
recombined as Chlamys (Chlamys) varia
Manupecten pesfelis
Bivalvia - Pectinida - Spondylidae
Spondylus aff. gaederopus Linnaeus 1758
Bivalvia - Pholadida - Teredinidae
Teredo (Nototeredo) norvegica
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Carchariidae
Odontaspis taurus (Rafinesque 1810)
original and current combination Carcharias taurus
Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Myliobatis aquila (Linnaeus 1758)
Actinopteri - Anguilliformes - Muraenidae
Muraena cf. helena
Actinopteri - Labriformes - Labridae
Labrodon pavimentum
Labrus sp. Linnaeus 1758
Actinopteri - Perciformes - Sparidae
Sparus auratus
Actinopteri - Sciaenidae
Pristipoma sp. Agassiz 1835
Actinopteri - Tetraodontiformes - Diodontidae
Chilomycterus sp. Brisout de Barneville 1846
Echinoidea - Camarodonta - Echinidae
Paracentrotus lividus
Echinoidea - Camarodonta - Toxopneustidae
Sphaerechinus granularis
Echinoidea - Cidaroida - Cidaridae
Cidaris cidaris
Anthozoa - Gorgonacea
Corallium rubrum
Elphidiidae
Elphidium cf. aculeatum
very abundant.
Elphidium complanatum
Elphidium crispum
Elphidium macellum
very abundant.
Globigerinidae
Globigerina sp. d'Orbigny 1826
Bolivinidae
Bolivina cf. dilatata
Bolivina aenariensis
Bolivina pseudoplicata Heron-Allen and Earland 1930
Asterigerinidae
Asterigerina planorbis
Cassidulinidae
Cassidulina carinata
Rotaliidae
Ammonia beccarii
abundant.
Rotalia granulata
Globothalamea - Rotaliida - Nonionidae
Nonion cf. scaphum
Globothalamea - Rotaliida - Anomalinidae
Anomalina cf. anomalinoides
Globothalamea - Rotaliida - Asterigerinatidae
Asterigerinata mamilla
Globothalamea - Rotaliida - Cibicididae
Cibicides lobatulus
very abundant.
Cibicides refulgens
very abundant.
Planulina ariminensis
Hormosinidae
Reophax sp. de Montfort 1808
Nodosariata - Polymorphinida - Polymorphinidae
Ramulina globulifera
Lituolida - Lituolidae
? Ammobaculites sp. Cushman 1910
Dorothia gibbosa
Angiospermae - Myrtales - Myrtaceae
Myrtus communis
Angiospermae - Sapindales - Sapindaceae
Aesculus hippocastanum
Angiospermae - Fagales - Juglandaceae
Juglans sp. Linnaeus 1753
Pterocarya sp. Kunth 1824
Angiospermae - Fabales - Fabaceae
Ceratonia siliqua
Angiospermae - Vitales - Vitaceae
Vitis vinifera
Angiospermae - Laurales - Lauraceae
Laurus nobilis
Angiospermae - Lamiales - Oleaceae
Olea sp. Linnaeus 1753
see common names

Geography
Country:France State/province:Alpes Maritimes
Coordinates: 43.8° North, 7.5° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:43.8° North, 7.3° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Time
Period:Quaternary Epoch:Pleistocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Early/Lower Pleistocene
Age range of interval:2.58000 - 0.77400 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Member:2
Local section:Vallonnet Local bed:D
Local order:bottom to top
Stratigraphy comments: Middle Early Pleistocene, between 1.37 and the Jaramillo event.
Lithology and environment
Lithology description: marine sands.
Environment:cave
Geology comments: 5 stratigraphic units at the site, making a total depth of 1.5m of sediment. This level of the cave indicates a marine transgression.
Taphonomy
Size of fossils:mesofossils,microfossils
Collection methods and comments
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Collection method comments: This level was formed in a drier and much warmer climate than today. Probably formed during one of the warmest transgressive seas in the second half of the Lower Pleistocene.
Taxonomic list comments:Several ancient foraminifera - Textularia turris, Arenobulimina sp. Uvigerina sp., Globotruncana sp. suggest that there are ?Turolian (Turoniennes) marls nearby.
Metadata
Database number:50523
Authorizer:A. Turner, W. Kiessling Enterer:H. O'Regan, W. Kiessling
Modifier:H. O'Regan Research group:PACED
Created:2005-05-17 07:23:42 Last modified:2005-05-17 10:47:41
Access level:the public Released:2005-05-17 07:23:42
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
13534.PACED H. de Lumley. 1988. La stratigraphie du remplissage de la Grotte du Vallonnet. L'Anthropologie (Paris) 92(2):407-428 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]

Secondary references:

30388 W. Kiessling. 2009. Taxonomic vetting of messy data in the Paleobiology Database. [W. Kiessling/W. Kiessling]