Dmanisi (Pleistocene of Georgia)

Also known as Dmanissi

Where: Georgia (41.3° N, 44.2° E)

• Paleocoordinates: 40.9° N, 44.2° E (Wright 2013)

• coordinate based on political unit

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Early/Lower Pleistocene (2.6 - 0.8 Ma)

• underlying Masavera Basalt was dated at 1.8 +/- 0.1 Ma (K-Ar) by Gabunia and Vekua 1995 and at 1.85 +/- 0.01 (40Ar/39Ar) by Gabunia et al. 2000 and is of normal polarity, so it correlates with the Olduvai Subchron; unit A also is normally polarized and assigned to the same subchron, whereas unit B and fossiliferous fissure fills in unit A are reversed and assigned to the following Matuyama Subchron (Gabunia et al. 2000)

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fissure fill; poorly lithified, tuffaceous sandstone

• "lens- to tunnel-shaped... intrusive fills within unit A strata that formed at the time of erosion of unit A deposits but before deposition of unit B... These structures probably formed by underground water movement or soil piping, which eroded subsurface tunnels and cavities" (Gabunia et al. 2000)
• "2.5 m of fossiliferous, volcaniclastic alluvium" consisting of units A (lower) and B (upper), with most fossils coming from fills in unit A that are "poorly lithified and distinctively different in color, texture, and primary structures from the surrounding unit A sediment" that consists of tuffaceous loamy sand (Gabunia et al. 2000)

Size class: macrofossils

Collected in 1991, 1999, 2000, 2002 - 2004

• "over 2000 identifiable vertebrate fossils... and over 1000 stone artifacts" (Gabunia et al. 2000)

Primary reference: L. Gabunia and A. Vekua. 1995. A Plio-Pleistocene hominid from Dmanisi, East Georgia, Caucasus. Nature 373:509-512 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 56733: authorized by Jason Head, entered by Jason Head on 23.11.2005, edited by John Alroy, Evangelos Vlachos and Bethany Allen

Creative Commons license: CC0 (CC0)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
unclassified
  -
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
"Archidiskodon meridionalis" = Mammuthus meridionalis
"Archidiskodon meridionalis" = Mammuthus meridionalis Nesti 1825 mammoth
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
 Rodentia - Muridae
Apodemus dominans4 Eurasian field mouse
Gerbillus sp.4 Desmarest 1804 gerbil
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Mimomys aff. pliocaenicus6 Forsyth Major 1889 vole
"Kowalskia sp." = Neocricetodon Schaub 1934 rodent
Cricetus sp.4 Leske 1779 rodent
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Marmota sp.4 Frisch 1775 marmot
 Primates - Hominidae
Homo georgicus n. sp.3 Gabounia et al. 2002 human
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"Equus stenonis" = Allohippus stenonis4
"Equus stenonis" = Allohippus stenonis4 Cocchi 1867 horse
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Soergelia sp.4 Schaub 1951 antelope
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
"Dama nestii" = Cervus nestii4, "Praemegaceros obscurus" = Cervus obscurus1, Eucladoceros aff. senezensis4, "Cervus perrieri" = Praeelaphus perrieri
"Dama nestii" = Cervus nestii4 Azzaroli 1947 deer
"Praemegaceros obscurus" = Cervus obscurus1 Azzaroli 1953 deer
Eucladoceros aff. senezensis4 deer
"Eucladocerus aff. senezensis"
"Cervus perrieri" = Praeelaphus perrieri Croizet and Jobert 1828 deer
 Carnivora - Felidae
Homotherium latidens1 Owen 1846 scimitar toothed cat
Megantereon whitei1 Broom 1937 cat
Lynx issiodorensis1 Croizet and Jobert 1828 lynx
Acinonyx pardinensis1 Croizet and Jobert 1828 cheetah
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Pachycrocuta brevirostris1 Gervais 1850 brown hyaena
 Carnivora - Canidae
Vulpes alopecoides1 Forsyth Major 1877 fox
Xenocyon lycaonoides1 Kretzoi 1938 canine
Canis borjgali n. sp.1 Bartolini-Lucenti et al. 2020 canine
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus etruscus4 Cuvier 1823 bear
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Martes sp.4 Frisch 1775 marten
Lutra sp.1 Brisson 1762 otter
Pannonictis sp.1 Kormos 1931 mustelid carnivore
Meles sp.1 Brisson 1762 badger
Reptilia
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudo graeca2 Linnaeus 1758 common tortoise
Aves
 Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
Reptilia
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacerta cf. viridis2 Laurenti 1768 European green lizard
 Squamata -
Serpentes indet.2 Linnaeus 1758 snake
 Squamata - Colubridae
Coluber robertmertensi5 Mlynarksi 1964 racer
Elaphe sp.5 Wagler 1833 colubrid snake
 Squamata - Natricidae
Natrix sp.2 Laurenti 1768 water snake
 Squamata - Crotalidae
"Daboia cf. raddei" = Vipera (Daboia)5
"Daboia cf. raddei" = Vipera (Daboia)5 oriental viper
Amphibia
 Salientia -
 Salientia - Bufonidae
Bufo cf. viridis2 Laurenti 1768 European green toad