PBDB Collection

Spinagallo Cave (Pleistocene of Italy)

Where: Siracusa, Italy (37.0° N, 15.2° E: paleocoordinates 37.0° N, 15.2° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• hand sample-level geographic resolution

When: Middle Pleistocene (0.8 - 0.1 Ma)

Environment/lithology: cave; unlithified, sandy breccia

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, mechanical,

• The specimens are preserved in the Museo di Paleontologia dell'Università di Roma (MPUR) and in the Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia of the Torino University (MGPT), both in Italy

Primary reference: M. Pavia. 1999. The Middle Pleistocene avifauna of Spinagallo Cave (Sicily, Italy): preliminary report. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 89:125-127 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 175900: authorized by Marco Pavia, entered by Marco Pavia on 17.01.2016, edited by Matthew Clapham and Evangelos Vlachos

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

Reptilia
Squamata - Lacertidae	Lacerta siculimelitensis¹, Lacerta sp.¹, Lacerta viridis¹ Lacerta siculimelitensis¹ squamates Lacerta sp.¹ Linnaeus 1758 squamates Lacerta viridis¹ Laurenti 1768 European green lizard
Squamata - Colubridae	Coluber cf. viridiflavus¹ Coluber cf. viridiflavus¹ Lacépède 1789 racer
Squamata - Natricidae	Natrix sp.¹ Natrix sp.¹ Laurenti 1768 water snake
Testudines - Testudinidae	Testudo hermanni¹ Testudo hermanni¹ Gmelin 1789 Hermann's tortoise
Aves
Charadriiformes - Laridae	"Larus minutus" = Hydrocoloeus minutus, "Larus ridibundus" = Chroicocephalus ridibundus "Larus minutus" = Hydrocoloeus minutus Pallas 1776 little gull "Larus ridibundus" = Chroicocephalus ridibundus Linnaeus 1758 black-headed gull
Charadriiformes - Recurvirostridae	Recurvirostra avosetta Recurvirostra avosetta Linnaeus 1758 pied avocet
Charadriiformes - Scolopacidae	Scolopax rusticola Scolopax rusticola Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian woodcock
Falconiformes - Falconidae	Falco tinnunculus, Falco eleonorae, Falco subbuteo, Falco columbarius Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus 1758 Common kestrel Falco eleonorae Gené 1839 Eleonora's falcon Falco subbuteo Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian hobby Falco columbarius Linnaeus 1758 merlin
Gruiformes - Rallidae	Rallus aquaticus Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus 1758 water rail
Gruiformes - Gruidae	Grus sp. Grus sp. Brisson 1760 crane
Cuculiformes - Cuculidae	Cuculus canorus Cuculus canorus Linnaeus 1758 common cuckoo
Columbiformes - Columbidae	Streptopelia turtur, Columba palumbus, Columba livia Streptopelia turtur Linnaeus 1758 European turtle-dove Columba palumbus Linnaeus 1758 common wood-pigeon Columba livia Gmelin 1789 rock pigeon
Piciformes - Picidae	Dendrocopos leucotos, Picus viridis Dendrocopos leucotos Bechstein 1802 white-backed woodpecker Picus viridis Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian green woodpecker
Strigiformes - Strigidae	cf. Surnia ulula, Otus scops, Asio otus, Aegolius martae³ cf. Surnia ulula Linnaeus 1758 northern hawk owl Otus scops Linnaeus 1758 European scops-owl Asio otus Linnaeus 1758 long-eared owl Aegolius martae³ Pavia 2008 true owl
Strigiformes - Tytonidae	Tyto mourerchauvireae n. sp.² Tyto mourerchauvireae n. sp.² Pavia 2004 barn owl
Passeriformes -	Passeriformes indet. Passeriformes indet. Linnaeus 1758 perching bird
Passeriformes - Sturnidae	Sturnus sp. Sturnus sp. Linnaeus 1756 starling
Passeriformes - Corvidae	Corvidae indet., Pyrrhocorax graculus, Pica pica Corvidae indet. Vigors 1825 perching bird Pyrrhocorax graculus Linnaeus 1766 yellow-billed chough Pica pica Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian magpie
Passeriformes - Muscicapidae	Erithacus rubecula, Monticola solitarius, Oenanthe cf. hispanica Erithacus rubecula Linnaeus 1758 European robin Monticola solitarius Linnaeus 1758 blue rock-thrush Oenanthe cf. hispanica Linnaeus 1758 black-eared wheatear
Passeriformes - Fringillidae	Carduelis sp., Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Serinus sp., "Carduelis chloris" = Chloris chloris, Fringilla sp., Pyrrhula pyrrhula Carduelis sp. Brisson 1760 finch Coccothraustes coccothraustes Linnaeus 1758 hawfinch Serinus sp. Koch 1816 finch "Carduelis chloris" = Chloris chloris Linnaeus 1758 European greenfinch Fringilla sp. Linnaeus 1758 finch Fringilla coelebs/montifringilla Pyrrhula pyrrhula Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian bullfinch
Passeriformes - Sylviidae	Sylvia sp. Sylvia sp. Scopoli 1769 perching bird
Passeriformes - Prunellidae	Prunella modularis Prunella modularis Linnaeus 1758 hedge accentor
Passeriformes - Emberizidae	Emberiza "sp. 1", Emberiza "sp. 2", Emberiza "sp. 3" Emberiza "sp. 1" Linnaeus 1758 old world bunting Emberiza "sp. 2" Linnaeus 1758 old world bunting Emberiza "sp. 3" Linnaeus 1758 old world bunting
Passeriformes - Motacillidae	Anthus sp. Anthus sp. Bechstein 1805 perching bird
Passeriformes - Passeridae	Petronia petronia Petronia petronia Linnaeus 1766 rock petronia
Passeriformes - Phylloscopidae	Phylloscopus sp. Phylloscopus sp. Boie 1826 leaf warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix/collybita
Passeriformes - Laniidae	Lanius senator Lanius senator Linnaeus 1758 woodchat shrike
Passeriformes - Turdidae	Turdus "sp. 1", Turdus "sp. 2" Turdus "sp. 1" Linnaeus 1758 true thrush Turdus "sp. 2" Linnaeus 1758 true thrush
Passeriformes - Alaudidae	Lullula arborea, Calandrella brachydactyla Lullula arborea Linnaeus 1758 wood lark Calandrella brachydactyla Leisler 1814 greater short-toed lark
Passeriformes - Hirundinidae	Hirundo sp. Hirundo sp. Linnaeus 1758 swallow
Caprimulgiformes - Caprimulgidae	Caprimulgus cf. europaeus Caprimulgus cf. europaeus Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian nightjar
Caprimulgiformes - Apodidae	Apus sp., Apus melba Apus sp. Scopoli 1777 swift Apus apus/pallidus Apus melba Linnaeus 1758 alpine swift
Anseriformes - Anatidae	"Anas penelope" = Mareca penelope, "Anas querquedula" = Spatula querquedula, Branta sp., Anser erythropus, Marmaronetta angustirostris "Anas penelope" = Mareca penelope Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian wigeon "Anas querquedula" = Spatula querquedula Linnaeus 1758 garganey Branta sp. Scopoli 1769 goose Anser erythropus Linnaeus 1758 lesser white-fronted goose Marmaronetta angustirostris Ménétriés 1832 marbled teal
Pelecaniformes - Threskiornithidae	Geronticus eremita Geronticus eremita Linnaeus 1758 northern bald ibis
Accipitriformes - Accipitridae	Accipiter nisus, Accipiter gentilis Accipiter nisus Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter gentilis Linnaeus 1758 northern goshawk
Reptilia
Galliformes - Phasianidae	Coturnix coturnix Coturnix coturnix Linnaeus 1758 common quail
Amphibia
Salientia - Discoglossidae	Discoglossus cf. pictus¹ Discoglossus cf. pictus¹ Otth 1837 Painted frog
Salientia - Bufonidae	Bufo cf. viridis¹ Bufo cf. viridis¹ Laurenti 1768 European green toad
Salientia - Hylidae	Hyla cf. arborea¹ Hyla cf. arborea¹ Linnaeus 1758 tree frog

¹Holman 1998; ²Pavia 2004; ³Pavia 2008