Drimolen Main Quarry (Pleistocene of South Africa)

Where: Gauteng, South Africa (26.0° S, 27.8° E: paleocoordinates 26.1° S, 27.6° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

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

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; breccia

• single cavern with basal speleothem overlain by fossil-bearing breccia
• thick clast-supported, fossil-bearing breccia

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: ad-hoc sediment collection followed by 1x1m or smaller grid collection with multiple methods of seiving; use of total station since 2003 and more recently, laser scanning.

Primary reference: J. W. Adams, D. S. Rovinsky, A. I. R. Herries and C. G. Menter. 2016. Macromammalian faunas, biochronology and palaeoecology of the early Pleistocene Main Quarry hominin-bearing deposits of the Drimolen Palaeocave System, South Africa. PeerJ 4(e1941):1-45 [P. Holroyd/P. Holroyd/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 183152: authorized by Patricia Holroyd, entered by Patricia Holroyd on 05.12.2016, edited by Evangelos Vlachos

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Mammalia
 Tubulidentata - Orycteropodidae
Orycteropus cf. afer Pallas 1766 aardvark
 Hyracoidea - Procaviidae
Procavia sp. Storr 1780 Cape hyrax
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Elephantidae indet. Gray 1821 elephant
 Placentalia -
Carnivora indet. Bowdich 1821 carnivoran
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Hyaenidae indet. Gray 1821 hyaena
Chasmaporthetes nitidula Ewer 1955 hyaena
Lycyaenops silberbergi Broom 1946 hyaena
 Carnivora - Herpestidae
cf. Cynictis pencillata yellow mongoose
aff. Suricata suricatta Schreber 1776 meerkat
 Carnivora - Felidae
Felidae indet. Gray 1821 cat
Megantereon whitei Broom 1937 cat
? Dinofelis sp. Zdansky 1924 cat
Dinofelis cf. barlowi Broom 1937 cat
Felis silvestris Schreber 1777 wildcat
subspecies lybica
cf. Caracal caracal Schreber 1776 caracal
Panthera sp. Oken 1816 cat
Panthera pardus Linnaeus 1758 leopard
cf. Panthera pardus Linnaeus 1758 leopard
 Carnivora - Canidae
Canidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 canid
Vulpes chama Smith 1833 Cape fox
cf. Vulpes chama Smith 1833 Cape fox
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Suidae indet. Gray 1821 pig
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bovidae indet. Gray 1821 antelope
Tragelaphini indet. Blyth 1863 antelope
Alcelaphini indet. Brookes 1876 antelope
Class II/III n=34; Class III n=11
Damaliscus sp. Sclater and Thomas 1894 antelope
Connochaetes sp. Lichtenstein 1812 wildebeest
Megalotragus sp. van Hoepen 1932 antelope
Redunca cf. fulvorufula Afzelius 1815 mountain reedbuck
Oreotragus sp. Smith 1834 klipspringer
Raphicerus sp. Smith 1827 antelope
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
Giraffidae indet. Gray 1821 giraffe
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus quagga Boddaert 1785 plains zebra
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Leporidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 rabbit
Pronolagus sp. Lyon 1904 rabbit
 Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix sp. Linnaeus 1758 porcupine
 Primates - Hominidae
Paranthropus robustus Broom 1938 australopithecine
Homo sp. Linnaeus 1758 human
 Primates - Cercopithecidae
Cercopithecidae indet. Gray 1821 monkey
Papio hamadryas Linnaeus 1758 Hamadryas baboon
subspecies robinsoni
Cercopithecoides williamsi Mollet 1947 monkey
Reptilia
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Psammobates antiquorum n. sp. Broadley 1997 turtle
Adenota
  -
"Antidorcas recki" = Adenota recki, "Antidorcas cf. recki" = Adenota recki
"Antidorcas recki" = Adenota recki Schwartz 1932
"Antidorcas cf. recki" = Adenota recki Schwartz 1932