Calta (Pliocene of Turkey)

Also known as Çalta

Where: Ankara, Turkey (39.9° N, 32.9° E: paleocoordinates 39.9° N, 32.9° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Ruscinian (5.3 - 3.2 Ma)

• Dated using microfauna to the lower part of MN15 (Late Ruscinian) approx. 4Ma, Pliocene.

Environment/lithology: "floodplain"; lithology not reported

• 'Four main depositional environments wewre recognised: 1. distal alluvial fan, 2. fluvial channel, 3. overbank and floodplain, 4. pond environment. The main fossil beds occur in the floodplain and ponded deposits at levels that show the best developed paleosols.1

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk,

Primary reference: S. Sen, G. Bouvrain, and D. Geraads. 1998. Pliocene vertebrate locality of Calta, Ankara, Turkey. 12. Paleoecology, biogeography and biochronology. Geodiversitas 20(3):497-510 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 34370: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 28.08.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Fauna adapted to relatively dry and open environments with some water, as frogs and water shrews are present. Isotopic work indicates an open and probably steppic environment.
Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Helix cincta, Subzebrinus sp.
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Muridae
Orientalomys galaticus6, Apodemus dominans6, Centralomys magnus6, Pseudomeriones tchaltaensis6, Occitanomys sp.6, Pliospalax macoveii6
Apodemus dominans6 Eurasian field mouse
4 molars
Centralomys magnus6 Sen 1977 mouse
Pseudomeriones tchaltaensis6 gerbil
57% of rodent remains
Occitanomys sp.6 Michaux 1969 mouse
6 isolated teeth
Pliospalax macoveii6 Simionescu 1930 blind mole
16% of rodent remains
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Dryomimus eliomyoides6
Dryomimus eliomyoides6 Kretzoi 1959 dormouse
2 upper M2
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Mimomys davakosi6, Mesocricetus cf. primitivus6
Mimomys davakosi6 van de Weerd 1979 vole
Mesocricetus cf. primitivus6 de Bruijn et al. 1970 rodent
Mesocricetus sp. cf. M. primitivus
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Ochotonoma anatolica n. gen. n. sp.6
Ochotonoma anatolica n. gen. n. sp.6 pika
 Carnivora - Canidae
Vulpes galaticus, Nyctereutes donnezani
Vulpes galaticus Ginsburg 1998 fox
Nyctereutes donnezani Depérer 1890 raccoon dog
 Carnivora - Felidae
Machairodus giganteus, Lynx issiodorensis
Machairodus giganteus Wagner 1848 cat
Lynx issiodorensis Croizet and Jobert 1828 lynx
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Chasmaporthetes kani
Chasmaporthetes kani Galiano and Frailey 1977 hyaena
Chasmaporthetes kani anatolicus
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
"Cervus cf. perrieri" = Praeelaphus perrieri
"Cervus cf. perrieri" = Praeelaphus perrieri Croizet and Jobert 1828 deer
Cervus sp. cf. C. perrieri
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bovidae indet.1, Gazella emilii n. sp.1, Hippotragini indet.1, Tchaltacerus longicornis n. gen. n. sp.1, ? Gazellospira sp.1
Bovidae indet.1 Gray 1821 antelope
Bovidae indet. cf. Koufotragus bailloudi, 1 horncore, 1 maxilla fragment, 1 mandible fragment and a lower P4.
Gazella emilii n. sp.1 Bouvrain 1998 gazelle
Hippotragini indet.1 Sundevall 1845 antelope
Tchaltacerus longicornis n. gen. n. sp.1 Bouvrain 1998 antelope
? Gazellospira sp.1 Pilgrim and Schaub 1939 antelope
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
Giraffa cf. jumae
Giraffa cf. jumae Leakey 1967 giraffe
Giraffa sp. cf. G. jumae
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Sus arvernensis2
Sus arvernensis2 Deperet 1885 pig
Sus arvernensis minor
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
"Dicerorhinus megarhinus" = Dihoplus megarhinus3
"Dicerorhinus megarhinus" = Dihoplus megarhinus3 de Christol 1835 rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hipparion heintzi, Hipparion cf. longipes
Hipparion heintzi hipparionine horse
Hipparion cf. longipes Gromova 1952 hipparionine horse
Hipparion sp. cf. H. longipes
 Tribosphenida - Erinaceidae
Erinaceus sp.5
Erinaceus sp.5 Linnaeus 1758 hedgehog
 Soricomorpha - Soricidae
Soricidae indet.5, Asoriculus gibberodon5, Mafia csarnotense5
Soricidae indet.5 Fischer 1814 shrew
Mafia csarnotense5 red-toothed shrew
Reptilia
 Squamata - Scincidae
Scincidae indet.
Scincidae indet. Gray 1825 skink
 Squamata - Anguidae
Ophisaurus sp.
Ophisaurus sp. Daudin 1803 glass lizard
 Squamata - Varanidae
Varanus marathonensis
Varanus marathonensis Weithofer 1888 monitor lizard
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacertidae indet.
Lacertidae indet. Bonaparte 1831 squamates
 Squamata - Amphisbaenidae
Amphisbaenidae indet.
 Squamata - Colubridae
Colubridae indet.
Colubridae indet. Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
 Squamata - Boidae
Eryx sp.
Eryx sp. Daudin 1803 true sand boa
 Squamata - Elapidae
"Palaeonaja sp." = Naja
"Palaeonaja sp." = Naja Laurenti 1768 cobra
 Squamata -
Scolecophidia indet.
Scolecophidia indet. Duméril and Bibron 1844 snake
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudo sp.
Testudo sp. Linnaeus 1758 turtle
Aves
 Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
Struthio sp.4
Struthio sp.4 Linnaeus 1758 ostrich
morphologically close to Struthio asiaticus
Amphibia
 Salientia - Bufonidae
Bufo cf. viridis
Bufo cf. viridis Laurenti 1768 European green toad
Bufo sp. cf. B. viridis
 Salientia - Ranidae
Rana sp.
Rana sp. Linnaeus 1758 frog
 Salientia - Pelobatidae
Pelobates sp.
Pelobates sp. Wagler 1830 spadefoot toad
1Bouvrain 1998; 2Guerin et al. 1998; 3Guerin and Sen 1998; 4Janoo and Sen 1988; 5Reumer 1998; 6Sen 1998