Villacastin (Zone C, level 1) (Pleistocene of Spain)

Where: Segovia, Spain (40.8° N, 4.4° W: paleocoordinates 40.8° N, 4.5° W)

• coordinate stated in text

When: Pleistocene (2.6 - 0.0 Ma)

• Fossils are from a trench and associated fissure below, preserved in sand from weathering of surrounding Upper Cretaceous sediments.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fissure fill; medium-grained, red sandstone

• Fissure fill sediments are derived from surrounding Cretaceous deposits.
• 15 cm of horizontally stratified medium-grained red sandstone.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

Collection methods: quarrying, surface (in situ),

Primary reference: A. Arribas. 1994. El yacimiento mesopleistoceno de Villacastin (Segovia, Espana): geologia y paleontologia de micromamiferos. Boletin Geologico y Minero 105:146-166 [J. Alroy/J. Wertheim/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 36452: authorized by John Alroy, entered by Jill Wertheim on 30.01.2004

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Abundance data isn't separated by level, so isn't statistically useful
Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus caballus Linnaeus 1758 horse
cf. germanicus; 1 individual
 Carnivora - Canidae
Vulpes sp. Frisch 1775 fox
1 individual
 Tribosphenida - Erinaceidae
Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus 1758 hedgehog
9 specimens
 Soricomorpha - Talpidae
Talpa europaea Linnaeus 1758 European mole
1 individual
 Soricomorpha - Soricidae
Crocidura suaveolens Pallas 1811 white-toothed shrew
1 individual
Crocidura cf. russula Herrmann 1780 Greater white-toothed shrew
1 individual
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Microtus arvalis Pallas 1779 common vole
9 specimens
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare
3 speciemens
Oryctolagus cuniculus Linnaeus 1758 European rabbit
cf. granalensis; minimum number of individuals in all levels=67
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Myotis myotis Borkhausen 1797 greater mouse-eared bat
243 specimens from levels 1 and 2