Tenuta Zuccarello Filling I: Holocene, Italy
collected by Soprintendenza Archeologica per il Veneto - Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Altino 2000

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Testudines - Emydidae
Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus 1758)
1 fragmented carapace (MSNVE-23373/1); 3 vertebrae (MSNVE-23373/4–6); 1 fragment of rib (MSNVE-23373/2); 1 right femur (MSNVE-23373/3)
Reptilia
Serpentes indet. (Linnaeus 1758)
1 right pterygoid (MSNVE-23372/4); 23 cervical vertebrae (MSNVE-23372/1); 1 trunk vertebra (MSNVE-23372/5); 3 cloacal vertebrae (MSNVE- 23372/3); 10 caudal vertebrae (MSNVE-23372/2)
Reptilia - Colubridae
cf. Coronella sp. Laurenti 1768
I filling: 2 trunk vertebrae (MSNVE-23370/1–2)
Natrix natrix Linnaeus 1758
67 trunk vertebrae (MSNVE-23369/1–2)
Hierophis viridiflavus
1 compound bone (MSNVE-23371/5); 89 trunk vertebrae (MSNVE-23371/1–4)
Reptilia - Anguidae
Anguis fragilis Linneaus 1758
1 premaxilla (MSNVE-23368/1); 13 maxillae (MSNVE-23368/2–3); 1 frontal (MSNVE-23368/12); 3 parietals (MSNVE-23368/6–7, 14); 1 quadrate (MSNVE-23368/26); 39 dentaries (MSNVE-23368/4–5); 1 coronoid (MSNVE-23368/27); 6 compound bones (MSNVE-23368/28–29); 3 axes (MSNVE-23368/25); 92 cervical vertebrae (MSNVE-23368/8); 1732 trunk vertebrae (MSNVE-23368/16–17, 24); 63 cloacal vertebrae (MSNVE-23368/9–10, 15, 18); 1296 caudal vertebrae (MSNVE-23368/19–23); 4 osteoderms (MSNVE-23368/ 11, 13)
Reptilia - Lacertidae
Lacertidae indet. Bonaparte 1831
19 maxillae (MSNVE-23367/1–2); 2 postorbital (MSNVE-23367/31); 2 pterygoids (MSNVE-23367/21); 1 quadrate (MSNVE-23367/32); 23 otooccipital regions (MSNVE-23367/27); 3 sphenoids (MSNVE-23367/29); 1 basioccipital (MSNVE-23367/28); 1 otooccipital (MSNVE-23367/30); 17 dentaries (MSNVE-23367/3–6, 8); 12 axes (MSNVE-23367/7); 41 presacral vertebrae (MSNVE-23367/9, 11); 2 pairs of fused cloacal vertebrae (MSNVE-23367/14–15); 87 caudal vertebrae (MSNVE- 23367/10, 12); 1 chevron (MSNVE-23367/13); 5 interclavicles (MSNVE-23367/19); 7 humeri (MSNVE-23367/16, 22–23); 14 femurs (MSNVE-23367/17–18, 23–24); 2 tibiae (MSNVE-23367/26); 12 indeterminate elements (MSNVE-23367/20)
Lacerta viridis (Laurenti 1768)
5 premaxillae (MSNVE-23366/12); 28 maxillae (MSNVE-23366/2–5); 3 jugals (MSNVE-23366/34); 3 frontals (MSNVE-23366/6–7); 1 postorbital (MSNVE- 23366/15); 5 pterygoids (MSNVE-23366/8–9); 6 quadrates (MSNVE-23366/16–17); 4 otooccipital regions (MSNVE- 23366/10); 1 sphenoid (MSNVE-23366/11); 26 dentaries (MSNVE-23366/1, 30–31); 1 splenial (MSNVE-23366/29); 1 coronoid (MSNVE-23366/36); 1 angular (MSNVE- 23366/37); 3 articulars fused with surangulars (MSNVE- 23366/20); 1 surangular (MSNVE-23366/35); 6 axes (MSNVE-23366/41); 228 presacral vertebrae (MSNVE- 23366/40); 14 cloacal vertebrae (MSNVE-23366/45); 1 pair of fused cloacal vertebrae (MSNVE-23366/46); 69 caudal vertebrae (MSNVE-23366/42–43); 1 chevron (MSNVE-23366/44); 1 rib (MSNVE-23366/47); 5 clavicles (MSNVE-23366/32–33); 20 humeri (MSNVE-23366/25– 26); 4 ilia (MSNVE-23366/23–24); 8 ischia (MSNVE- 23366/18–19); 5 pubes (MSNVE-23366/27–28); 18 pelvic girdles (MSNVE-23366/38–39); 24 femurs (MSNVE- 23366/21–22); 23 tibiae (MSNVE-23366/13–14)
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Urodela
Triturus cristatus Fitzinger 1843
1 trunk vertebra (MSNVE-23361)
Lissotriton vulgaris
8 trunk vertebrae (MSNVE-23360/1–2); 1 humerus (MSNVE-23360/3); 1 femur (MSNVE- 23360/4)
Amphibia - Temnospondyli
Anura indet. (Fischer von Waldheim 1813)
6 sphenetmoids (MSNVE-23365/14); 1 prootic (MSNVE-23365/13); 3 exoccipitals (MSNVE-23365/11– 12); 1 sacral vertebra fused with the urostyle (MSNVE- 23365/15); 25 sternal elements (MSNVE-23365/2); 3 coracoids (MSNVE-23365/4, 6); 1 scapula (MSNVE- 23365/8); 120 humeri (MSNVE-23365/9–10); 16 ischia (MSNVE-23365/3); 6 femurs (MSNVE-23365/5); 1 tibiofibula (MSNVE-23365/7); 955 indeterminate elements (MSNVE-23365/1)
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Discoglossidae
Bombina sp. Oken 1816
3 parasphenoids (MSNVE-23362/1); 3 atlases (MSNVE-23362/2); 8 trunk vertebrae (MSNVE-23362/3; 16); 2 sacral vertebrae (MSNVE-23362/4); 1 urostyle (MSNVE-23362/5); 9 humeri (MSNVE-23362/6–7); 4 ilia (MSNVE-23362/8–10); 5 femurs (MSNVE-23362/ 11–12, 17); 6 tibiofibulae (MSNVE-23362/13–15)
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Bufonidae
Bufo bufo (Linnaeus 1758)
original and current combination Rana bufo
4 sphenetmoids (MSNVE-23363/1, 34); 3 parasphenoids (MSNVE-23363/2; 7); 3 prootics fused with the exoccipital (MSNVE-23363/3–4); 3 pterygoids (MSNVE-23363/ 5–6); 2 squamosals (MSNVE-23363/8); 4 atlases (MSNVE- 23363/35–36); 27 trunk vertebrae (MSNVE-23363/9); 6 sacral vertebrae (MSNVE-23363/10); 1 clavicle (MSNVE- 23363/11); 6 coracoids (MSNVE-23363/12–13); 14 scapulae (MSNVE-23363/15–16); 2 suprascapulae (MSNVE-23363/ 14); 15 humeri (MSNVE-23363/17–20, 32, 33); 5 radioulnae (MSNVE-23363/21–23); 12 ilia (MSNVE-23363/24–26); 13 femurs (MSNVE-23363/27–28); 11 tibiofibulae (MSNVE- 23363/29–31)
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Ranidae
Rana dalmatina Bonaparte 1839
7 premaxillae (MSNVE-23364/9–10); 137 maxillae (MSNVE-23364/1–2); 10 frontoparietals (MSNVE-23364/ 5–6); 1 frontoparietal fused with prootic and exoccipital (MSNVE-23364/7); 26 sphenetmoids (MSNVE-23364/3); 86 parasphenoids (MSNVE-23364/4); 6 prootics fused with the exoccipital (MSNVE-23364/8, 55–57); 5 squamosals (MSNVE-23364/23–24); 3 pterygoids (MSNVE-23364/ 53–54); 66 angulars (MSNVE-23364/11–12); 50 atlases (MSNVE-23364/13–14); 532 trunk vertebrae (MSNVE- 23364/16–17); 3 atlases fused with the first trunk vertebra (MSNVE-23364/15); 1 7th trunk vertebra fused with 8th one (MSNVE-23364/18); 74 sacral vertebrae (MSNVE- 23364/19); 2 sacral vertebrae fused with the 8th trunk vertebra (MSNVE-23364/20, 22); 75 urostyles (MSNVE- 23364/21); 101 coracoids (MSNVE-23364/27–28); 1 clavicle (MSNVE-23364/50); 116 scapulae (MSNVE-23364/25–26); 1 right scapula fused with the clavicle (MSNVE-23364/49); 106 humeri (MSNVE-23364/29–35, 51–52); 178 radioulnae (MSNVE-23364/36–38); 236 ilia (MSNVE-23364/39–41); 363 femurs (MSNVE-23364/42–44); 394 tibiofibulae (MSNVE-23364/45–48)
see common names

Geography
Country:Italy State/province:Veneto
Coordinates: 45.5° North, 12.3° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:45.5° North, 12.3° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period:Quaternary Epoch:Holocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Holocene
Age range of interval:0.01170 - 0.00000 m.y. ago
Age estimate:2000 ± 40 YBP (14C (calibrated))
Stratigraphy
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: silty sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: The well has an average diameter of 80 cm and was filled by clayey-silty and clayey-sandy sediments. Two different filling sequences were recognised, but they are considered approximately coeval. A rather large number of faunal remains were found in the well, representing both invertebrates (molluscs) and vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals).
Environment:lacustrine - small
Geology comments: If compared with the amphibians and reptiles currently living near the Venetian Lagoon (see Sindaco et al. 2006; Bonato et al. 2007; and Sillero et al. 2014), the assemblage of the Tenuta Zuccarello well clearly lacks various taxa, notably anurans of the Bufotes viridis complex and the genus Pelophylax as well as wall lizards of the genus Podarcis. It is not easy to explain the absence of common taxa such as these ones in terms of environmental features of the area in the past, taking also into account the wide range of habitats that they inhabits today. Moreover, it has to be noted that at least some of these taxa has been found in nearby sites of similar age (e.g. green frogs in Lova di Campagna Lupia and Oderzo; Delfino et al. 2008). Their absence from Tenuta Zuccarello is therefore puzzling. Of course, as far as small lacertid lizards like Podarcis are concerned, they might be represented, though unrecognised, among the small lacertid remains identified only at family level. On the other hand, almost all of the taxa found in the Roman well are still represented near the Lagoon. The only exception is Bombina, which currently lives in most of the Veneto region (Bombina variegata; Bonato et al. 2007; Sillero et al. 2014), but not near the Lagoon. The other two fossil occurrences of the genus in Veneto, both Early Pleistocene in age, are located in the Verona province (Delfino et al. 2008; Villa et al. 2018), that is within the current range of B. variegata. Tenuta Zuccarello represents therefore the first occurrence of Bombina outside its current range.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,anthropogenic
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some macrofossils
Collection methods:surface (in situ),field collection,survey of museum collection,observed (not collected)
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collectors:Soprintendenza Archeologica per il Veneto - Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Altino Collection dates:2000
Collection method comments: Natural History Museum of Venezia (MSNVE)
Metadata
Also known as:Roman Well US 100
Database number:193569
Authorizer:E. Vlachos Enterer:E. Vlachos
Modifier:E. Vlachos
Created:2018-05-30 08:31:32 Last modified:2018-05-30 08:32:54
Access level:the public Released:2018-05-30 08:31:32
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
65767. A. Villa, M. Bon, and M. Delfino. 2018. Trapped in a roman well: amphibians and reptiles from Tenuta Zuccarello near Marcon, Venice, Italy. Historical Biology 1-16 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos]