Chomateri: Late Miocene, Greece

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Phasianidae
Pavo archiaci (Gaudry 1862)
Michailidis et al. 2010
proximal humerus, distal humerus
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Choerolophodontidae
Choerolophodon pentelicus
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Anancus sp. Aymard 1855
Konidaris G. 2013. PhD Thesis
    = Anancus lehmanni Gaziry 1997
Konidaris and Roussiakis 2019
Mammalia - Carnivora - Felidae
Metailurus parvulus Hensel 1862
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Mammalia - Cervidae
Pliocervus pentelicus
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Mammalia - Bovidae
Gazella capricornis
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Prostrepsiceros rotundicornis
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Palaeoreas lindermayeri (Wagner 1848)
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Tragoportax gaudryi Kretzoi 1941
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Mammalia - Giraffidae
Palaeotragus rouenii (Gaudry 1861)
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Mammalia - Suidae
Microstonyx erymanthius Roth and Wagner 1854
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Chalicotherium goldfussi Kaup 1833
Symeonidis 1973
maxilla with right and left P3-M3
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hipparion mediterraneum Roth and Wagner 1855
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Mammalia - Primates - Cercopithecidae
Mesopithecus pentelicus Wagner 1839
de Bruijn et al. 1999
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Kowalskia aff. lavocati (Hugueney and Mein 1965)
de Bruijn 1976
Byzantinia pikermiensis n. gen., n. sp. de Bruijn 1976
de Bruijn 1976
Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae
? Occitanomys provocator n. sp. de Bruijn 1976
de Bruijn 1976
? Occitanomys neutrum n. sp. de Bruijn 1976
de Bruijn 1976
Parapodemus gaudryi (Dames 1883)
de Bruijn 1976
Mammalia - Rodentia - Gliridae
Muscardinus sp. Kaup 1829
de Bruijn 1976
Myomimus cf. dehmi (de Bruijn 1966)
de Bruijn 1976
Mammalia - Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix primigenia (Wagner 1848)
de Bruijn et al. 1999
see common names

Geography
Country:Greece State/province:Attiki County:Pikermi
Coordinates: 38.0° North, 24.0° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:37.7° North, 23.6° East
Basis of coordinate:estimated from map
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period: Neogene Epoch: Miocene
10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 6
Key time interval: Late Miocene
Age range of interval: 11.63 - 5.333 m.y. ago
Age estimate: 7.17 to 7.11 Ma (other)
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Mesogea Basin Formation:Pikermi Member:Chomateri
Stratigraphy comments: Here we reconstruct environmental conditions from the two Graecopithecus-bearing sediment successions using grain-texture analysis, end-member modelling of grain-size distributions, geochemistry of soluble salts and provenance analysis of U-Pb ages of detrital zircons. We then provide age constraints on fossils and document environmental changes on the basis of combined bio-magnetostratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:paleosol/pedogenic,red,yellow siltstone
Secondary lithology: carbonaceous claystone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: We subdivide Upper Miocene sediments of the Athens and the Mesogea Basins (Figs 1 and 2) into the terrestrial to alluvial Pikermi Formation (new formation) and the palustrine to lacustrine Rafina Formation (new formation). The Pikermi Formation represents an up to 30-mthick sequence of predominantly reddish silts with subordinate clastic channels of conglomerates and sandstones, which contains a rich and exclusively terrestrial vertebrate fauna. The formation rests discordantly upon the ‘lower limestone unit’[9] (palustrine to lacustrine grey marls and coals) and is concordantly overlain by the Rafina Formation (palustrine to lacustrine clay, coal, and platy limestone). Based on transport mechanisms, sediment colour, and palaeosol development, the Pikermi Formation can be subdivided into two members: the Red Conglomeratic Member (new member) characterized by debris flows and the fluvio-alluvial Chomateri Member (new member). The lower part of the Pikermi Formation (Red Conglomeratic Member) represents an alternation of red silts with a weak pedogenic overprint and debris flow deposits (Fig 3). These debris flows contain clasts of the nearby Attica unit of Mt. Pendeli, which indicates a strong topographic gradient. Silts from the lower Red Conglomeratic Member include the classical Pikermian bone accumulations. The upper Pikermi Formation (Chomateri Member) represents an alternation of reddish to yellowish silts with fluvial channels and channel-fill trains (Fig 3) that are indicative of small migrating streams during times of increased surface run-off. Away from channels, silts can contain well developed calcareous palaeosols rich in mammalian fossils. In both basins, the Pikermi Formation is concordantly overlain by palustrine clays and coals, and lacustrine marls and limestones of the Rafina Formation
Environment:fluvial indet.
Geology comments: For the first time we demonstrate that C4 grasses were the dominant herbaceous element of the Pikermi Formation. Our habitat reconstruction suggests fire-prone woody grasslands and woodlands within a savannah biome for Pikermi and Pyrgos and, thus, provides unambiguous evidence for the early environmental conjectures of Gaudry.
The classical Pikermi fauna is terminated at the beginning of the Messinian (7.25–7.10 Ma) by a significant faunal turnover (post-Pikermi turnover), accompanied by massive increase of Saharan dust and salt accumulation with profound effects on soil salinity and nutrition.
Furthermore, mineral dust in Attica was rich in soluble evaporites (halite, gypsum) in the earliest Messinian and especially during two pronounced insolation seasonality minima at 7.18 and 7.157 Ma, which suggests an orbitally driven progressive Sahara desertification. We suppose that a latest Tortonian to early Messinian dust- and salt-laden atmosphere over the Mediterranean may have further accelerated cooling and aridification via absorption of incoming solar radiation and, thus, may partially explain regionally accentuated Mediterranean cooling
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Articulated whole bodies:none
Collection methods and comments
Reason for describing collection:paleoecologic analysis
Metadata
Also known as:Kisdari
Database number:195562
Authorizer:E. Vlachos Enterer:P. Kampouridis, E. Vlachos
Research group:vertebrate
Created:2018-08-13 07:01:20 Last modified:2018-08-13 07:01:20
Access level:the public Released:2018-08-13 07:01:20
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:

66561. M. Böhme, N. Spassov, M. Ebner, D. Geraads, L. Hristova, U. Kirscher, S. Kötter, U. Linnemann, J. Prieto, S. Roussiakis, G. Theodorou, G. Uhlig, and M. Winklhofer. 2017. Messinian age and savannah environment of the possible hominin Graecopithecus from Europe . In R. Macchiarelli (ed.), PLoS One 12(5) [E. Vlachos/P. Kampouridis/P. Wagner]

Secondary references:

26555 H. de Bruijn. 1976. Vallesian and Turolian rodents from Biotia, Attica and Rhodes (Greece) I + II. Proceedings Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Series B. 79(5):361-384 [L. van den Hoek Ostende/L. van den Hoek Ostende]
70440 H. de Bruijn, G. Sarac, L. W. Hoek Ostende and S. Roussiakis. 1999. The status of the genus name Parapodemus SCHAUB, 1938; new data bearing on an old controversy. In J. W. F. Reumer, J. de Vos (eds.), Elephants have a snorkel! Papers in honour of Paul Y. Sondaar - Deinsea 7:95-112 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos]
69435 G. E. Konidaris and S. J. Roussiakis. 2019. The first record of Anancus (Mammalia, Proboscidea) in the late Miocene of Greece and reappraisal of the primitive anancines from Europe. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e1534118:1-19 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos]
66564 D. Michailidis, S. Roussiakis, and G. Theodorou. 2010. Palaeoavian remains from the Late Miocene localities of Pikermi, Chomateri and Kerassiá; palaeoecological implications. In A. Chatzipetros, V. Melfos, P. Marchev, I. Lakova (eds.), XIX Congress of the Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association 39(1-2):250-251 [E. Vlachos/P. Kampouridis]
69297 N. K. Symeonidis. 1973. Chalicotherium goldfussi Kaup (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) aus dem Altpliozän von Pikermi (Griechenland). Annales Geologiques des Pays Helléniques 25:301-307 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos]