Cisterna Quarry: Tortonian, Italy

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Globigerinidae
Globigerinoides extremus (Bolli and Bermudez 1965)
Bisconti and Varola 2006
original and current combination Globigerinoides obliquus extremus
Globorotaliidae
Globorotalia acostaensis Blow 1959
Bisconti and Varola 2006
recombined as Neogloboquadrina acostaensis
Mammalia - Sirenia - Dugongidae
Metaxytherium medium (Desmarest 1822)
Bianucci et al. 2003 1 specimen
Mammalia - Cetacea - Ziphiidae
Messapicetus longirostris n. gen., n. sp. Bianucci et al. 1992
Mammalia - Cetacea
Physeteroidea indet. Gray 1868
Peri et al. 2020 1 specimen
MSNUP I-17076
Zygophyseter varolai n. gen., n. sp. Bianucci and Landini 2006
Bianucci and Landini 2006 1 specimen
(1 measurement)
Mammalia - Cetacea - Eschrichtiidae
Archaeschrichtius ruggieroi n. gen., n. sp. Bisconti and Varola 2006
Bisconti and Varola 2006 1 specimen
Mammalia - Cetacea - Balaenidae
Balaenidae indet. (Gray 1821)
Bianucci and Varola 2014 1 specimen
original and current combination Balanadae
Actinopteri - Istiophoriformes - Istiophoridae
Makaira cf. nigricans Lacépède 1802
Carnevale et al. 2002
see common names

Geography
Country:Italy State/province:Apulia County:Lecce
Coordinates: 40.3° North, 18.2° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:40.0° North, 17.9° East
Basis of coordinate:based on political unit
Time
Period:Neogene Epoch:Miocene
Stage:Tortonian 10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Tortonian
Age range of interval:11.62000 - 7.24600 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Pietra Leccese
Stratigraphy comments: Cisterna quarry is 2 m below ground level; early Tortonian (Late Miocene) age, about 8.14-10.5; Upper portion of “Pietra leccese” Formation (Mazzei, 1994)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:glauconitic,phosphatic lithified lime mudstone
Includes fossils?Y
Environment:transition zone/lower shoreface
Geology comments: Pietra leccese is "Miocene microfossil bearing biomicrite of varying phosphate and glauconite content." Age of the Pietra Leccese Formation ranges in age from Langhian to Serravalian to Tortonian. tropical/subtropical, depth likely changed over time
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,original phosphate
Size of fossils:macrofossils,microfossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some microfossils
Collection methods:salvage,selective quarrying,field collection
Collection size:1 specimens
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collection method comments: Museum of "Gruppo Naturalisti Salentini," Lecce, Italy
Metadata
Also known as:Cava Cisterna
Database number:45503
Authorizer:M. Uhen Enterer:N. Pyenson, M. Uhen
Modifier:M. Uhen Research group:vertebrate
Created:2004-10-26 09:09:20 Last modified:2024-03-20 15:05:42
Access level:the public Released:2004-10-26 09:09:20
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:

11918. G. Bianucci, W. Landini, and A. Varola. 1992. Messapicetus longirostris, a new genus and species of Ziphiidae (Cetacea) from the late Miocene of "Pietra leccese" (Apulia, Italy). Bollettino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana 31(2):261-264 [M. Uhen/N. Pyenson/M. Uhen]

Secondary references:

87930 K. Agiadi, N. Hohmann, E. Gliozzi, D. Thivaiou, F. R. Bosellini, M. Taviani, G. Bianucci, A. Collareta, L. Londeix, C. Faranda, F. Bulian, E. Koskeridou, F. Lozar, A. M. Mancini, S. Dominici, P. Moissette, I. B. Campos, E. Borghi, G. Iliopoulos, A. Antonarakou, and G. Kontakiotis. 2024. A revised marine fossil record of the Mediterranean before and after the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Earth System Science Data [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
34893 G. Bianucci, G. Carone, D. P. Domning, W. Landini, L. Rook and S. Sorbi. 2008. Peri-Messinian Dwarfing in Mediterranean Metaxytherium (Mammalia: Sirenia): Evidence of Habitat Degradation Related to the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Garyounis Scientific Bulletin 5:145-157 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
58472 G. Bianucci, A. Collareta, K. Post, A. Varola, and O. Lambert. 2016. A new record of Messapicetus from the Pietra leccese (Late Miocene, Southern Italy): Antitropical distribution in a fossil beaked whale (Cetacea, Ziphiidae). Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 122(1):63-74 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
87943 G. Bianucci, W. Landini, and A. Varola. 2003. New records of Metaxytherium (Mammalia: Sirenia) from the late Miocene of Cisterna quarry (Apulia, southern Italy). Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana 42(1-2):59-63 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
18691 G. Bianucci and W. Landini. 2006. Killer sperm whale: a new basal physeteroid (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Late Miocene of Italy. Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society 148:103-131 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
64492 G. Bianucci and A. Varola. 2014. I cetacei fossili della Pietra leccese nei musei del Salento. Museologia Scientifica Memoire 13:114-119 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
26193 M. Bisconti and A. Varola. 2006. The oldest eschrictiid mysticete: and a new morphological diagnosis of Eschrichtiidae (gray whales). Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigafia 112(3):447-457 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
76602 G. Carnevale, C. Sorbini, W. Landina and A. Varola. 2002. Makaira cf. M. nigricans Lacépède, 1802 (Teleostei: Perciformes: Istiophoridae) from the Pietra Leccese Late Miocene, Apulia, Southern Italy. Palaeontographia Italica 88:63-75 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
74098 E. Peri, A. Collareta, and G. Bianucci. 2020. A new record of Physeteroidea from the Upper Miocene of the Pietra leccese (southern Italy): systematics, paleoecology and taphonomy of a fossil macroraptorial sperm whale. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 126(3):751-769 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]