Micromammal faunas from the mio-pliocene boundary in the alcoy basin (SE Spain): Biostratigraphical and palaeoecological inferences

Abstract

This paper deals with the fossil rodent and insectivore faunas from the localities of the southern side of the Gormaget ravine (Alcoy Basin, Spain): Alcoi Barranc Sud (ABS-1, ABS-2, ABS-3, ABS-3A, ABS-7, ABS-8, ABS-9, ABS-10), and Alcoi Cristian (AC-0, AC-0B and AC-0C). We infer in this paper an Early Ruscinian age for these sites. Based on the analysis of the fossil micromammal faunas, we consider that the localities ABS-3 and ABS-3A are older than AC-0, which has a similar age as the classic site of Alcoy-Barranco. The palaeoecological interpretation of the fauna recovered from these new sections show dry conditions in the Early Pliocene (MN14) from the Alcoy Basin.