Los roedores y lagomorfos del Neógeno de España

Abstract

The studies made since the middle of the last century by many authors about the Spanish micromammal faunas of many sites have given rise at present to a good knowledge of the fossil record of the Spanish Neogene. The former synthesis works on Neogene mammals made by López et al. (1987) and Calvo et al. (1993), of the rodents by Sesé (1988) and of the lagomorphs by López (1989) shows the extraordinary fossil richness of the several Spanish geographical areas and basins (Ebro, Tajo, Calatayud-Teruel, Duero, Vallés-Penedés, Levante, Béticas). In the present work it is made a review and update synthesis on the Spanish Neogene (Miocene and Pliocene) rodents (order Rodentia) and lagomorphs (order Lagomorpha), mainly of the peninsula where there are more findings, but also of some findings made in the islands. They have been analysed, mainly from the systematical and biostratigraphical point of view, the faunas of the Neogene sites that have characteristical taxa of their asigned age. The order of the presentation of the analysis is, at a first level, by the stages or mammal ages, giving their most important characteristics, and, at a second level, analysing the most characteristical features of the faunas of each biozone that belong to each stage. These stages are: in the Miocene, the Early Lower Miocene, amblian, Aragonian, Vallesian and Turolian, and, in the Pliocene, the Ruscinian (Alfambrian) and Villanian. Regarding the zones, for the Miocene we follow the local biozonation more used in Spain that comprises the zones named from X to Y and from A to M, correlating them with the MN zones of the Mediterranean Neogene biozonation (Mein, 1975) that is the most used in Europe; and in the Pliocene, we used the MN 14 to MN 17 zones. They have been summarized the dates made in many sites, zones and stages, mainly since the last decade. It is pointed out the biogeographical differentiation between the Ibero-Central and the Ibero-Levant provinces during the most part of the Miocene, and their homogeinity at the end of the Miocene and during the Pliocene with the southern France in the so called Ibero-Occitanian province. It has been also indicated the main paleoenvironmental changes inferred from the micromammal faunal changes, mainly those that have been related with global changes.