Fossil micromammals of the early pliocene locality of Almenara MB: Biostratigraphical and palaeoecological implications

Abstract

In this work, we have studied the fossil rodent, insectivore and chiropteran faunas, of a new locality from the Almenara-Casablanca karstic complex, named ACB MB (Castellón, east Spain). We consider an early Ruscinian age for this site, close to the Miocene/Pliocene boundary, and infer warm and relatively humid conditions from the analysis of the micromammal assemblage. We remark the presence of two species of Eliomys in ACB MB, rare in localities of this age, and the lack of any gerbil remains, fossil markers of faunal interchanges between Africa and Europe in the context of the Messinian Salinity Crisis, recorded in the nearby late Miocene site of ACB M.