Messinian Italian Bovidae revised: paleobiogeographic and biochronological implications

Bovidae from the Messinian localities of Italian Peninsula are poorly known and documented except in the Monticino Quarry record (Brisighella, central Italy), which represents, therefore, a key locality for the understanding of Bovidae diversity and biogeography during the Messinian in Italy. In the present paper, the material published in the 1989 along with new, unpublished bovid material from Monticino Quarry are revised in order to clarify the taxonomic attribution of the Monticino’ bovids and to better understand their geographic and chronological distribution, as well as the Bovidae diversity in Italy during the Messinian. The updated and revised data on the Italian small, spiral-horned antelope from Monticino Quarry, and the additional specimens from Borro Strolla (Tuscany) and Verduno (Piedmont), suggests it has to be referred to the genus Oioceros, i.e., Oioceros occidentalis nov. comb. In addition, the presence of four other bovids at Monticino is attested here: Bovidae indet. (small-size), Bovinae indet. (medium-large size cf. Boselaphini), Bovinae indet. cf. Parabos, and Antilopinae indet. (medium size). The biochronological correlations and paleobiogeographic implications of these findings are discussed, suggesting a close affinity in faunal assemblage among the northern and central Italian latest Messinian localities and supporting the dispersal of bovids from East to West during the Messinian (before and during the Messinian Salinity Crisis).

意大利半岛墨西尼阶（Messinian）化石点的牛科（Bovidae）动物化石目前研究程度偏低且相关记录匮乏，仅意大利中部布里西盖拉的蒙蒂奇诺采石场（Monticino Quarry）产出了相对完整的化石记录，因此该化石点是解析意大利墨西尼阶时期牛科多样性与古生物地理学的关键地点。本文对1989年发表的蒙蒂奇诺采石场牛科化石材料，以及新发现的未发表牛科标本进行了修订厘定，旨在明确该产地牛科动物的分类归属，厘清其地理与年代分布格局，并深化对意大利墨西尼阶时期牛科多样性的认识。本次修订后，产自蒙蒂奇诺采石场的意大利小型旋角羚羊化石，以及来自托斯卡纳博罗斯特罗拉（Borro Strolla）和皮埃蒙特韦尔杜诺（Verduno）的补充标本，均被归入欧伊鹿羚属（Oioceros），即新组合西方欧伊鹿羚（Oioceros occidentalis nov. comb.）。此外，本次研究还证实蒙蒂奇诺采石场记录有另外四种牛科动物：小型未定名牛科（Bovidae indet.）、中-大型未定名牛亚科（Bovinae indet.，cf. 蓝牛羚族（Boselaphini））、未定名牛亚科（Bovinae indet.，cf. 副牛属（Parabos）），以及中型未定名羚羊亚科（Antilopinae indet.）。本文还讨论了这些发现的生物年代地层对比意义与古生物地理学启示，结果显示意大利北部与中部最新墨西尼阶的动物群组合具有密切亲缘关系，并支持牛科动物在墨西尼阶时期（墨西尼盐度危机（Messinian Salinity Crisis）前后）自东向西的扩散事件。