Arvicola mosbachensis (SCHMIDTGEN, 1911)

Masini, Federico, Maul, Lutz C., Abbazzi, Laura, Petruso, Daria & Savorelli, Andrea, 2020, Independent Water Vole (Mimomys Savini, Arvicola: Rodentia, Mammalia) Lineages In Italy And Central Europe, Fossil Imprint 76 (1), pp. 59-83 : 62

Arvicola mosbachensis

The oldest Italian Arvicola is from Isernia La Pineta. Although its age and taxonomic position have been debated (e.g., Koenigswald and Van Kolfschoten 1996, Maul et al. 2000) it is a very primitive A. mosbachensis still with incipient roots in some upper molars (see also Sala and Masini 2007). The fossil-bearing layers are 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dated to about 600 ka ( Coltorti et al. 2005). A. mosbachensis is not very abundant in Middle Pleistocene localities, but its stratigraphic distribution is fairly continuous. The most significant localities where it was found are Venosa Notarchirico (Basilicata) ( Sala 1999) and Visogliano Shelter (inner and outer deposits) ( Cattani et al. 1991, Abbazzi et al. 2000). It was also found in recently discovered localities, such as Campani Quarry ( Marcolini et al. 2000, 2003, Marcolini 2002), Cretone (Latium) ( Di Canzio et al. 2003) and Campitello Quarry (Upper Valdarno, Tuscany) ( Mazza et al. 2006) where an “evolved form” is quoted. A. cf. mosbachensis is reported from Fontana Marella Cave (Lombardian pre-Alps Varese Northern Italy); its remains were found in a layer sealed by a flowstone dated to 350 ka ( Bona et al. 2008). Cretone is referred to the “Torre in Pietra” Faunal Unit of the Italian biochronological scale ( Gliozzi et al. 1997) and correlated with MIS 10–9 ( Milli and Palombo 2005). A number of finds, referred to as A. mosbachensis and Arvicola sp. , and considered early Toringian in age, come from karst deposits in Verona and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (a more detailed report on these finds see in Pasa 1947, Bon et al. 1991, Kotsakis et al. 2003). Unfortunately, almost all the finds of this species have received scarce attention so far, and morphometric and morphologic descriptions are lacking.