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First report of Sus strozzii (Suidae, Mammalia) from the Early Pleistocene of Hungary (Dunaalmás) and species distinction based on deciduous teeth

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Abstract

Herein we describe a fragment of a mandible with a deciduous fourth premolar (dp4) from the Early Pleistocene locality of Dunaalmás, representing the first confirmed report of Sus strozzii from Hungary. The comparison of dp4 measurements supports a statistically significant distinction between S. strozzii and Sus scrofa. The two species overlap in time during the late Early Pleistocene of Europe (Epivillafranchian), but suid remains of this time-span are seldom classified at a species level. The correct taxonomic identification of the Epivillafranchian suids, which are often associated with evidences of hominin presence, is of great palaeoenvironmental value because S. scrofa and S. strozzii possess different ecological requirements.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Elisabetta Cioppi (IGF), Antonella Aquiloni, and Paola Piani (MPM) for their kind support in the study of the collections. Two anonymous reviewers provided valuable comments that helped to improve the paper. This research was supported by Sapienza University of Rome “fondi di dotazione del Dottorato di Ricerca in Scienze della Terra.”

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  1. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, PaleoFactory, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro 5, Rome, I-00185, Italy

    Alessio Iannucci & Raffaele Sardella

  2. Department of Palaeontology and Geology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika tér 2-6, Budapest, H-1083, Hungary

    Mihály Gasparik

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  1. Alessio Iannucci
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Iannucci, A., Gasparik, M. & Sardella, R. First report of Sus strozzii (Suidae, Mammalia) from the Early Pleistocene of Hungary (Dunaalmás) and species distinction based on deciduous teeth. Sci Nat 107, 5 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-019-1661-6

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