The fossil horses from the Farneta Faunal Unit (Early Pleistocene, central Italy) : a review with new remarks on the paleobiogeography and biochronology of the Late Villafranchian equids in Western Eurasia
Borchi, Francesca (Università degli Studi di Firenze. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra)
Cirilli, Omar (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Alberti, Isacco (Università degli Studi di Firenze. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra)
Parparousi, Elpiniki-Maria (Università degli Studi di Perugia. Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia)
Bellucci, Luca (Università degli Studi di Firenze. Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia)
Sorbelli, Leonardo (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Cherin, Marco (Università degli Studi di Perugia. Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia)
Belvedere, Matteo (Università degli Studi di Firenze. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	The dispersal of the genus Equus in Western Eurasia at the onset of the Quaternary is an important biochronological event for the evolution of mammal communities. The Farneta Faual Unit (ca. 1. 6-1. 4 Ma) is one of the latest in the Villafranchian Mammal Age, and its importance is also marked by the first occurrences of the species Praemegaceros obscurus, Pseudodama farnetensis and Bison (Eobison) degiulii. Since it was first described in 1977 by Augusto Azzaroli, the equid material of the Farneta FU has been recognized as belonging to different species by as many authors. In this work, we analyze material referred to the genus Equus from different localities of the Farneta FU (Farneta, Selvella and Pietrafitta). Our analyses identify one middle sized equid, Equusaltidens, and a large sized species, Equus stenonis. Our results have remarkable implications for the Early and early Middle Pleistocene European framework, as they anticipate the first appearance in Western Eurasia of the former species and postpones it for the latter.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación JDC2022-048590-I Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-00620
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Farneta ; Selvella ; Pietrafitta ; Equus stenonis ; Equus altidens ; Early Pleistocene ; Villafranchian
Published in:	Quaternary science reviews, Vol. 369 (December 2025) , art. 109593, ISSN 1873-457X

DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109593

Available from: 2027-12-31 Postprint

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles