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11-692: It overlaps with the middle of the Astaracian European Land Mammal Mega Zone , the upper Barstovian and lower Clarendonian North American Land Mammal Ages and the Laventan and lower Mayoan South American Land Mammal Ages . It is also coeval with the Sarmatian and upper Badenian Stages of the Paratethys time scale of Central and eastern Europe. The Serravallian Stage was introduced in stratigraphy by

22-594: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pliopithecus Pliopithecus (meaning "more ape") is a genus of extinct primates of the Miocene . It was discovered in 1837 by Édouard Lartet (1801–1871) in France , with fossils subsequently discovered in Switzerland , Slovakia and Spain . Pliopithecus had a similar size and form to modern gibbons , to which it may be related, although it

33-557: Is probably not a direct ancestor. It had long limbs, hands, and feet, and may have been able to brachiate , swinging between trees using its arms. Unlike gibbons, it had a short tail, and only partial stereoscopic vision . They appear to have originated in Asia and extended their range into Europe between 20 and 17 million years ago. Begun and Harrison list the following species within the genus: Pliopithecus antiquus has been referred to previously as P. piveteaui . P. vindobonensis

44-544: The Italian geologist Lorenzo Pareto in 1865. It was named after the town of Serravalle Scrivia in northern Italy. The base of the Serravallian is at the first occurrence of fossils of the nanoplankton species Sphenolithus heteromorphus and is located in the chronozone C5ABr. The official Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Serravallian is in the 'Ras il-Pellegrin' section, located at

55-816: The Vallesian age and follows the Orleanian age. The Astaracian overlaps the Langhian and Serravallian ages. During the Late Orleanian and Astaracian ( 17 to 10.7 Ma ), oscillating sea levels resulted in a succession of palaeogeographic changes in the Eastern Mediterranean ; the opening and closing of the Tethys seaway resulted in temporary land-bridges between Africa and Eurasia. Three short periods of faunal migrations between

66-664: The 'Ras il-Pellegrin' headland in the vicinity of 'Fomm ir-Rih' Bay, SW Malta.The base of the Serravallian is represented in the field as the formation boundary between the Globigerina Limestone formation and the Blue Clay formation. The base of the Serravallian is related to the Mi3b oxygen isotope excursion marking the onset of the Middle Miocene Cooling step. The top of the Serravallian (the base of

77-975: The Early Astaracian, MN 6 ( 15 to 13.5 Ma ), included the hominoid Griphopithecus ; a Eurasian relative to the African Kenyapithecus found at the Pasalar and Candir localities in Turkey. and at Neudorf-Sandberg in Slovakia. The primate genus was accompanied by the aardvark Orycteropus . From Asia came the hyracoid Pliohyrax , the cervid Dicrocerus , and the suid Listriodon . Asian bovids such as Protragocerus , Tethytragus , and Hypsodontus known from Asia Minor and Chios during MN 5 migrated into Africa as part of this wave. A third wave during MN 7/8 ( 13.5 to 10.7 Ma ) probably took place, but

88-580: The Tortonian Stage) is at the last common appearance of calcareous nanoplanktons Discoaster kugleri and planktonic foram Globigerinoides subquadratus . It is also associated with the short normal-polarized chronozone C5r.2n. Astaracian The Astaracian age is a period of geologic time ( 16 to 11.6 Ma ), equivalent with the Middle Miocene and used more specifically with European Land Mammal Ages . It precedes

99-494: The continents can be distinguished: During the Late Orleanian, MN 5 ( 17 to 15 Ma ), a first wave of migrations from Africa correspond to fossil fauna from Greece. The Antonios locality (MN 4/5, 17 Ma ) on the Chalkidiki peninsula includes the small tragulid Dorcatherium , the giraffid Palaeomeryx , and the suiform Sanitheres . The Thymiana locality (MN 5, 15.5 Ma ) on Chios includes both

110-684: The giraffid Georgiomeryx , Dorcatherium , the ctenodactylid Sayimys as well as an immigrant from Asia, the proboscidean Choerolophodon known from the Bugti fauna (MN 3, 18.3 Ma ) in India. Primates also arrived during MN5: Pliopithecus is known from Elgg in Switzerland and Pontlevoy - Thenay in France and prevailed until the end of the Vallesian. A second wave from Africa in

121-588: The late Astaracian is poorly documented. A seaway most likely joined the Paratethys and the Mediterranean, preventing migrations. The hominoid Dryopithecus appeared in Europe 12.5 Ma together with the Asian suid Propotamochoerus . The rodent genus Cricetulodon is known from Western and Central Europe from MN 3 and from the end of MN 7/8 in Turkey and Greece. This geochronology article

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