The southwesternmost record of Sicista (Mammalia; Dipodidae) in Eurasia, with a review of the palaeogeography and palaeoecology of the genus in Europe

Abstract

We describe the southwesternmost specimen of Sicista betulina (Mammalia; Dipodidae) and of the genus Sicista found to date in Eurasia, which comes from the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5) site of Lezetxiki II (Arrasate, Basque Country, Spain), in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Sicista is a relatively common taxon in Quaternary deposits, although not numerically abundant due to ecological and taphonomica reasons. In the light of the new discovery, we briefly but comprehensively review the palaeogeography and palaeoecology of the genus in Europe. Average colder and drier conditions during the Pleistocene allowed Sicista to get as far south as Chios Island in the Aegean Sea, and as far west as Lezetxiki in the Iberian Peninsula. A cold, moderately humid environment, with dominant grasslands and coniferous forests, inferred from the palaeobiological associations (including human remains) at Lezetxiki II, was ideal for S. betulina given its current ecological requirements.