Los micromamíferos (Rodentia, Soricomorpha, Erinaceomorfa, Lagomorpha y Chiroptera) del Pleistoceno Medio de la Covacha de los Zarpazos (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, España)

Abstract

This work presents for the first time the results obtained from the study of the small mammals recovered in the 1990-1996 and in the 2000-2006 field seasons from GII and GIII levels of the Covacha de los Zarpazos site (Atapuerca Hill, Burgos). 4,904 dental remains belonging to the Orders Rodentia, Lagomorpha, Erinaceomorpha, Soricomorpha and Chiroptera have been identified. The faunal list is composed by the following species: Arvicola aff. A. sapidus, Microtus jansoni, Microtus aff. M. arvalis, Terricola atapuerquensis, Iberomys brecciensis, Pliomys lenki, Allocricetus correzensis, Apodemus sp., Eliomys quercinus quercinus, Hystrix (Acanthion) brachyura vinogradovi, Marmota sp., Erinaceus cf. E. europaeus, Talpa cf. T. europaea, Sorex sp., Myotis sp., Rhinolophus sp. and Miniopterus schreibersii. The assemblage of small mammal species found in the GII and GIII levels of the Covacha de los Zarpazos site is very similar to that found at the Trinchera Galería site (see table VI), which together with the Trinchera Zarpazos and the Trinchera Boca Norte sites constitute the Galería karstic system Complex. The Galería Complex, Trinchera Dolina and Trinchera Elefante form the set of sites known as the Trinchera del Ferrocarril. The occurrence of the rodents from la Covacha de los Zarpazos has been compared to the Middle Pleistocene levels of the other sites of Atapuerca: Trinchera Galería (TGII-III), Trinchera Dolina (TD8-10), Trinchera Elefante (TE18-19) and Sima de Los Huesos (SH). Table VI shows this comparison. Open habitats are indicated by the predominance within the assemblage of micromammals such as arvicoline rodents, cricetine hamsters and marmot sciurids, within the assemblage. Loose soils (as indicated by the presence of Talpa mole) and water bodies must also have been present to provide a suitable habitat for Arvicola, the water vole. These results suggest fresh conditions and a wet environment in which open land -mainly with wet meadow in lower areas and with less vegetation in higher areas- predominated over woodland (figure 5). The biochronological interpretation of this faunal complex agrees with previous dates of the site in placing these levels within the Middle Pleistocene, at the Iberomys brecciensis biozone of Cuenca-Bescós et al. (2010).