Distribution data for Anancus arvernensis

This European gomphothere was a browser with the peak

distribution in the late Pliocene, and the stratigraphic range
from the latest Miocene MN11 to the early Pleistocene MN17.
Its extinction correlates with the decimation of the wood
cover in Europe during the early Ice Age period. Although
widely distributed in the Pliocene of SE Europe from Slovenia
through Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, to Greece this is
the first finding from southern Bosnia and Herzegovina and
the High Karst Dinarides up to now.
Fig. 4: Reconstruction of Anancus arvernensis (Croizet &
Jobert 1928) in its natural habitat (from Engesser et al. 1996)
Stratigraphic interpretation of the Cebara site
Although the stratigraphic data does not allow a precise
inference of the age yet, the lithostratigraphic evidence
supports the correlation with the Pliocene in a phase post-
dating the Miocene long-lived lake conditions.
Fig. 5: Stratigraphic correlation of the Cebara site
Implications for Dinaride evolution
The studied site with 920 m a.s.l. represents probably the
topographic highest known proboscidean locality. In
particular, their mass occurrence in several fossiliferous layers
indicates the presence of a well settled gomphothere
population in the study area over many generations. This is
the most striking feature of the new locality because the
gomphotheres, considering their huge size preferred rather
low-land settings rich in wood vegetation than the
mountainous regions. Yet, the presence of former habitats in
the Dinaride High Karst during the deposition of investigated
succession is well supported by tectonic reconstructions
placing the main mountain elevation phase into the Pliocene-
Pleistocene transition interval.
1
Geological-Paleontological Department, Natural History Museum, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria. (oleg.mandic@nhm-wien.ac.at, ursula.goehlich@nhm-wien.ac.at)
2
Federal Institute for Geology Sarajevo, Ustanika 11, 71210 Ili? a, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (hharish@bih.net.ba)
3
Institute for Quaternary paleontology and geology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ante Kovaia 5/II, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia. (jml@hazu.hr)
4
The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zmaja od Bosne 3, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (bozenabc@gmail.com)
5
Elektroprivreda Hrvatske Zajednice Herceg-Bosne, Mile Budaka 106a, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (gglamuz@yahoo.com)
6
University of Zadar, Department of Geography, Center for Karst and Coastal Research, Trg kneza Vieslava 9, HR-23000 Zadar.(drados@unizd.hr)
1 1 2 3 4 5 6
Oleg Mandic , Ursula Ghlich , Hazim Hrvatovi , Jadranka Mauch , Boena vorovi , Goran Glamuzina , Denis Rado Lenardi
New proboscidean site from the High Karst Dinarides in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina
Geographical position and geological setting
New late Neogene proboscidean site Cebara has been
currently discovered by local fossil collector Vinko Ljubas
south of Tomislavgrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located
in one ~40 m deep, ~20 m high and ~17 m wide incision of the
escarpment at the southwestern margin of Duvanjsko polje, a
typical Dinaride karst polje. The latter represents a ~240 km
large and NW-SE striking intra-mountainous basin that was
initiated in the early Miocene (~17 Ma) as the eastern part of
the Livno-Tomislavgrad basin. The two sedimentary cycles
accumulated more than 2500 m of coal bearing lacustrine
deposits until the latest Miocene (~6 Ma) therein.
Fig. 1: Geographical and geological setting with lithological
column from de Leeuw et al. (2010) of the infill of the
Tomislavgrad basin. Neogene post orogenetic intra-mountain
basins harboring the fresh-water Dinaride Lake System are
marked in dark gray, Paratethys basins, i.e. Pannonian Basin is
marked by light gray colour.
Lithology
The posterior wall of distally narrowing incision shows
coarsening upward succession of clays, fluvial gravels and
block-breccia including up to 5 m diameter boulders
developed through reoccurring cave roof collapses. Upward
the incision is unroofed passing into a ~35 m wide and ~10 m
deep funnel-shaped structure.
The logged succession is 10 m-thick with the base covered by
debris and top not reachable at present outcrop conditions. It
comprises two units of equal thickness. The lower one is
characterized by deposition of brownish clay that includes
sand lenses and/or laterally grade to block-breccia. Beyond
that up to 1 m thick sand, gravel and boulder intercalations are
present. The upper unit is composed of two conglomerate
packages both topped by cave-in breccia. The lower gravel
shows through- and cross-bedding and at its base operculi
accumulations of freshwater snail Bythinia occur supporting
the inference of riverine and/or lacustrine origin of the
sediment.
Fig. 2: Lithological column, samples, gamma ray (GR) and
magnetic susceptibility (MS) results. The positions of the bone
beds are indicated, position in the outcrop is indicated on the
photograph.
Bone bed taphonomy and taxonomic composition
The bone bed interval is about 1.5 m-thick and marks the
middle part of the lower unit. The bones, tusks and teeth
oriented horizontally to the bedding plane, are disarticulated
and concentrated in three 10 to 30 cm-thick horizons. The
lower one appears on top of one 30 cm-thick gravel bed, the
other two mark lower and upper part of one 90 cm thick sandy
layer. Strongly increased magnetic susceptibility values (>100
x 10-6 SI) detects the black color of the bones and matrix
sediments as containing iron-bearing minerals.
The inspection of up to now available fossil remains allows
their tentative classification to Anancus arvernensis (Croizet &
Jobert 1928) representing a gomphothere proboscidean
characterized by two oversized straightened tusks in the
upper jaw and a body-size of present-day elephant.
Fig. 3: Molar teeth collected at Cebara and tentatively
determined as Anancus arvernensis (Croizet & Jobert 1928)
References
De Leeuw, A., Mandic, O., Krijgsman, W., Kuiper, K., Hrvatovi, H. (2011) A
chronostratigraphy for the Dinaride Lake System deposits of the Livno-
Tomislavgrad Basin: the rise and fall of a long-lived lacustrine environment
in an intra-montane setting. Stratigraphy, 8/1: 29-43.
Engesser, B., Fejfar, O., Major, P. 1996. Das Mammut und seine
ausgestorbenen Verwandten. Verffentl i chungen aus dem
Naturhistorischem Museum Basel, 20: 1-187.
10 cm
Sinj b.
Livno b.
ADRIATIC SEA
DINARIDES
PANNONIAN BASIN
17E
18E
16E 17E
45N
44N
45N
44N
CROATIA
BOSNIA AND
HERZEGOVINA
Split
Mostar
Bugojno
Sarajevo
Banja Luka
Biha
Prijedor
30 km
EUROPE
CROATIA
Cebara site
Tomislavgrad
basin
Sarajevo b.
Bugojno b.
Livno
basin
1
M
P
l/
P
l
2
P
l/
P
l
4M
3M
2M
1M
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
H
e
ig
h
t
(
m
)
U
n
it
10
16
Lithology
c
la
y
s
a
n
d
g
r
a
v
e
l
b
o
u
ld
e
r
30 20 10
GR (cps)
g
r
a
v
e
l-
b
o
u
ld
e
r
0 100 200
351
ir
o
n
-
p
o
o
r
ir
o
n
-
r
ic
h
MS (10-6 SI)
c
la
y
-
s
a
n
d
g2
g3
g4
g5
g6
s6
s5
s4
s3
s2
s1, c1, p1-2
c1, p3-4
c3, p5-6
Samples:
g - gravel
s - sand
c - clay
p - pal.-mag.
A
B
C
BONE-
BEDS:
Quarry Cebara / S Tomislavgrad (Bosnia-Hercegovina)
Position: 43.65033, 17.216617
Age: Pliocene?
CE13/
C5A
C5
C4A
C4
C3B
C3A
C3
C2A
C2
C1
Tortonian
Messinian
Zanclean
Gelasian
Serravallian
Piacenzian
P
l e
i s
t
o

-
c
e
n
e
Holocene
M
L
L
E
M
io
c
e
n
e
P
lio
c
e
n
e
11.63
7.25
5.33
3.60
2.59
1.81
0.78
Calabrian
Ionian
Q
u
a
t
e
r
n
a
r
y
N
e
o
g
e
n
e
Epoch Stage
Polarity
Chron
Per.
MN19
MN18
MN17
MN16
MN15
MN14
MN13
MN12
MN11
MN10
MN9
MN7-8
Toringian
Biharian
Villanyian
Ruscinian
Turolian
Vallesian
Astaracian
0
5
10
Age
(my)
Mammal biostratigraphy
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