Three Late Pleistocene small mammal faunas from the Baccano maar (Rome, Central Italy).

Findings of small vertebrate remains are presented from three different localities of the Baccano maar area (Sabatini Volcanic District, Rome, central Italy), referred to as Baccano 1, Baccano 2 and Baccano 3 respectively. The first vertebrate assemblage (Baccano 1) occurs in palustrine sediments containing lignites in the southern part of the Baccano maar and contains a rich fauna of non-marine molluscs: Bithynia tentaculata, Stagnicola palustris, Galba truncatula, Planorbis planorbis, Acroloxus lacustris, Succinea sp. and Sphaerium sp. The small vertebrate assemblage from this site is composed of the following taxa: “Pisces” indet., Triturus carnifex, Pelophylax bergeri or Pelophylax klepton hispanicus, Rana dalmatina, Podarcis sp., Aves indet., Crocidura sp., Myodes glareolus, Microtus (Terricola) savii, Arvicola amphibius and Apodemus sylvaticus. The second assemblage (Baccano 2) occurs in strata of reworked pyroclastic deposits in the western-northwestern part of the Baccano maar area and includes the following taxa: M. glareolus, Microtus (M.) arvalis, M. (T.) savii, A. amphibius and Apodemus sp. The third assemblage (Baccano 3) occurs in the same area, however, within an alluvial deposit and comprises the following taxa: Sorex minutus, S. antinorii, S. samniticus, M. (M.) arvalis and Chionomys nivalis. The Baccano 1 assemblage is assigned in age to the early part of the MIS3, the Baccano 2 assemblage to the most recent part of the MIS3 or the beginning of MIS2 while the Baccano 3 assemblage is attributed to the last pleniglacial (MIS2).