Vallonnet Cave bed 2, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes Maritimes (Pleistocene of France)

Where: Alpes Maritimes, France (43.8° N, 7.5° E)

• Paleocoordinates: 43.4° N, 7.7° E (Wright 2013)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: 2 Member, Early/Lower Pleistocene (2.6 - 0.8 Ma)

• Middle Early Pleistocene, between 1.37 and the Jaramillo event.

Environment/lithology: cave

• 5 stratigraphic units at the site, making a total depth of 1.5m of sediment. This level of the cave indicates a marine transgression.
• marine sands.

Size classes: mesofossils, microfossils

Collection methods: This level was formed in a drier and much warmer climate than today. Probably formed during one of the warmest transgressive seas in the second half of the Lower Pleistocene.

Primary reference: H. de Lumley. 1988. La stratigraphie du remplissage de la Grotte du Vallonnet. L'Anthropologie (Paris) 92(2):407-428 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 50523: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 17.05.2005, edited by Wolfgang Kiessling

Creative Commons license: CC0 (CC0)

Taxonomic list

• Several ancient foraminifera - Textularia turris, Arenobulimina sp. Uvigerina sp., Globotruncana sp. suggest that there are ?Turolian (Turoniennes) marls nearby.
Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Spantangus purpureus, Plectorhincus mediterraneus
Dicotyledoneae
 Myrtales - Myrtaceae
Myrtus communis
Myrtus communis Linnaeus 1753 myrtle
Angiospermae
 Laurales - Lauraceae
Laurus nobilis
Laurus nobilis Linnaeus 1753 laurel
 Lamiales - Oleaceae
Olea sp.
Olea sp. Linnaeus 1753 olive
 Vitales - Vitaceae
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera Linnaeus 1753 grapevine
 Fagales - Juglandaceae
Juglans sp., Pterocarya sp.
Juglans sp. Linnaeus 1753 walnut
Pterocarya sp. Kunth 1824 wingnut
 Fabales - Fabaceae
Ceratonia siliqua
 Sapindales - Sapindaceae
Aesculus hippocastanum
Aesculus hippocastanum Linnaeus 1753 soapberry
Foraminifera
 Globigerinoidea - Globigerinidae
Globigerina sp.
Globigerina sp. d'Orbigny 1826
 Lituolida - Lituolidae
Dorothia gibbosa, ? Ammobaculites sp.
? Ammobaculites sp. Cushman 1910
Globothalamea
 Rotaliida - Asterigerinatidae
Asterigerinata mamilla
 Rotaliida - Nonionidae
Nonion cf. scaphum
Nonion cf. scaphum Fichtel and Moll 1938
 Rotaliida - Anomalinidae
Anomalina cf. anomalinoides
 Rotaliida - Cibicididae
Cibicides refulgens, Cibicides lobatulus, Planulina ariminensis
Cibicides refulgens
very abundant.
Cibicides lobatulus Walker and Jacob 1798
very abundant.
Foraminifera
 Rotaliina - Cassidulinidae
Cassidulina carinata
 Asterigerinacea - Asterigerinidae
Asterigerina planorbis
 Rotaliina - Bolivinidae
Bolivina cf. dilatata, Bolivina aenariensis, Bolivina pseudoplicata
Bolivina pseudoplicata Heron-Allen and Earland 1930
 Rotaliacea - Rotaliidae
Ammonia beccarii, Rotalia granulata
Ammonia beccarii
abundant.
 Rotalioidea - Elphidiidae
Elphidium cf. aculeatum, Elphidium complanatum, Elphidium crispum, Elphidium macellum
Elphidium cf. aculeatum
very abundant.
Elphidium macellum
very abundant.
 Hormosinacea - Hormosinidae
Reophax sp.
Reophax sp. de Montfort 1808
Nodosariata
 Polymorphinida - Polymorphinidae
Ramulina globulifera
Anthozoa
 Gorgonacea -
Corallium rubrum
Thecostraca
 Balanomorpha - Balanidae
Balanus perforatus, Balanus sp.
Balanus sp. Da Costa 1778 barnacle
Malacostraca
 Decapoda - Eriphiidae
Eriphia spinifrons
Eriphia spinifrons Herbst 1785 crab
Gastropoda
 Patellogastropoda - Patellidae
Patella rustica, Patella ferruginea, Patella caerulea
Patella rustica limpet
= Patella lusitanica
Patella caerulea Linnaeus 1758 limpet
 Trochoidea - Turbinidae
"Bolma rugosa" = Bolma rugosus
"Bolma rugosa" = Bolma rugosus Linnaeus 1767 snail
 Lepetellida - Haliotidae
Haliotis sp.
Haliotis sp. Linnaeus 1758 abalone
 Sorbeoconcha - Vermetidae
Vermetus sp., "Bivonia cristata" = Vermetus (Bivonia)
Vermetus sp. Daudin 1800 worm shell
"Bivonia cristata" = Vermetus (Bivonia) worm shell
= Vermetus cristatus
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
Gourmya vulgata
Gourmya vulgata cerith snail
= Cerithium vulgartum
Bivalvia
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Lithophaga aff. lithophaga
Lithophaga aff. lithophaga Linnaeus 1758 mussel
 Arcida - Arcidae
Arca sp.
Arca sp. Linnaeus 1758 ark
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Ostreidae indet., "Gryphaea cucullata" = Saccostrea cuccullata
Ostreidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 oyster
"Gryphaea cucullata" = Saccostrea cuccullata Born 1778 oyster
 Ostreida - Gryphaeidae
"Gryphaea virleti" = Hyotissa virleti
"Gryphaea virleti" = Hyotissa virleti Deshayes 1832 oyster
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
Manupecten pesfelis, "Chlamys varia" = Chlamys (Chlamys) varia, "Chlamys multistriata" = Talochlamys multistriata, Spondylus aff. gaederopus
"Chlamys varia" = Chlamys (Chlamys) varia Linnaeus 1758 scallop
"Chlamys multistriata" = Talochlamys multistriata Poli 1795 scallop
Spondylus aff. gaederopus Linnaeus 1758 scallop
 Pholadida - Teredinidae
Teredo (Nototeredo) norvegica
Gymnolaemata
 Cheilostomata - Phidoloporidae
"Retepora aff. cellulosa" = Reteporella
"Retepora aff. cellulosa" = Reteporella
Echinoidea
 Camarodonta - Toxopneustidae
Sphaerechinus granularis
 Camarodonta - Echinidae
Paracentrotus lividus
 Cidaroida - Cidaridae
Cidaris cidaris
Cidaris cidaris pencil urchin
Actinopteri
 Anguilliformes - Muraenidae
Muraena cf. helena
 Perciformes - Sparidae
Sparus auratus
Sparus auratus perch-like fish
 Labriformes - Labridae
Labrodon pavimentum, Labrus sp.
Labrus sp. Linnaeus 1758
 Tetraodontiformes - Diodontidae
Chilomycterus sp.
Chilomycterus sp. Brisout de Barneville 1846
 Acanthomorphata - Sciaenidae
Pristipoma sp.
Pristipoma sp. Agassiz 1835
Chondrichthyes
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Myliobatis aquila
Myliobatis aquila Linnaeus 1758 eagle ray
 Lamniformes - Carchariidae
"Odontaspis taurus" = Carcharias taurus
"Odontaspis taurus" = Carcharias taurus Rafinesque 1810 sand shark