Preliminary results on the taxonomy and paleoenvironmental analysis of the mollusc fauna from Marathousa 1, Marathousa 2 and Kyparissia 4 (Middle Pleistocene, Megalopolis basin, Greece)

Abstract

The Middle Pleistocene molusc fauna of the Megalopolis Basin presents an important taxonomic diversity, comprised predominantly by aquatic species. The aquatic taxa indicate habitats with well-oxygenated waters and rich in aquatic plants, while the main components of the fauna are for the most part similar in MAR-1, MAR-2 and KYP-4. Despite the similarities, a slight difference is observed at KYP-4, which shows a somewhat increased presence of terrestrial/semi-terrestrial species. Aiming to obtain more comprehensive paleoenvironmental interpretations, future directions of the analysis will focus 1) on the detailed comparisons both within the sedimentary units of each site’s sequence and among the sites, and 2) on the incorporation of the existing or in progress results from sedimentological analyses and other paleoenvironmental proxies (e.g., Karkanas et al., 2018; Bludau et al., 2021; Butiseacă et al., this volume; Papadopoulou et al., this volume). Finally, the inclusion of additional material from other sites/stratigraphic horizons of the basin will improve the resolution and expand the chronological range.