Katerina Vasileiadou

Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest

Rodents (Mammalia: Rodentia) constitute today the mammalian order with the highest species diversity and the largest geographical distribution, since they live in almost all terrestrial habitats worldwide in great numbers. The fossil record shows that they appeared in the Paleocene, possibly in Asia, and diversified and spread mostly during the Eoc...

The order Lagomorpha, already split from the rodents during the early Eocene, includes today the hares and rabbits (family Leporidae) and the pikas (family Ochotonidae), living worldwide (except from the polar regions). The Leporidae today includes 11 genera present worldwide, whereas about 34 extinct genera have been recognized. The Ochotonidae is...

The sedimentary basins of Greece contain an important record of fossil vertebrates that has been known and studied for nearly two centuries. Here, we present our collective effort to review and summarize this fossil record. A combination of our original research and previously published records permits the complete reassessment of the identified ve...

The sedimentary basins of Greece contain an important record of fossil vertebrates that has been known and studied for nearly two centuries. Here, we present our collective effort to review and summarize this fossil record. A combination of our original research and previously published records permits the complete reassessment of the identified ve...

Our knowledge of Neogene chelonian diversity in northern Greece is increased with the present description of a new species of Mauremys (Testudines, Geoemydidae) from the late Miocene to Pliocene of three localities in central Macedonia (Gefira‐2, Nea Silata, Allatini). This new species, Mauremys aristotelica sp. nov., is characterized by the presen...

Objectives: The Lesvos Petrified Forest (western Lesvos, Greece) has been famous for its plant fossils for more than one century. The first animal fossil from the early Miocene subtropical forest was found in the locality Gavathas, in 1999, and was identified as the proboscidean Prodeinotherium bavaricum by Koufos et al. (2003). More recently, a se...

The Lesvos Petrified Forest (western Lesvos, Greece) has long been famous for its plant fossils. Recently, one proboscidean (from the Gavathas locality) and seven micromammalian species (from the Lapsarna locality) were described; these were the first animals to be found in the Early Miocene subtropical forest. For the first time, a fauna of gastro...

Even though there are numerous late Miocene mammal localities in the southern Balkans, those of late Turolian and early Ruscinian age are uncommon. Using the available data, mainly from Greece and Bulgaria, we compiled information about the faunal and palaeoenvironmental changes at the Miocene/Pliocene boundary. The analysis of the faunal elements...

A micromammalian fauna recovered about 15 years ago from an argillaceous bed on the south-western coast of Lake Vistonis (Xanthi-Komotini Basin, Thrace, NE Greece) and partially determined in Syrides et al. (Comptes Rendus Acad Sci Paris 324 (2):427-433, 1997) has been thoroughly re-examined. The small (number of identified specimens = 112) but rat...

A new locality with terrestrial microfossils, named Lapsarna (LRN), has been found on the West Peninsula of the island of Lesvos (Greece). Among other fossils (i.e. lacustrine pulmonate gastropod, lacustrine fish, small lizard and crocodilian isolated remains), isolated teeth of small mammals, belonging to the Orders Chiroptera, Insectivora and Rod...

Seismic hazard is commonly assessed by using seismicity records and local geotechnical conditions. It is however important to accurately define the probable seismic sources of the broader study area and assess their seismic potential, as earthquake intensities are expected to increase in the close vicinity of active faults. Although onshore faults...

A taphonomic study was conducted on disarticulated micromammalian bones and isolated teeth from a late Eocene (Priabonian) assemblage in the Headon Hill Formation (Solent Group, Hampshire Basin, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom). The aim was to understand accumulating mechanisms and additional postmortem agents that influenced and potentially biased t...

The small number of micromammalian fossils found in the Samos Middle Turolian localities MTLA and MTLB are identified as Pseudomeriones pythagorasi, ‘Karnimata’ provocator, Spermophilinus cf. bredai and Pliospalax cf. sotirisi. The presence of these species on Samos gives additional information on the size and morphological variation within the spe...

The European Geoparks Network - EGN, is founded in 2000, aiming to advance earth heritage conservation and promotion, education in earth sciences, as well as sustainable local development through geotourism. Educational activities exist in the core of the Geoparks' interest and operation. The European Geoparks are open-air geological museums and c...

A new method of calculating the MNI and a full lifespan mortality profile in assemblages of semi-hypsodont rodents is proposed. Fossil jaws of the Paleogene theridomyid genera Isoptychus, Theridomys? and Pseudoltinomys show similar patterns of dental replacement, eruption and wear for all three genera. Deciduous premolars on the point of being repl...

A taphonomic study has been undertaken on an assemblage of bones and teeth of Isoptychus sp. and Thalerimys fordi (extinct rodent family Theridomyidae) from a single bed in a coastal plain setting, in the Late Eocene (Priabonian) Osborne Member, Headon Hill Formation (Hampshire Basin, UK). The vertebrate fossils show good preservation and do not be...

The family Ursidae appears to be a sensitive mammal group, promptly reflecting large but also small scale changes in global environmental conditions. Although the Greek ursid record is extremely incomplete, especially regarding the late Miocene-early Pliocene period, it is evident that the main evolutionary and ecological trends of the family are r...

The micromammals from the locality Antonios, North Greece, are studied in detail. This assemblage includes one bat, three insectivores, eight rodents and two lagomorphs. The age of the locality, as inferred on the basis of the micromammals, is Early–Middle Miocene (MN 4–MN 5 boundary interval). The represented taxa show European as well as Asian af...

A new locality with micromammals has been recovered, named Silata, in Chalkidiki, Northern Greece. The sediments of the locality belong to the Silata Member of the Gonia Formation. The fauna includes two Chiroptera, four Insectivora, nine Rodentia and three Lagomorpha and is correlated to the boundary of Miocene/Pliocene (MN13/14). During the depos...