World Congress of Malacology Antwerp ... - Unitas Malacologica

Reconstruction of the pleniglacial environment based of molluscan assemblages of the Titel Old
Brickyard Section (Vojvodina, Serbia)
Gaudenyi, Tivada; Jovanovic, Mladjen; Markovic, Slobodan B.
Department of Geography, University of Novi Sad, Trg D. Obradovica 3. 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia,
Email: tiv@neobee.net; mladjenov@neobee.net; zbir@im.ns.ac.yu
If the carbonate content is sufficient Molluscs are one of the most abundant fossils in loess-paleosol
sequences. The quantitative malacological investigations could help in reconstructing the
environment dynamics of past. The Titel Old Brickyard exposure is located in the southeastern part
of the Carpathian Basin, on the Titel Loess Plateau northwest from the confluence of Danube and
Tisza rivers, south from the former periglacial regions of Central Europe. The main task was the
reconstruct the local environmental conditions of the 16 m thick Pleniglacial loess series. Here we
show the the environmental conditions of Titel Old Brickyard section during the Pleniglacial the
conditions were arid, steppe-like where the cold demanding species were absent. The Early
Pleniglacial (MIS 4) characterized with the forming of sandy loess layer with poor xerotherm steppe
demanding Striata-Pupilla fauna which has been preserved only at a parts near the contact of the
other strata and a 20 thick layer. The Upper Pleniglacial (MIS 3) during which the humic horizon was
formed and the molluscan record of Pupilla-Striata faunal assemblage represents stable
sedimentation record and the arid, steppe-like environment. During the Upper Pleniglacial (MIS 2)
the conditions for preservation were excellent, the stable loess sedimentation and its fauna shows the
continuous arid, steppe-like environment with the dominant Pupilla fauna. The Last glacial
maximum was manifested with decreasing number of the land snails and the temperate conditions
preferring Granaria frumentum minimum, no cold demanding species were found. In the youngest
part of the MIS 2 the open woodland species (Clausilia dubia) has been detected in low numbers but
the environment keeps its steppe-like character. As a lowland plain relief the snail assemblages is
quite monotonous with low number of species and connected to the arid, temperate steppe like
environment.
Using an electron microscopy shell morphometry in identifying the Weichselian Pupilla
muscorum and Pupilla triplicata species from the loess series of Vojvodina (Serbia)
Gaudenyi, Tivadar; Jovanovic, Mladjen
Department of Geography, University of Novi Sad, Trg D. Obradovica 3. 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia,
Email: tiv@neobee.net; mladjenov@neobee.net
Molluscs’ remains represent one of the most abundant Quaternary fossils. Their correct
interpretations clearly depend on the accuracy with which the species of the fossil molluscan
assemblage can be identified. Quantitative palaeontological investigations of Quaternary loess
molluscs face to the problem of identifying of species of Pupilla muscorum and P. triplicata from the
Weichseilan loess series at the Vojvodina Province (Serbia). If the shell is preserved only
fragmentary the identification could be quite difficult because of the shell size and microsculpture
similarities. The P. muscorum and P. triplicata have different ecological requirements (P. muscorum
is a typical loess steppes [periglacial and non-periglacial] species with a big environmental tolerance,
while a P. triplicata is a species related to more milder climate of xerophilous, steppe like
environment ), thus why the species level identifying is welcome. The main task in this study was to
try to separate/identify the shell fragments on species level according the shell apex morphometry.
The complete shells in total number of 80, previously clearly identified individuals have been
studied. The selection of 40 specimens of each species (P. triplicata and P. muscorum) has been
analysed. The shells were scanned on electron microscopy and the maximum cross arbitrary distance
of the apex has been measured. The morphometrical results shows the apex value for P. triplicata
population is between 317 µ and 565 µ, while the apex size for P. muscorum starts from 472 µ.
According the morphometrical measurements the apex values of shells form 317 µ to 472 µ referred
as P. triplicata, apex values from 472 µ to 565 µ are classified as Pupilla spp. and the values bigger
71