The earliest Middle Pleistocene Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben, 1777) at Casal Selce (Rome, Italy)

Hyaenas are relevant members of the Plio-Pleistocene carnivore guilds in Africa and Eurasia. The spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta is an important element of the dispersal events from Africa and Asia to Europe occurred at the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition (about 0.8 Ma). The presence of Crocuta crocuta remains from the Ponte Galeria formation at Casal Selce (Roma, Italy) from sands of the Ponte Galeria Formation referable to the earliest Middle Pleistocene (MIS 18), close to the Brunhes/Matuyama boundary, is one of the earliest occurrence of the genus in Europe. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.