Insectivores and rodents (Mammalia) from Ses Fontanelles (Eivissa, Pityusic Islands) and their implications for the Early Pliocene evolution of the endemic faunas in the Western Mediterranean islands

Abstract In this paper, the small mammal association of Ses Fontanelles (Eivissa, Pityusic Islands, Spain) is described. This assemblage comprises a soricid, Myosorex sp., and two rodents, the gerbillid Protatera salvadori sp. nov., and the glirid Eliomys truci . Myosorex sp. is morphologically close to the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene continental members of this genus, but its size is significantly larger. Protatera salvadori sp. nov. displays a much larger size than any previously described species of Protatera or Debruijnimys , and also differs in some morphological features. The large size of both species is interpreted as a case of insular evolution resulting from prolonged isolation. In contrast, the glirid Eliomys truci displays similar dimensions to the members of this species on the continent, as well as a similar morphology. It is assumed that Myosorex sp. and P. salvadori sp. nov. derived from African representatives of both genera, their presence in Eivissa being a consequence of the new dispersal routes opened between western Europe and northern Africa during the Messinian Salinity Crisis.