The mammalian faunas of Pakefield/Kessingland and Corton, Suffolk, UK: evidence for a new temperate episode in the British early Middle Pleistocene

It has been recognised for some time that early Middle Pleistocene mammal f aunas in Britain can be divided into an earlier group with Mimomys savini ( e.g. West Runton Freshwater Bed-WRFB), and a later group with Arvicola terr estris cantiana (Boxgrove, Westbury, Ostend), representing two or more temp erate/interglacial stages. On the basis of the available early Middle Pleis tocene non-marine molluscan faunas. Meijer and Preece (in: C. Turner (Ed.), The Early Middle Pleistocene in Europe, Balkema: Rotterdam, 1996, pp. 53-8 2.) and Preece (Quaternary Science Reviews 20 (2001)) recognised three bios tratigraphic groups, representing at least three temperate stages. These ar e largely compatible with the vertebrate faunas, but new evidence presented here strongly indicates that Pakefield/Kessingland represents an additiona l, hitherto unrecognised temperate stage with Mimomys savini, younger than the WRFB but older than Little Oakley, Boxgrove and Westbury. New exposures and finds from the Cromer Forest-bed Formation at Pakefield. Suffolk have prompted a fresh look at the palaeontology of Pakefield/Kessingland and als o Corton. which has a similar lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic seque nce. The large-mammal fauna (at least in part pollen substage II) includes Hippopotamus sp., Palaeoloxodon antiquus. and Megaloceros dawkinsi-none of which has so far been found in the WRFB-strongly suggesting that the Suffol k sites represent a distinct stage. Further, no records of 'southern' Europ ean plant, invertebrate or vertebrate taxa have been found in the WRFB, whe reas the plants Trapa natans and Salvinia natans-indicating summers warmer than now-are known from Pakefield/Kessingland and Corton, providing corrobo rative evidence for a stage distinct from the Cromerian s.s. (C) 2001 Elsev ier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.