Primeros datos sobre la malacofauna terrestre de Coves de Santa Maira (Castells de Castells, Alacant) durante la transición Pleistoceno-Holoceno (15 – 6 ka cal BP)

Zusammenfassung

In this paper we present the study of groups of land snails from the site of Coves de Santa Maira (Castell de Castells, Alacant, Spain), dating from the Final Palaeolithic to the Neolithic (ca.15-6 ky cal BP). The studies comprise the taxonomic identification, quantification (NMI, NR,), taphonomy and ecology of the site. The results have provided significant information about the diversity of land and freshwater snails recovered in the archaeological site, the collection activities of land snails, their biometric changes and their paleoecological contribution. Of the 10 continental gastropod taxons found in the site, the predominant species is Rumina decollata (Linnaeus, 1758). The rest, listed from most abundant to least, are: Sphincterochila (Albea) candidissima (Draparnaud, 1801), Pomatias elegans (O.F. Müller, 1774), Iberus gualterianus (Linnaeus, 1758) morfo alonensis, Pseudotachea splendida (Draparnaud, 1801). Of the six identified freshwater gastropod taxons, the most predominant are Melanopsis praemorsa (Linnaeus, 1758), Melanopsis tricarinata tricarinata (Bruguière, 1789) and Theodoxus (Theodoxus) fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758). The presence of the two largest edible taxons (Sphincterochila candidissima and Iberus gualterianus morfo alonensis) could be the result human consumption. The remaining species could have arrived by fortunate happenstance. The archeological site presents an important malacological collection from a wide time range, the results of which show differences in the distribution of NR and of the species themselves, both from natural and human causes. These results allow for this site’s comparison with others of the Iberian Mediterranean region and offers a new and deeper understanding of how complementary food resources were used.