Messinian age of an “Oligocene” fossil flora from Italy

An enigmatic deposit at Pavone d’Alessandria provided, at the end of the 19th century, about one hundred plant macrofossils, considered to be Oligocene in age. That material is no longer available, but a few animal (an insect and a fsh) and plant remains have recently been recovered from this locality. A single remnant of Aphanius crassicaudus is considered relevant, in combination with a recent assessment of the geology in the studied area, to propose a Messinian age for the deposit. The taxonomic composition of the 19th century plant assemblage, only documented by sketchy drawings, is diffcult to re-interpret, but its possible relationship with Messinian plant assemblages studied in the last 30 years is discussed in the light of recent observations. A few plant taxa that can be recognized on the basis of elementary morphological traits, e.g., Fagus gussonii, support a Messinian rather than Oligocene age.