Els Casots (Subirats, Catalonia), a key site for the Miocene vertebrate record of Southwestern Europe

Els Casots is one of the richest fossil vertebrate sites Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, Spain). It was discovered in 1989 and excavated briefly during 1990s, resulting recovery thousands remains erection several new mammal species. Excavations were resumed 2018 continue to date. Here we provide updated results regarding age, stratigraphy, biota palaeoenvironment site. The age site well constrained ~15.9 Ma thanks recent bio- magnetostratigraphic data, thus coinciding with Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO). stratigraphic succession at area indicates lacustrine palustrine environments cyclically oscillating water level. There are fossiliferous layers that have yielded a fauna comprising up 75 different species including amphibians, reptiles, birds mostly mammals. finding articulated partial skeletons indicate records an autochthonous parautochthonous assemblage. abundance completeness together well-constrained detailed palaeoenvironmental make els key for understanding wetland ecosystems southern Europe MCO.