New paleoecological insights for the Late Pleistocene Neanderthal mountain occurrence at Buena Pinta Cave (Iberian Central System, Pinilla-del-Valle, Madrid, Spain)

The Late Pleistocene sequence from the archaeological site of the Buena Pinta Cave (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid) has furnished the following ectothermic vertebrates: Salmo trutta , Alytes gr. A. obstetricans-almogavarii , Pelobates cultripes , Bufo spinosus , Epidalea calamita , Pelophylax perezi , Rana iberica , Testudines indet., Timon lepidus , Lacertidae indet. (large- and medium-sized), Anguis fragilis , Natrix maura , Coronella cf. C. austriaca , Colubridae/Psammophiidae indet., and Vipera cf. V. latastei . All these taxa are currently present in central Iberian Peninsula, with representation in the Lozoya Valley or its closest surrounding areas. The amphibians and reptiles suggest a quite similar to a much warmer climate (from +1.0 to +3.5 °C) than the present one, with a higher difference about modern values during the coldest month than during the warmest month. Annual rainfall was more abundant (from +9 to +397 mm) than today. Reconstructed landscapes suggest the predominance of humid environments throughout the sequence, primarily composed by open humid habitats (mainly comprised between 35.2 and 45.5 %) and woodland environments including medium scrublands to forest formations (27.3–40.0 %). Aquatic and peri-aquatic areas (9.5–20.5 %), such as rivers or ponds with riverside vegetation are also quite well represented, in accordance with one of the few fossil records of a water frog ( P. perezi ) in the Pinilla del Valle localities, and the very hypothetical occurrence of a terrapin in the Layer 2. In addition, the presence of brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) also supports the presence of a mature river characterized by cold/temperate and running waters. All these data suggest that the whole Late Pleistocene sequence of the Buena Pinta Cave may have occurred during a temperate to warm and humid period, more probably during the beginning of the Marine Isotope Stage 3 rather than during the end of the Marine Isotope Stage 4, as formerly suggested. • Neanderthal paleoecology from the Buena Pinta Cave is revisited. • Amphibians and reptiles suggest warm and humid climate conditions. • Woodland environments are well represented around the site. • Such reconstruction disagrees with previous interpretation. • Neanderthal occupation was favored by the presence of a high biodiversity.