Microsoft Word - 00_indice_LM04.docx Il Quaternario IT ISSN 039-3356 Italian Journal of Quaternary Sciences 24 (1), 2011 - 11-39 ALBERTO MALATESTA: 20 YEARS OF ACTIVITY AT THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ITALY Francesco Angelelli, Maria Letizia Pampaloni, Rita Maria Pichezzi & Giulia Ventura ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca ambientale, Roma Corresponding author: G. Ventura ABSTRACT: Angelelli F., Pampaloni M. L., Pichezzi R. M. & Ventura G., Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Italian Geological Survey. This work illustrates the activity of the Professor Alberto Malatesta as geologist and palaeontologist during his over 20 years-long career at the Geological Survey of Italy and his important scientific contribution to the growth of the Survey itself. Primarily, his activity con- cerned: ٠ the geological survey to bring to fruition the geological map of Italy at 1:100.000 scale; ٠ the recovery and identification of a large number of fossil specimens, collected during his geological surveys; over the years, they be- came part of relevant fossil collections hosted in the Paleontological Museum of the Geological Survey of Italy, headed by A. Malates- ta himself. Among the many tasks charges entrusted to A. Malatesta, the following are worth to be remembered: ٠ Applied geology consultant; ٠ Member of the Editorial Board of the Bollettino del Servizio Geologico d’Italia since 1968; ٠ Member of the Italian Committee of Stratigraphy since 1970. ٠ Acting Director of the Geological Survey of Italy. His scientific publications dealt with the various fields of geology. Among them it is worth to remember the two paleontological mono- graphs published on the Memorie per Servire alla Descrizione della Carta Geologica d’Italia about the Italian Plio-Pleistocene mollusc faunas. RIASSUNTO: Angelelli F., Pampaloni M. L., Pichezzi R. M. & Ventura G., Alberto Malatesta: 20 anni di attività presso il Servizio Geolo- gico d’Italia. Nel presente lavoro viene illustrata l’attività svolta dal Prof. Alberto Malatesta nel corso della sua lunghissima carriera di geologo e pa- leontologo negli oltre 20 anni trascorsi presso il Servizio Geologico d’Italia contribuendo con grande impegno scientifico alla crescita del Servizio Geologico stesso. La sua attività ha riguardato prevalentemente: ٠ il rilevamento geologico per la realizzazione della Carta geologica d’Italia alla scala 1:100.000; ٠ la raccolta e la catalogazione di numerosissimi reperti fossili, frutto delle campagne di rilevamento, che nel tempo hanno costituito ve- re e proprie raccolte conservate presso il Museo di Paleontologia del Servizio Geologico d’Italia del quale A. Malatesta fu il responsa- bile scientifico. Tra i molteplici incarichi ricoperti dal Prof. A. Malatesta vanno ricordati quello di: ٠ Consulente nel campo geologico-applicativo; ٠ Membro del Comitato di redazione del Bollettino del Servizio Geologico dal 1968; ٠ Membro della Commissione Italiana di Stratigrafia dal 1970. Direttore Vicario del Servizio Geologico d’Italia. Numerose sono state anche le sue pubblicazioni che hanno spaziato nei vari campi delle Scienze della Terra. Tra esse vale la pena ricordare le due monografie paleontologiche pubblicate sulle Memorie per Servire alla Descrizione della Carta geologica d’Italia riguar- danti le malacofaune plio-pleistoceniche italiane. Key Words: A. Malatesta, Geological Survey of Italy, geological maps, paleontological collections, pubblications. Parole-chiave: A. Malatesta, Servizio Geologico d’Italia, carte geologiche, collezioni paleontologiche, pubblicazioni. 1. INTRODUCTION A. Malatesta developed the most part of his activity from 1950 to 1973, in the historical palace of the Italian Geological Survey at Largo di S. Susanna in Rome. At the third floor of the building, next to the exposition rooms of the Paleontological Museum, the entrance to his office was close to a bronze bust of Quintino Sella1, as if to en dear to himself the patronage of that great 1 Quintino Sella, Italian politician and eminent scientist (1827-1884). For several times Minister of the Department of Internal Revenue (1862; 1864-65; 1869-73); in 1867 he founded the Geological Committee of Italy, in 1868 he created in Florence the Executive Committee of the Geological Map of Italy, whose director was engineer I. Cocchi; in 1881 he promoted together with Capellini the foundation of the Italian Geological Society. F. Angelelli et al. 12 political and science man. A. Malatesta started to work at the Italian Geological Survey on the 1st of September 1950. He was the Head of the Scientific Laboratory of the Ministry for Italian Africa, and his task was the geo- logical survey for the compilation of the official 1.100.000 Geological Map of Italy, during which he also contributed to the collection and identification of numer- ous fossil remains (Fig. 1). It is worth to remember, that the history of the Ital- ian Official Geological Map started in 1861 when Quin- tino Sella, at that time Minister of Finance, sent a report to the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce “Sul modo di fare la Carta Geologica del Regno d’Italia” [About how to make the Geological Map of the Italian Kingdom]. The Royal Decree N°4113 issued on De- cember 15th, 1867 founded the Geological Committee that was charged with (Art. 2) “…la compilazione e pubblicazione della grande carta geologica del Regno d’Italia, e di dirigere i lavori, raccogliere e conservare i materiali e i documenti relativi” […the compilation and publication of the great Geological Map of Italian King- dom, the direction of the works, and the collection and conservation of the relative materials and documents]. It was with the Royal Decree N°1421 (ser. 2°) of June 15th, 1873, that the guide-lines for the compilation and publication of the Geological Map of Italy were pub- lished, entrusted to a section of the Royal Corps of the Mines under the high scientific supervi- sion of the Royal Geological Committee. In the same decree (Art. 7) it was “…istituito l’Ufficio geologico al quale è annesso uno speciale gabinetto nel quale verranno disposti e classificati i minerali, i fossili e le rocce raccolte nei lavori di campagna. Nello stesso gabinetto saran- no riuniti i libri, le carte e gl’istrumenti e- sistenti in Firenze presso il Comitato geo- logico” […established the Geological Office to which a special Cabinet is an- nexed where minerals, fossils and rocks collected during the field surveys will be stored. In the same Cabinet also all books, maps and instruments now loca- ted at the Geological Committee in Flo- rence, will took place] (SPERANDIO & ZANFRÀ, 1995). So, the first nucleus of the litho-mineralogical and paleontologi- cal Collections and the Library of the forthcoming Italian Geological Survey was born. At the same time, the publica- tion of the “Bollettino del Regio Comitato Geologico d’Italia” [Bulletin of the Royal Italian Geological Committee] and of the “Memorie per Servire alla descrizione della Carta Geologica d’Italia” [Memoirs for the description of the Geological Map of Italy] was started to gather the field researches for the compilation of the Geological Map. The two journals had the aim to disseminate the geological re- searches developed in Italy and funded by the Italian Government. During over one century from its foundation, the denomination of the Royal Geological Office has changed several times, to- gether with its location, up to the present denomination Geological Survey of Italy-ISPRA (Servizio Geologico d’Italia - ISPRA) located in Via Curtatone 3, Roma. One of the leading figure in the history of the Geo- logical Survey of Italy is certainly A. Malatesta. During his over 20 years of permanence in the Geological Sur- vey, he developed an incessant activity carried out with constant passion, commitment and professional com- petence. He was moved by the pleasure for the re- search and study more than by sense of duty, thus strongly contributing to the scientific growth of the Geo- logical Survey itself. His activity mainly followed two tightly connected topics: the geologic survey for the realization of the Geological Map of Italy at 1:100.000 scale and the collection and identification of fossil re- mains derived by his sampling and excavations during field surveys. His fossil collection represents the begin- ning of the paleontological collections of the Geological Survey of Italy mantained at the Palaeontological Mu- seum of which A. Malatesta was the first Scientific Coordinator. Although the Authors of the present note are em- ployees of the Geological Survey of Italy, it has not been easy to reconstruct the career of A. Malatesta during the years he spent working in the same institution. In fact, Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 13 scarce information has been found in the Staff Historical Archive of the Geological Survey, since a lot of docu- ments have gone lost due to the various movings of the Survey during the last twenty years. Nevertheless, thanks to the annual activity reports of the Survey pub- lished in the appendix of the Bollettino del Servizio Geo- logico d’Italia, it was possible to find precious indications about charges and activities he carried out. 2. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ACTIVITY After the end of the 2nd World War, noticeable re- search founds were assigned to the Geological Survey of Italy. In 1960 the Law 3-1-1960 n. 15 (“Sullo” Law) was promulgated by the Italian governe- ment to edit, update and publish the Geo- logical Map of Italy at scale 1:100.000 and the related Illustrative Notes. All Italian Uni- versities, public and private organizations and Autonomous Regions took part to such activity, under the qualified supervision of the Geological Committee, headed by Ardi- to Desio. Malatesta became part of the staff of the during such a period of intense activity in almost every scientific research sector both in the field and in the laborato- ries. During his work at the Geological Sur- vey of Italy, A. Malatesta contributed to the elaboration of many geological sheets, car- rying out both the geological survey of the Plio-Pleisticene units and the palaeontolog- ical analyses on the fossil remains he had collected. In particular, he worked at the realization of the following geological sheets: N° 111 “Livorno”, N° 272 “Gela”, N° 192 “Alghero”, N° 193 “Bonorva”, N° 163 “Lucera”, N° 175 “Cerignola”, N° 197 “Amalfi”, N° 149 “Cerveteri”, N° 121 “Montepulciano”, N° 122 “Perugia”, N° 127 “Piombino”, N° 148 “Vasto”, N° 115 “Città di Castello”, N° 173 “Benevento”, N° 167- 168 “Isola Rossa - La Maddalena”, N° 169 “Caprera”, N° 256 “Egadi Islands” (unpub- lished) (Fig. 2). In Fig. 3 the original headings of the geological sheets at 1:100.000 scale, to the realization of which A. Malatesta col- laborated, are reported. Not all the above mentioned sheets were featuring the Illustrative Notes (Tab. 1). A. Malatesta, although not mentioned among the authors, provided scientific contributions about Plio-Pleistocene macrofauna and field data for some of them. It is worth to note that, for different reasons (lack of topographical bases, insufficient funds, reduced staff, etc.), not all the geological field surveys ended with a printed geological sheet. Anyway, even these unpublished activities are documented in the archive of the Geological Survey of Italy. In the archive, for ex- ample, it is recorded the geological field survey of the Sheet N° 256 “Isole Egadi”. Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 illu- strate the original handmade geological maps of the Favignana and Marettimo islands and the relative le- gends with autograph annotations. F. Angelelli et al. 14 Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 15 F. Angelelli et al. 16 Numero Foglio Nome Foglio Anno di Stampa Autori Malatesta 111 Livorno 1954 A. Malatesta Note complete 163 Lucera 1967 A. Jacobacci, A. Malatesta, G. Martelli, G. Stampanoni Cap. IV, Parag. B e Cap. VI 175 Cerignola 1967 A. Malatesta, U. Perno, G. Stampanoni Introduzione, Cenni Storici, Stratigrafia (La serie plio- pleistocenica), Morfologia, Geo- logia applicata 149 Cerveteri 1967 F. Dragone, A. Maino, A. Malatesta, A.G. Segre Stratigrafia da q a FI 121 Montepulciano 1969 A. Jacobacci, A. Malatesta, G. Martelli I sedimenti neogenici e quater- nari 115 122 130 Città di Castello Perugia Orvieto (non rilevato da Malatesta) 1970 A. Jacobacci, C. Bergomi, E. Centamore, A. Malatesta, N. Malferrari, G. Martelli, L. Pannunzi, N. Zattini Cap. IV: stratigrafia Tab. 1 - List of the Illustrative Notes to which A. Malatesta contributed. Elenco delle Note Illustrative alla cui stesura ha partecipato A. Malatesta. Fig. 4 - Original geological map of the Favignana Island handmade by A. Malatesta during October 1954. (housed in the Collection of the Department for librarian activities, documentary and for information of ISPRA -Geological Survey of Italy). Tavoletta originale dell’Isola di Favignana disegnata manualmente da A. Malatesta nell’Ottobre 1954, conservata presso la Cartoteca del Dipartimento per le attività bibliotecarie, documentali e per l’informazione di ISPRA (Servizio Geologico d’Italia). Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 17 Fig. 5 - Original geological map of the Marettimo Island handmade by A. Malatesta in October 1954 (housed in the Collection of the De- partment for librarian activities, documentary and for information of ISPRA - Geological Survey of Italy). Tavoletta originale dell’Isola di Marettimo disegnata manualmente da A. Malatesta nell’Ottobre 1954 e conservata presso la Cartoteca del Dipartimento per le attività bibliotecarie, documentali e per l’informazione di ISPRA (Servizio Geologico d’Italia). 3. PALEONTOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS As already mentioned, together with the geological survey activity, A. Malatesta studied, catalogued and organized the numerous fossil remains currently housed in the ISPRA Museum of Palaeontology. As curator of the “paleontological collections”, since his arrival to the Geological Survey of Italy (1950), he carried on an intense research activity in paleontolo- gy, studying both the already housed remains and his Quaternary fossil collection, acquired during his geolog- ical field surveys. Through the study of the fossil inver- tebrate and vertebrate remains he collected, he was able to propose palaeogeographic, palaeoecologic and biostratigraphic reconstructions of several geographical areas. 3.1 Historical notes To better understand the role of A. Malatesta as curator of the Paleontological Collection of the Geologi- cal Survey of Italy, it is useful to briefly illustrate the his- tory of the Collection from the origin to the present. The first reference to the mineralogical and geological collections of the Geological Survey is in the “Rule for the execution of the Royal Decree n. 4113 of December 15th 1867” (signed by King Vittorio Emanuele II in the foundation act of the Royal Geological Committee), ap- proved on August 30th 1868 by the Office of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce. The art. 16 reports “…Le rac- colte mineralogiche e geologiche le quali si andranno riunendo a misura del progredire dei lavori, e quelle di cui parla la linea c) dell’art. 24, saranno conservate co- me documenti autentici a corredo della Carta stessa. Nello scopo di conservarle e di renderle utili allo studio, il Comitato formulerà una proposta sulla base di trarre profitto possibilmente da uno stabilimento già esistente, onde evitare le spese di un nuovo Museo speciale”. Li- kewise, the point c of the art. 24 above mentioned pre- cises that “tutte le Carte presentate all’accettazione del Comitato dovranno essere corredate di un numero suffi- ciente di campioni geologici…..Vi saranno uniti i campioni di rocce di buon formato, di minerali e fossili occorrenti alla perfetta intelligenza del lavoro, nonché una esatta descrizione del medesimo. Questi oggetti, come pure i documenti presentati ed accettati, saranno conservati dal Comitato e ne sarà disposto a tenore dell’art.16 (Bolletti- no del Regio Comitato Geologico d’Italia, 1870, vol. I, pp. 11, 13). In the subsequent Royal Decree n. 1421, series 2 dated June 15th 1873, the art. 7 specifies that “All’Ufficio Geologico sarà annesso uno speciale gabinetto nel qua- le verranno disposti e classificati i minerali, i fossili e le rocce raccolte nei lavori di campagna...” (Bollettino del Regio Comitato Geologico d’Italia, vol. 4, 1873, pp. 393- 394). On January 1st, 1874 the Geological Office moved to Rome near the Office of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce. In 1875, a new location Geological Office F. Angelelli et al. 18 was chosen at Largo Santa Susanna, where the architect Canevari planned and built a new building. To provisionally host the Agrarian Geological Museum, the courtyard and part of the choir of the a- djacent Convent of Holy Maria Vittoria was expropriated, with the justification of public benefit “….nelle poche camere avu- te in prestito nella scuola degli ingegneri di Roma a S. Pietro in Vincoli, appena sufficienti per tenervi alcuni disegnatori; onde le collezioni già esistenti devono per ora tenersi quasi per intero incassate in magazzino” (GIORDANO F., 18812). The new building was conceived to host the scientific material previously housed at different institutions: the Royal School of application in Turin, the Museum of Natu- ral History in Florence, the Museum of Natural History in Pisa, the Mining District of Caltanissetta, the Royal University in Rome). On May 3rd, 1885, King Umberto I officially opened the Geological Agrarian Museum (Fig. 8). Two years after the Museum ope- ning, the collections already consist of over 10.000 remains (as it is recorded at p. 8 in the report Cenno intorno ai lavori del Comitato Geologico nel 1877: “…le collezioni finora formate di rocce e fossili raggiungono il numero di 12 a 13,000 esemplari… e tuttodì si vanno accre- scendo e classificando” (ZEZI P.3., 1878). Since then, the collections substantially increased, thanks to the numerous fos- sils collected by the geologists during their field surveys for the compilation of the Geological Map of Italy, and to dona- tions, purchases, and exchanges with other national and foreign scientific insti- tutions. At present, the palaeontological collection counts over 100.000 pieces. The fossil repository was placed at the third floor of the Largo Santa Susanna building, together with four annexed of- fices. The first of those communicated with the exposition room and, initially, it was used for the fossils study and consultation. The fourth room, at the end of the corridor where the bust of Quintino Sella was placed (Fig. 9), was assigned to A. Malatesta who worked there throughout his perma- nence at the Geological Survey of Italy. There he spent long time to rearrange the fossils, devoting himself to the painstaking work of cleaning, indexing and clas- sification. He compiled tens and tens of labels by his own hand, each label placed almost always on the bot- tom of cardboard pillboxes in which the fossils were preserved, with the name of the species, the number of the samples and the place of origin. 2 Felice Giordano, Chief Inspector of the Royal Corp of Mines in Rome (since 1859) was a member of the Royal Geological Committee from 1891, assuming its leadership for many years. 3 Engineer of Royal Corp of Mines, was editorial secretary and collaborator of Royal Geological Committee of Italy from 1870 to 1908. Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 19 Fig. 7 -Original legend of the geological sheet of the Egadi Islands with autograph annotations by A. Malatesta (housed by the Collection of the Department for librarian activities, documentary and for information of ISPRA - Geological Survey of Italy). Legenda originale delle Isole Egadi con annotazioni autografe del Prof. A. Malatesta conservata presso la Cartoteca del Dipartimento per le attività bibliotecarie, documentali e per l’informazione di ISPRA (Servizio Geologico d’Italia). Fig. 8 - Opening of the Geological Agrarian Museum by King Umberto I on May 3rd 1885 at the new office of Largo S. Su- sanna, 13. Inaugurazione del Museo Geologico Agrario in Largo Santa Susanna 13, da parte del Re Umberto I il 3 maggio 1885. 3.2. Present setting As already mentioned in the previous paragraph, currently the Paleontological Collections consist of a considerable number of remains (around 100.000), di- vided in several sections, a lot of which have a great importance for their scientific value and, not less impor- tant, for their historical and exhibition relevance. Animals (marine and terrestrial) and plants, distri- buted along a time interval that spans from Palaeozoic (Cambrian) to Quaternary (Pleistocene and Holocene) constitute the housed fossil collections. Present day specimens for comparison are also present in the collec- tion. The Collections were originally divided in two large sections: a general one, taxonomically ordered, and a second, which included geographically confined collec- tions, ordered following the different nature of sedi- ments. Furthermore, a remarkable number of fossil re- mains belonging to personal collections must be added. Since the last century, these fossils were studied by many scientists that published the results of their re- searches as monographs or scientific works in presti- gious Italian and foreign scientific journals. In the years 1996-98 the Museum was involved, for the first time from its constitution, in a cataloguing and inventory project. A rather structured data-base for the management of the collections themselves was realised (Angelelli, 1992). In such circumstances the various collections of fossils were grouped in four sec- tions: General collection (about 76.000 specimens) con- tains invertebrate remains collected during the geologi- F. Angelelli et al. 20 cal surveys for the realization of the Geological Map of Italy, and the research activities in the ex-Italian African colonies. Also fossils obtained by exchanges, purchas- es, and donations must be added. Within the general collection some sub-collections such as Didactics, Great samples of isolated fossils, Foreign Sites, and Ichnofos- sils are also included. Historical collection (about 20.000 specimens) (Angelelli, 2008), contains important collections includ- ing several taxonomic groups collected and studied, since the last century, by renowned scientists. The fos- sils are catalogued both taxonomically (Graptolites, Ammonites, Rudists, Ittiofauna) and by the name of the researcher who collected or studied them. Among the main ones: G. Bonarelli, M. Canavari, G. Di Stefano, G. Checchia Rispoli, C. Crema, G. Curioni, T. Lipparini, A. Malatesta, G. Meneghini. C.F. Parona, R. Rasetti, P. and Vinassa de Regny. These collections are of ex- tremely scientific importance because they include many type-specimens (holotypes, lectotypes, plesiotypes, etc.). Vertebrate collection (about 3.000 specimens) contains fossils belonging to the Plio-Pleistocene mam- mal faunas recovered from sedimentary deposits of La- tium, Tuscany, Sicily and of other Italian regions. Plant collection (about 600 specimens) includes both isolated remains mainly of Palaeozoic Pteridophy- tae and Spermatophytae from Germany and material from different Italian localities, among which the Mt. Ja- no flora of the Carboniferous of Tuscany. 3.3 Alberto Malatesta Collection This collection includes about 10.000 remains (di- vided in two sections: vertebrates and invertebrates) coming from the Marittime Alps, Emilia Romagna, Um- bria, Latium, Calabria, Sicily, Egadi Islands and Sardi- nia. It mainly includes Plio-Pleistocene fossils deriving both from the Geological Survey field campaigns carried out by Malatesta and from sub-collections originally created by other scientists who preceded him such as Crema, Aragona, Canavari, Coppi, De Stefani, Lawley, Loss, and Nicosia. 3.3.1 Invertebrate section Among the many Plio-Pleistocene mollusc remains collected by Malatesta, it is worth to mention in primis those coming from the deposits of Grammichele (Sicily) and in secundis the collection coming from the Umbria intrapenninic basin. The studies on the fossils sampled in Sicily and in Umbria produced two important mono- graphs, both published on the Memorie per Servire alla descrizione della Carta Geologica d’Italia. The first one is entitled “Malacofauna pleistocenica di Grammichele (Sicilia)”, published in 1960 (I part) - 1963 (II part) vols. XII; the second one is entitled “Malacofauna pliocenica umbra”, published in 1974, vol. XIII. Those collections and the two monographs represent still today two masterpieces for the studies of the Plio-Pleistocene marine molluscs of Italy. The Grammichele Pleistocene fauna was collected during the geological field surveys in 1954, 1955 and 1958. The specimens mainly come from the deposits near Catallarga and include 225 species and subspecies (123 Gastropods, 4 Scaphopods, 98 Pelecypods), 3 of which Acmaea (Collisella) johannae, Cantharus (Pollia) Fig. 9 - Bust of Quintino Sella, currently housed in the Collec- tion of the Department for librarian activities, documentary and for information of ISPRA - Geological Survey of Italy. Busto di Quintino Sella, attualmente conservato presso le Col- lezioni del Dipartimento per le attività bibliotecarie, documentali e per l’informazione di ISPRA (Servizio Geologico d’Italia). advena and Thericium (Thericium) lividulum antiquum are new taxa (Figs. 10, 11). the first two being holotypes have been illustrated in the catalogue of the types hosted in the Paleontological Collections of ISPRA (AN- GELELLI & ROSSI, 2004). Moreover, at Grammichele, Thais (Polytropa) lapillus represents the first recovery of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. This fauna counts over 550 samples of gastropods and about 730 among scaphopods and bivalves. It’s about a sublitoral fauna, a few deep sea”..”……poche decine di metri, con scogli e massi di rocce vulcaniche, coperti di Laminarie e Litotamni, fra i quali viveva una ricca epifauna di Pro- sobranchi, Mitili, Ostriche e Pettini. Gusci di Trochi e delle altre forme della popolazione intercotidale proveni- vano dalla sovrastante costa rocciosa. Infine l’azione delle correnti ha permesso gli accumuli di resti di endo- fauna proveniente da banchi di sabbione tufaceo. Man- cano specie caratteristiche di fondi melmosi e di am- biente salmastro ad indicare una costa ripida, di fronte al mare aperto e lontana dallo sfocio di corsi d’acqua.”, as specified by the Author (MALATESTA, 1960, p. 22). The Pliocene molluscan faunas of Umbria is much richer than the previous one both in quantity of picked material and in number of species, and it is the result of Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 21 Fig. 10 - Plate X from ANGELELLI & ROSSI (2004) illustrating the holotypes of Acmaea (Collisella) johannae MALATESTA (figs. 1a, b, c) and Cantharus (Pollia) advena MALATESTA (figs. 2a, b) from Grammichele (Sicily). Plate X da ANGELELLI & ROSSI (2004), nella quale sono illustrati gli olotipi di Acmaea (Collisella) johannae MALATESTA (figs. 1a, b, c) e di Cantharus (Pollia) advena MALATESTA (figs. 2a,b) pro- venienti da Grammichele (Sicilia). over one decade of researches, being collected during the geologic surveys on 1960-1965. Around 9000 mol- lusc specimens have been picked, about 3000 of which are gastropods (2293) (Fig. 12) and more than 6000 are bivalves (Fig. 13). All those remains have been re- ferred to 356 species or subspecies coming mainly from the Umbria deposits located in the Chianti, Paglia and Tevere valleys, and subordinately from Tuscany (Case Nanni and Poggio Rotondo). The Umbria collec- tion is at present stored in special wooden chest of drawers in the historical hall of the Paleontological Mu- seum (Fig. 14). Among the large collections of the Geological Sur- vey of Italy rearranged by A. Malatesta, it is worth to re- member the mollusc and echinid faunas from the Eocene of Briga and Tenda (Marittime Alps). Such fauna, col- lected by the Engineer Franchi during the Survey of the Geological Sheet 91 “Boves”, was studied by MALATESTA (1964) who strongly remarked its clear African affinity. 3.3.2 Vertebrate section The studies published by A. Malatesta on the ver- tebrate faunas of the Plio-Pleistocene Italian basins and on the endemic fossils of Sardinia and Sicily gave a substantial contribution to the development of the know- ledge on the fossil mammal faunas of Italy. During the geological field surveys carried out by Malatesta in the area of Alghero (Sardinia), abundant paleontological remains were collected in the marine and continental Pleistocene deposits. One of the most important results was the discovery of a post-Tyrrhenian ossiferous breccia filling a cave opened in the Creta- ceous limestones cliff of Porto Conte Bay. There, the remains of a wild dog were recovered; they consist of skulls, limb bones and vertebrae. Their study and the comparison with living and fossils species of Cuoninae brought to their attribution to Cuon sardous STUDIATI, a Fig 11 - Illustration of the type specimen of Thericium (Theri- cium) lividulum antiquum MALATESTA from Plate IV of the mo- nograph “Malacofauna pleistocenica di Grammichele (Sicilia)” (MALATESTA, 1960). Illustrazione dell’olotipo della nuova sottospecie Thericium (Thericium) lividulum antiquum MALATESTA tratta dalla Tavola IV della monografia “Malacofauna pleistocenica di Grammichele (Sicilia)” (MALATESTA, 1960). species erected more that one century before (MALA- TESTA, 1962). Further recoveries and studies (MALATES- TA, 1970) allowed to refer this species to the subgenus Cynotherium, a fossil taxon recognized also from the Villafranchian of China. The abundant and well pre- served remains of the Sardinian wild dog allowed the laboratory of the Paleontology Institute of “La Sapienza” University to reconstruct an almost complete individual of Cynotherium. Currently, the fossil skeleton is pre- served in its original wood and glass box (Fig. 15) in the ISPRA headquarter of Via Curtatone 3. Recently, within the institutional activities of ISPRA Paleontological Sec- tion, it has been accurately restored under the supervi- sion of F. Angelelli. In the Alghero area, a further important recovery carried out by A. Malatesta was the finding of a complete skeleton of an otter inside the Neptune Cave, near Capo Caccia (Fig. 16). The examination of the skull, initially picked up by the speleologists of Alghero and brought to A. Malatesta, led him to guide personally a survey to re- cover all the remains. In fact, the skull showed a peculiar form, different from any living species. In the subsequent study, MALATESTA (1978) made a revision of all the fossil remains of the Tertiary and Quaternary Lutrinae of Eura- sia and northern Africa, in order to recognize possible affinities of the Sardinian form. At the end, Malatesta arose a new genus (Nesolutra) and the morphological study of the whole skeleton evidenced the adaptation of the new species Nesolutra ichnusae to the marine envi- ronment. This adaptation was also confirmed by the study of the encephalon (ANGELELLI, 1995). Moreover, A. Malatesta re-examined several mammal collections stored in the Paleontological Mu- seum, in particular those recovered by A.C. Blanc from Cava Redicicoli (Bufalotta, Rome) and referred to the Villafranchian Mammal Age. The abundant fossil re- mains were taxonomically revised and ascribed to Mammuthus (Arkidiscodon) meridionalis, Equus alti- dens, Stephanorhinus undsheimensis, Hippopotamus ex antiquus, Pseudodama sp., Bison schoetensacki. On the whole, A. Malatesta referred this fauna to the Gale- rian Mammal Age. F. Angelelli et al. 22 Fig.12- Tav. XXX from the monograph “Malacofauna pliocenica umbra” (Malatesta, 1974) Tav. XXX tratta dalla monografia “Malacofauna pliocenica umbra” (Malatesta,1974). Fig.13 - Tav. VIII from the monograph “Malacofauna pliocenica umbra” (Malatesta, 1974) Tav. VIII tratta dalla monografia “Malacofauna pliocenica umbra” (Malatesta,1974). Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 23 Fig 14 - Historical hall of the “Paleontological Collections” hosting the chest of drawers containing the “Malatesta Collection” situated at the third floor of the Geological Survey at Largo Santa Susanna, 13 - Rome Sala storica delle “ Collezioni Paleontologiche” con le cassettiere in legno che ospitano la Collezione Malatesta, situata al terzo piano della sede del Servizio Geologico di Largo di Santa Susanna, 13 - Roma. 4. PUBLICATIONS As already mentioned, the scientific activity of A. Malatesta, always driven by great passion, curiosity and constancy, showed his indisputed knowledges in both the geological sensu lato and paleontologi- cal fields. In fact, of the 54 publications car- ried out within over twenty years of em- ployment at the Geological Survey of Italy, about 24 are closely connected to palaeon- tology (7 concerning remains of verte- brates, 6 of which on mammals and 1 on bird, 13 concerning molluscs, 1 on echino- ids and 1 on microfaunas), and 2 on more general topics such as general palaeontol- ogy and the application of binomial no- menclature, whereas 25 are more related to geological investigations, and 5 to arc- haeological researches. Actually, such a classification of his publications is somehow forced, because in all his papers it is always evident his multidisciplinary approach that led him to face each single problem in the frame of a general context. This characteristic, revealed not only in the variety of the treated topics but also in each paper, made A. Malatesta an “all- accomplished” researcher, who somehow went against the idea “of specialization” diffused in the Academy. Thanks to his non sectorial knowledge, A. Malatesta could face a wide range of questions concerning pa- laeogeography, biochronostratigraphy, palaeoecology etc. Analyzing his papers in a chronostratigraphic perspective, we notice that his scientific interests were primarily devoted to the problems related to the Plio- Pleistocene and, more in general, to Quaternary, al- though few researches were related to most ancient times, such as the “Egadi Islands fossiliferous Trias” (MALATESTA, 1964a) and “Eocene Fossils of the territo- ry of Briga and Tenda in the Maritime Alps” (MALATES- TA, 1964b) related to the geological survey activities for the realization of the geological Map of Italy at 1:100.000 scale. Even if most of his papers were published on Ital- ian journals (the half of which on the Bollettino del Ser- vizio Geologico d’Italia), his vocational training and scientific authoritativeness were undisputed and appre- ciated also out of Italy. Among the works published during his twenty years at the Geological Survey that contributed in the most in- cisive way to the growth of the paleontological and geo- logical knowledges and those that still today result F. Angelelli et al. 24 unsurpassed (except for the updating of the systematic part) are certainly the two paleontological monographs written at a distance of about 10 years, both pub- lished on the Memorie per Servire alla Descrizione della Carta Geologica d’Ita- lia: the first, dated 1960 (I part) and 1963 (II part), entitled “Malacofauna pleistoce- nica of Grammichele”; the second, dated 1974, entitled “Malacofauna pliocenica Umbra”. They are precious tools not only for the malacologists, but also for all those researchers on stratigraphy. Even if the two monographs are already been treated in Chapter 3, we would like here to mention their contents. Hereinafter, the 54 papers by Malatesta are listed and for each a brief summary is given; sometimes the original summary is re- ported (given in Italic and between in- verted commas). The papers n. 14, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, and 48 are related to the Illustrative Notes of the geological maps 1:100.000 and to the geological survey activity already mentioned in Chapter 2; the works n. 32, 33, 34, 49, and 54 are also treated in the paragraph 3 - Paleontological collections. The works n. 3, 20, 33 have not been reviewed. 1. 1950 - MALATESTA A., “Sulla Grotta Reale di Porto Azzurro (Elba)”. “Investigations in the Grotta di Reale led to the discov- ery of fan intact portion of the Pleistocene layer with Ursus mediterraneus Maj. From these deposits, last century excavations yield a rich mammalian fauna” 2. 1951 - MALATESTA A., “Considerazioni sugli Ochoto- nidae fossili e viventi”. After the examination of the known data related to the most ancient forms of known Duplicidentata, the Author starts to analyse the fossil and living Ochotonidae drawing a map of their palaeogeo- graphic distribution and attempting a phylogenetic and palaeogeographic synthesis of the genus Ochotona. 3. 1951 - MALATESTA A., “Ricerche preistoriche nella Valle della Lima (Lucca)”. 4. 1951 - MALATESTA A., “Osservazioni sull’estensione dei ghiacciai quaternari nella Valle di Kangra (Hi- malaya esterna)”. “L’estremo abbassamento del fronte dei ghiacciai quaternari sulle pendici meridionali del Dhaola Dhar (Punjab, India), sostenuto dal Theobald (1874-1880) è stato alternativamente accettato o messo in dub- bio dai geologi Indiani. L’Autore espone una serie di osservazioni, compiute durante alcuni anni di per- manenza nella regione, e ne trae la conclusione che in corrispondenza della III espansione glaciale le fronti dei ghiacciai dovettero ivi discendere fino a quote intorno ai 1000 m s.l.m.” 5. 1952 - MALATESTA A., “Il Calabriano tra Castiglioncel- lo e Rosignano (Livorno)”. “Viene segnalata e descritta una serie di strati che unisce in continuità stratigrafica argille a Cyprina, già segnalate, con panchine di quota elevata. Vengono descritte e analizzate alcune faune che permettono l’attribuzione della serie al Calabria- no”. 6. 1953 - MALATESTA A. & MARTELLI G., “Sull’origine ed età della porfirite di Calabona (Alghero)”. “Dopo alcune osservazioni petrografiche su campio- ni del vecchio e di un nuovo affioramento di porfirite si espongono considerazioni geologiche sull’età e sulla messa in posto della roccia; procedendo ad un’analisi dei dati e delle ipotesi precedenti, si giun- ge ad attribuire l’età del dicco porfirico alla fine del Cretaceo”. 7. 1954 - MALATESTA A. & TORRENTE A., “Pliocene e Pleistocene a Caltagirone (Sicilia)”. “È stata descritta la serie di un affioramento preva lentemente argilloso presso Caltagirone - F.273, Si- cilia -, esteso dal livello dei trubi fino al Pleistocene. La distribuzione delle specie dei foraminiferi e dei molluschi mette in evidenza che il Pliocene ha una potenza ridotta e che la transizione fra Pliocene e Calabriano è rappresentata da una facies salmastra; al Calabriano propriamente detto è sovrapposto, con lieve discordanza, un livello più recente, definito ge- nericamente “Post-Calabriano”. 8. 1954 - MALATESTA A., “Risultati del rilevamento del foglio 192 Alghero, Sardegna. Note di stratigrafia quaternaria”. After a detailed exposition of the stratigraphical data concerning the Pleistocene deposits of the Alghero coast, the Author concludes that at least two aeolian Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 25 formations of different ages are recognizable, as well as traces of two ancient shorelines at 5 and 30 meters s.l.m., presumably related to two different Tyrrhenian transgressions. 9. 1954 - MALATESTA A., “Aluni risultati della campagna geologica (1953)”. In this paper some results related to the field sur- veys of sheets N°18 “Sondrio”, N°192 “Alghero”, and N°273 “Caltagirone” are reported. More in particular, the stratigraphic and geomorphologic data on the Quaternary deposits of the high Val Brembana (Sheet “Sondrio”) are discussed; observations re- lated to the Jurassic-Cretaceous sediments of the I and IV quadrant of the “Alghero” sheet are reported; the Plio-Pliestocene successions of the tablets IV° NW and SW of the “Caltagirone” sheet are analyzed in a stratigraphic and tectonic perspective. 10. 1954 - MALATESTA A., “Risultati del rilevamento del F° 192 Alghero, Sardegna. Fossili delle spiagge tir- reniane”. “Le spiagge fossili tirreniane di quota +5 del litorale di Alghero contengono una ricca fauna di molluschi marini. L’autore fornisce un elenco di oltre 140 for- me raccolte in quei depositi ed afferma trattarsi di uno dei più ricchi complessi tipicamente tirreniani noti nel Mediterraneo settentrionale. Seguono brevi considerazioni su alcune specie elencate e viene descritta la nuova forma Purpura (Stramonita) hae- mastoma LINNAEUS f. johannae n.” 11. 1954 - MALATESTA A. & SETTEPASSI F., “Risultati del rilevamento del F°192 Alghero, Sardegna. Fossili delle formazioni continentali quaternarie”. 21 species of terrestrial and fresh water molluscs, 15 of birds and 5 of mammals coming from the breccias, aeolian sandstones and post-Tyrrhenian travertines in the Alghero area are listed. Most of them are reported for the first time in the Quaternary of Sardinia, and some are not present in the present day fauna of the island. Moreover, a new form of the terrestrial gastropod Retinella incerta DRAPARNAUD n.f. oblivia is described (note n. 3). 12. 1954 - MALATESTA A., “Primo dente di elefante fossi- le rinvenuto in Sardegna”. In this paper it is described the upper right M1 re- covered in a post-Tyrrhenian breccia near Alghero, referred to E. lamarmorae (species next to E. meri- dionalis). For some characters, this tooth is compa- rable with the upper molars of the Sicilian species E. melitensis. 13. 1954 - MALATESTA A., “Il cosidetto Campanile della necropoli nuragica di S. Andrea Priu (Bonorva)”. The Author describes and illustrates a prehistoric monument of the Nuragic necropolis of S. Andrea Priu in Sardinia, which can be interpreted as a grave. Its shape recalls a not identifiable zoomor- phic figure (the anterior part of the head is miss- ing), possibly a taurine image, very common in Sardinia and often connected to buildings of burial and cult. 14. 1955 - MALATESTA A. & SEGRE A.G., “F° 111 Livor- no. Note illustrative della Carta geologica d’Italia”. It is worth to underline that A. Malatesta alone car- ried out the layout of this note, as well as the whole sheet survey, wherehas A.G. Segre developed the continental and marine hydrography. This is also documented by the words of Beneo, at that moment Director of the Geological Survey of Italy, when, in the 1951 activity annual report textually wrote “… si è realizzato in pochi mesi, ad opera del dott. Mala- testa il completamento del rilievo ex novo del foglio 111 (Livorno), ora praticamente pronto per la stam- pa della 2° edizione.” (BENEO, 1951). Since Leghorn was the native town of Malatesta, it is perhaps easier to understood how much the enthu- siasm and the knowledges already previously ac- quired by A. Malatesta could have contributed to give those definitive results in such a brief time. Particularly interesting are the considerations on the genesis of the conglomerate of Calafuria, aged Oli- gocene-Miocene, in which the presence of a marine bivalve fauna suggested its deposition in a marine coastal environment. 15. 1955 - MALATESTA A., “Risultati preliminari del rile- vamento in Sicilia e nelle isole Egadi”. Here, the sediments cropping out in the Grammi- chele area (Trubi Fm., tufa and sandstones) and the recent deposits of the Egadi Island are shortly de- scribed. At Favignana the Calabrian-Tyrrhenian de- posits are covered by reddish sands while at Levan- zo and Marettimo only the Tyrrhenian deposits are present, followed by aeolian dunes at Levanzo and by breccias at Marettimo. 16. 1955 - MALATESTA A. & NICOSIA M.L., “I fossili del Pliocene e Pleistocene di Agrigento della Collezione Lomi”. The list of 183 Piacenzian and Calabrian species is reported. Particularly, the Calabrian fauna is com- posed by 9 Echinodermata, 4 Bryozoa, 70 Bivalvia, 72 Gastropoda and 8 Scaphopoda, while the Pia- cenzian one, less diversified, consists of 7 bivalves, 12 gastropods and 1 Scaphod. It is to be remarked that 88 Calabrian species were not yet reported at that time. 17. 1955 - MALATESTA A., “Faune a Cyprina islandica L. tra piazza Armerina e Mazzarino (Sicilia centro- meridionale)”. “Una nuova località fossilifera individuata presso S. Cono (Piazza Armerina) ha fornito una piccola fauna nella quale appare assai di frequente Cypri- na islandica L.; questa specie è stata raccolta an- che recentemente nel nuovo giacimento di M. Na- vone. Le faune delle due località non sono suffi- cienti a definire se si tratti di Pliocene superiore o di Calabriano Sebbene nei molluschi vi sia una cer- ta tendenza verso il più recente, l’associazione dei F. Angelelli et al. 26 Foraminiferi indicherebbe piuttosto il Pliocene (A- stiano). Poiché gli orizzonti fossiliferi sono in conti- nuità stratigrafica con formazioni sicuramente plio- ceniche, se ne deduce la possibilità che queste faune coincidono con una precoce introduzione di Cyprina islandica.” 18. 1955 - MALATESTA A., “Denticulina doderleini D. ST. nel Pliocene inferiore della Sicilia”. “Sono indicate due nuove località fossilifere nel Pliocene inferiore della Sicilia. La fauna contiene, insieme a poche altre specie, molti esemplari di Denticulina doderleinii D. ST., specie generalmente ritenuta come caratteristica nel Miocene siciliano. La posizione stratigrafica di uno dei giacimenti e lo studio dei Foraminiferi eseguiti dal Professor Lippa- rini garantiscono in questo caso l’età pliocenica. Frammenti della roccia marnosa ancora aderente ad esemplari di Denticulina Doderleini D. ST. nella classica località di Centuripe, ritenuti di età mioce- nica, hanno permesso di riconoscere una fauna di Foraminiferi simile alla precedente e perciò plioce- nica.” 19. 1955 - LIPPARINI T., MALATESTA A., NICOSIA M.L. & VALDINUCCI A., “Pliocene e Quaternario di Capo Milazzo in Sicilia”. The conglomerate deposits that crop out on the ter- race surface of Cape Milazzo are described allowing the following observations: 1) the conglomerates and the yellow marl represent only a part of a sedimentary cycle, whose upper le- vels have been removed by the successive erosion cycles; 2) they correspond to the basal layers of the Pia- cenzian of Barcelona surroundings; 3) they contain a fauna made of foraminifers, corals, echinoderms, brachiopods, molluscs and fishes, which allow to establish their Pliocene age with cer- tainty. Besides, it was pointed out the existence of two dif- ferent marine terraces previously not recognized: a) an high terrace uplifted from 25 to 60 m a.s.l. bearing rich Mytilus and Trochidae fauna (ex Milaz- zian in age); b) a low terrace uplifted from the present sea level up to 3 m, bearing a scarce and not significative fauna. No tectonic movement has altered the relative posi- tion of the terraces. The problem of their age will be solved only through the palaeontological analyses, but at the moment it is not correct to ascribe them neither to the Sicilian nor to the Tyrrhenian ages. 20. 1956 - MALATESTA A., “Conchiglie”. 21. 1956 - MALATESTA A. & MOTTA S., “Notizie prelimina- ri di geologia messinese”. In this paper the observations derived from the geo- logical survey of the three tablets IV SO “Messina”, IV NE “Ganzirri”, and IV NO “Castanea” (of the Sheet N°254 “Messina”) are reported. Starting above the crystalline basement, the analyzed depo- sits are made of sandstones, sands, tripoli, limes- tones and puddingstones marls that must be re- ferred to the Miocene-Calabrian interval. 22. 1956 - JACOBACCI A., MALATESTA A & MARTELLI G., “Prime notizie sul nuovo rilevamento geologico dei Monti Peloritani”. The lithological-stratigraphical series of the Pelorita- ni Mts. is preliminarily reconstructed following the geological survey of the tablets I - SW “Milazzo”, II - NW “Castroreale”, III-NE “Furnari”, and III-NW “Pat- ti”, of the Sheet N°253 “Castroreale”. Above the me- tamorphic complex basement, the following sedi- mentary formations have been recognized (from the base to the top): a) clastic basal deposits; b) varie- gated clays, schist clays associated with heteroge- neous lithoid pebbles; c) arenaceous puddingstones complex (Lower and Middle Miocene in age); d) Tor- tonian sediments; e) solfiferous complex; f) middle- upper Pliocene deposits; g) Calabrian deposits bear- ing Cyprina islandica and Buccinum undatum; h) ter- raced conglomerates; i) Quaternary marine deposits (aged Milazzian and Tyrrhenian). 23. 1956 - MALATESTA A. & SEGRE A., “Considerazioni paleontologiche e sistematiche su Turris (Fusiturris) undatiruga BIV”. “La rarità di questa specie vivente, e fossile (Gi- gnoux 1913, non la cita) ha suggerito una revisione sistematica. Si confrontano le diagnosi degli AA. a cominciare dal Bivona p., e si riportano le località ove è stata rinvenuta fossile (Siciliano e Tirreniano) e vivente:dall’Equatore al 38° lat. Nord. Nel Mediter- raneo manca sulle coste di Spagna, Francia e Italia peninsulare ed è assente dall’intero bacino orienta- le. Vive piuttosto in profondità nei fondali a corallina- cee oltre i 50 m: è specie senegalese e mediterra- neo-africana a tendenza relativamente “calda”. Chiarite le differenze tra i gen. Turris e Surcula si ri- conosce che Pleurotoma similis BIV., Pl.balteata BECK, Pl.corrugata KIENER, Pl.tenue GRAY, Pl. becki WKAUF. non sono che forme viventi della Pl. undati- ruga BIV. tutte limitate nell’ambito della variabilità della specie. Nella letteratura estremamente sparsa esistono incertezze e confusione. Si nota tutt’al più una forma maggiormente elongata con 10-12 anfrat- ti, ed una più tozza, corta, con circa 9 anfratti l’ornamentazione mostra differenze minime. Questa specie è sempre rara, sia fossile, sia vivente, onde va accolta con prudenza l’apparenza più massiccia e robusta degli esemplari fossili più antichi.” 24. 1957 - MALATESTA A., “Terreni, faune e industrie qua- ternarie nell’Arcipelago delle Egadi”. The deposits outcropping at Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo are here described on the basis of the data collected during the geological survey of the Sheet N°256. At Favignana, above the pre- Quaternary successions, the Calabrian sandstones and Tyrrhenian beaches crop out. The last one are referable to: Tyrrhenian I deposits (cropping out at Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 27 30 m a.s.l.); Tyrrhenian II beaches bearing Strom- bus (at 5 m a.s.l.), as well as post-Tyrrhenian sands bearing terrestrial molluscs. At Levanzo a well evident Strombus beach rests on the Meso- zoic limestones; it is followed by sands bearing pulmonates and breccias overlayed or intercalated to aeolian sands. At Marettimo, the well represented Tyrrhenian beach at 5 m a.s.l. unconformably over- lies the Triassic limestones, and the Jurassic and Paleogene deposits. Although this beach does not bear Strombus, remains of Spondylus, Purpura and large Patella are enough to confirm its Tyrrhe- nian age. 25. 1957 - MALATESTA A., “On Thais (Polytropa) lapillus lapillus (LINNE’) in the Pleistocene of Sicily”. For the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, the presence of Thais (Polytropa) lapillus lapillus (LINNÈ) is pointed out, collected at the Sicilian Pleistocene site of Grammichele. This species have never been signaled neither as fossil nor in the living state. On the base of the present and past distribution of the subgenus Polytropa, the Author proposes that the origin of its diffusion is from the low Boreo-Arctic bi- oprovince. 26. 1957 - MALATESTA A. & PANNUTI S., “Giacimento preistorico di superficie presso Acilia”. The presence of a prehistoric human settlement is reported to the NE of Acilia, from a quite superficial level immediately below the agrarian soil. The anal- ysis of over 150 siliceous tools (among which nuc- leuses, splinters and blades) led the Authors to refer them to the “Pontinian” lithic facies of the Latium Musterian. 27. 1958 - MALATESTA A., “Osservazioni sul Pliocene e il Pleistocene della costa settentrionale della Sicilia tra Gualtieri-Sicaminò e Gioiosa Marea”. “Tra Gualtieri Sicaminò e Gioiosa Marea, lungo la costa settentrionale della Sicilia, sono estesamente sviluppati terreni pliocenici e quaternari sinora strati- graficamente e paleontologicamente poco noti. Gli affioramenti del Pliocene sono i più limitati perché in parte smantellati dall’erosione, in parte coperti dai terreni pleistocenici. La base del Pliocene rappre- sentata dai “ trubi “ è qui spesso discordante rispetto ai terreni precedenti. Vengono indicate alcune locali- tà dove è visibile un conglomerato di base. Mentre nel bacino di Castroreale la serie si continua con ar- gille di facies piacenziana, nel bacino di Patti si svi- luppa una facies arenacea, simile a quella delle Masse, presso Messina. Il Calabriano è rappresen- tato da una serie arenaceo calcarea discordante sul- le formazioni precedenti. In questa serie sono state individuate alcune località fossilifere delle quali vie- ne elencata la malacofauna, che comprende Pecten maximus, Chlamys septemradiata e Cyprina islandi- ca. Le dislocazioni presenti indicano che la posizio- ne di questi terreni risulterebbe nel complesso ab- bassata rispetto alla dorsale cristallina dei Peloritani. Si hanno invece prove di una trasgressione post- calabriana (Siciliano di Gignoux?): conglomerati di base sul Calabriano a +50, puddinghe sospese sul cristallino a +70, grotte e fasce di fori di litodomi fino a circa +90. Questi antichi livelli della linea di riva si raccordano probabilmente con i depositi del cosi detto “Milaziano” di Capo Milazzo. I conglomerati marini passano superiormente a grandi depositi al- luvionali, che formano una fascia costiera pianeg- giante a partire da 135 s.l.m. Queste alluvioni si sa- rebbero deposte in fase eustatica regressiva e sa- rebbero legate alle condizioni paleoclimatiche di queste zone in corrispondenza della fase anaglacia- le. 28. 1958 - MALATESTA A., “Cenni sui risultati delle cam- pagne geologiche effettuate durante l’anno 1956”. The paper includes further observations on the mol- luscan fauna collected in the Tortonian clays at Patti (Sicily) that appears a mixed assemblage with typi- cal marine Tortonian and brackish Pontian facies. Moreover, it is shortly described the Pliocene mol- lusc fauna of Casteloto (Benevento). 29. 1959 - MALATESTA A.,”Notizie preliminari su una fauna del Pleistocene siciliano”. The Author mentions the main characters of the Grammichele molluscan fauna, concluding that typi- cally cold Pleistocene species such as Neptunea, Buccinum, Cyprina and Thais lapillus occurred to- gether with temperate-warm species such as Patella ferruginea, Polynices lacteus, Pisania reticolata and Turris undatiruga. Particularly, the presence of the last three species would prove “che la penetrazione nel Mediterraneo di forme di tipo senegalese non fu esclusiva prerogativa dell’ultimo interglaciale e che alcune di tali forme poterono occasionalmente vive- re in contemporaneità con le faune a carattere bore- ale”. 30. 1959 - MALATESTA A., “Note di Geologia e Geomor- fologia della valle Caudina e sulla Valle del fiume Calore”. The geologic setting of two valleys of the Beneven- tano area is described. Particularly in the Caudina Valley, resting above the Cretaceous limestones, arenaceous sediments attributable to the Miocene, followed by Pliocene sediments with clays of the “Piacenzian” facies overlayed by sands and sand- stones have been recognized. Grey tuffs of post- Tyrrhenian age crop out at the top of the succes- sion. The geologic setting of the Cadore Valley is more complex. Concerning the Cadore River “il cui profilo longitudinale è legato all’altezza di sbocco nel Fiume Volturno, le fasi di alluvionamento debbono corrispondere nel complesso a periodi glaciali e le fasi di incisione a periodi interglaciali”. Several ter- races, the lowest of which was referred to the Würm glacial stage (confirmed by a lacustrine molluscs fauna) and the highest to the penultimate glaciation, have been also recognized. 31. 1959 - MALATESTA A., “Di un livello fossilifero attra- versato dalla galleria di Bomba nella Valle del San- gro”. Eleven species of molluscs collected in calcareous breccias within supposed Cretaceous clays are de- scribed in the present paper. Paleontological analy- sis allowed to refer this outcrop to an age not more F. Angelelli et al. 28 Fig.17 - Premise and geological map of the Calabrian deposits cropping out in the Grammichele area at the fossiliferous site of Cata- llarga (MALATESTA, 1960). Premessa e carta geologica relativa al Calabriano nel territorio di Grammichele e la zona fossilifera di Catallarga (MALATESTA, 1960). ancient than Pliocene, due to the presence of Pec- ten planomedius and Chlamys pesfelis. 32. 1960 - MALATESTA A., “Malacofauna pleistocenica di Grammichele (Sicilia). Parte I”. (Fig. 17). This monograph represents “the first outstanding research” that A. Malatesta left to the paleontologi- cal community. This study is of particular importance since it includes the richest Calabrian fauna known till then in Sicily. This first part is divided in 4 chap- ters. In the first the composition of the fauna with the list of the collected species, notes on their ecology, considerations on those species “survived” or de- rived from the Neogene Mediterranean fauna of In- do-Pacific origin (about 12%), and information on the new guests of extra-Mediterranean origin are described. The second chapter devotes different pages to the problems of the immigration of the At- lantic species in the Mediterranean, that occurred during the glacial phases. In the third chapter, the problem of the classification is discussed, particular- ly the difficulties to compare the examined fauna with the species and the sub-species types. Finally, in the fourth chapter devoted to the taxonomy of ga- stropods, for each species the taxonomic position (including synonymy), dimensions, and number of the collected specimens are provided. Furthermore, for each species stratigraphical, ecological and pa- laeogeographic information are given. 33. 1961 - JACOBACCI A., MALATESTA A. & MOTTA S., “Piano di studi nello stretto di Messina per il colle- gamento della Sicilia con la Calabria. I Ricerche ge- ologiche”. 34. 1962 - MALATESTA A., “Mediterranean Polyplacopho- ra, Cenozoic and Recent”. A study about the origin and the diffusion of the present Mediterranean polyplacophoras is dis- cussed. For each of the 13 species represented in the Mediterranean Sea, the Author gives the de- scription of the morphological characteristics of the plates accompanied by schematic sketches and maps with their distribution from the Neogene to Present, in order to better clarify their origin and dif- fusion from Cenozoic to Present. Lepidopleurus (Le- pidopleurus) cajetanus, Lepidopleurus (Lepidopleu- rus) cancellatus, Hanleya hanleyi, Lepidochitona Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 29 (Lepidochitona) cinereus, Ischnochiton (Ischnochi- ton) rissoi, Chiton (Chiton) olivaceus, Chiton (Chi- ton) corallinus, Acanthochitona communis, Midden- dorffia caprearum are endemic Mediterranean spe- cies widespread since the Mio-Pliocene; Lepidopleu- rus (Lepidopleurus) asellus, Lepidopleurus (Lepi- dopleurus) algerinensis, Callochiton (Callochiton) achatinus, Acanthochitona (Acanthochitona) fascicu- laris immigrated from the Atlantic into the Mediterra- nean in the middle-early Pleistocene; for Callochiton (Callochiton) achaticus a Mediterranean origin in ra- ther recent times is very probable. 35. 1962 - MALATESTA A., “Il cane selvaggio del Pleisto- cene di Sardegna”. In this paper, the bone remains (skulls, jaws, verte- brae, and limb bones) collected near Alghero within an ossiferous breccias post-Tyrrhenian in age are described. They have been referred to Cuon (Cyno- therium) sardous (Studiati). This species is charac- terised by a rather narrow and lengthened head and short limbs, intermediary between the jackal and the Lycaon. The morphology of the teeth revealed an exclusively carnivorous attitude, since they were not adapted to the bone trituration. Remains of deer bones connected to the recovery of Cuon suggested that the deer was its usual prey. Since the preys were larger-sized than the predators, it is possible to suppose that C. (C.) sardous probably chased in group. 36. 1963 - MALATESTA A., “Malacofauna pleistocenica di Grammichele (Sicilia). Parte II”. The second part of the Grammichele monography was published with a remarkable delay in compari- son with the first one, due to lack of funds. It con- tains the completion of the IV chapter on taxonomy, dealing with Scaphopoda and Bivalvia classes, and by a V chapter devoted to the geographic and strati- graphic distribution of the mollusc species, with ana- lytical indexes and bibliography. 37. 1964 - MALATESTA A., “Fossili eocenici del territorio di Briga e Tenda”. “L’ing. FRANCHI S., cui si deve una parte del rile- vamento del foglio Boves (n.91 della Carta Geologi- ca d’Italia), raccolse una serie di campioni fossiliferi in terreni eocenici dei Monti di Briga e Tenda nelle Alpi Marittime. Questo materiale, conservato nelle Collezioni del Servizio Geologico d’Italia, era rimasto sino ad oggi inedito. L’autore pubblica qui il risultato dello studio dei resti dei molluschi ed echinidi. Si tratta di 17 bivalvi dei quali è stato possibile ricono- scere la specie e di uno indicato solo genericamen- te, di 14 di gasteropodi e di un echinide. La distribu- zione stratigrafica delle forme segnalate indica un’ètà compresa tra l’Eocene medio e l’Eocene su- periore (Luteziano-Priaboniano). Notevole è la pre- senza di forme a carattere meridionale, africano.” 38. 1964 - MALATESTA A., “Trias fossilifero a Marettimo nelle isole Egadi”. The fossiliferous levels bearing mollusc faunas in the Marettimo Island are here reported. The recog- nized species Modiolus paronai, Modiolus gracilis, Pleuromya cf. musculoides, Lexonema obsoletum, Climbed undularia?, and Omphaloptlcha turris sug- gest an age near to middle-upper Triassic with “sug- gestione preponderante verso il Carnico-Retico. Nel- la faunula compaiono forme sia della facies germa- nica che di quella alpina” [preponderant suggestion toward the Carnico - Retico. In the faunula appear forms both of the German and of the Alpine facies.] . The small sizes, according to the Author due to dwarfism as already pointed out in other Triassic faunas, are also underlined. 39. 1964 - MALATESTA A., “Uber einige pleistozane Susswassermollusken aus Mittel-Italien”. For the first time, the continental molluscan faunas collected from the Pleistocene deposits of Tuscany and Umbria are broadly described and discussed; in this occasion a new subspecies Viviparus bergeroni etruscus is arised. The other examined forms are: Unio pillae, Margaritifera (Pseudunio) auricularia, and Corbicula fluminalis. 40. 1967 - DRAGONE F., MAINO A., MALATESTA A. & SE- GRE A.G., “F° 149 Cerveteri. Note Ill”. Within the geological survey for the Sheet “Cervete- ri” A. Malatesta worked in the northern part on the Quaternary stratigraphy (from q to F1 terrains), de- scribing the marine clays/sands and the fluvial lake/deltaic sequences, both from a sedimentologic and paleontological point of view (from microfaunas to vertebrates). Geological profiles and stratigraphic logs are also provided to better clarify some geome- tric relations such as the escarp near the Torre in Pietra castle or the regular slope of the Vallone of Pratolungo between Pagliaccetto and Torre in Pietra localities. 41. 1967 - JACOBACCI A., MALATESTA A., MARTELLI G. & STAMPANONI G., “F°163 Lucera. Note Ill”. Together with G. Stampanoni, A. Malatesta carried out the stratigraphical study of the Pliocene-Calabrian and Quaternary sediments of the Sheet “Lucera”. He studied also the collected molluscan faunas. 42. 1967 - MALATESTA A., PERNO U. & STAMPANONI G., “F.° 175 Cerignola. Note Ill”. In this note, A. Malatesta contributed to write several chapters (introduction, historical signs about geologi- cal knowledge of the region, morphology, applied geology). Together with G. Stampanoni, he de- scribed the Plio-Pleistocene successions, and he put in evidence that the clayey-sandy complex, characte- rized at the base and the top by conglomerated epi- sodes, represented a whole sedimentary cycle, al- though the upper terms may have included second- ary episodes of sea oscillations and flooding. 43. 1967 - CONATO V., MALATESTA A. & VALLETTA M., “Calabriano ad Acrtica islandica sulla costa meridio- nale d’Abruzzo”. During the geological survey of the “Vasto” Sheet, some fossiliferous levels were found along a clayey escarpment near km 520 of the “Adriatic” highway (locality Salce - Sheet 148 at 1:100.000 scale IGM tab. II NE Casalbordino). They bore Arctica islandica and a characteristic Calabrian microfauna including F. Angelelli et al. 30 Astrononion citai, Bolivina catanensis and Lepto- cythere multipunctata, allowing “... di definire l’età dei sedimenti della costa meridionale dell’Abruzzo, e di aggiungere un nuovo dato circa la diffusione di quel bivalve nel Mediterraneo pleistocenico “ [to de- fine the sediments age of the Abruzzo southern co- ast and to add a new datum about the diffusion of that bivalve in the Mediterranean Pleistocene]. 44. 1969 - COMPAGNONI B., CONATO V., FOLLIERI M. & MALATESTA A., “Il Calabriano di Scalea”. Along the Calabrian coast, during the survey of the tablet II NO “Scalea” of the Sheet N° 220 “Verbica- ro”, sandy-clayey sediments were sampled and provided a microfauna with Globigerina dubia, G. pachyderma, Hyalinea balthica, Globorotalia infla- ta, Loxostoma pseudodigital, and 105 species of molluscs with the 10% of extinct forms. This per- centage was higher than those displayed by the classical Sicilian faunas and a little bit lower than that of the Grammichele Calabrian layers. These data suggested for the sediments of Scalea a lower Calabrian age. The recovered vegetable remains attributed to Fagus silvatica, Pinus and Abies sug- gested relatively cold climatic conditions. The se- dimentary succession, interrupted at the top by an erosional surface, continued upwards with conglo- merates and sands referable to the Sicilian age. Terraced sediments, with pebbles, referable to the Tyrrhenian I or to the Milazzian stages close the succession. 45. 1969 - JACOBACCI A., MALATESTA A., MARTELLI G., “ F° 121 Montepulciano. Note Ill”. As specified in the introduction “A. Malatesta ha rile- vato i sedimenti plio-pleistocenici della parte centro- orientale del foglio (Val di Chiana)………. ha diretto e coordinato gli studi nei sedimenti più recen- ti……Lo studio delle macrofaune plio-pleistoceniche è stato condotto da A. Malatesta e M.L. Nicosia”. In particular, on the basis of geologic-stratigraphical sections, A. Malatesta described the P1-M3 depo- sits, underlining the progressive predominance of conglomerates in the upper part of the succession. He referred the pebble deposits to the Pliocene se- ries and clarified the geometric relations between the fluvial-lacustrine and marine Pliocene deposits. 46. 1969 - MALATESTA A., “Conchiglie di mare che si raccolgono in terra”. This short note includes a brief description of the fossilization processes of mollusc shells, followed by the description of 8 species of living molluscs: 4 species of Murex e 4 of Voluta. 47. 1969 - MALATESTA A., “Conchiglie di mare che rac- colgono a terra - Un gruppo scomparso di bivalvi: le Rudiste”. This one-page short article illustrates, with simplicity but at the same time with scientific rigor, the Rudist fossil group. 48. 1970 - JACOBACCI A., BERGOMI C., CENTAMORE E., MALATESTA A., MALFERRARI N., MARTELLI G., PAN- NUZZI L. & ZATTINI N., “F°115 Città di Castello, F° 122 Perugia, F° 130 Orvieto. Note Ill”. The contribution of A. Malatesta to this note is re- lated to the stratigraphy of “Città di Castello” and “Perugia” geologic sheets of which he was the sur- vey director and the Plio-Pleistocene macrofauna analyst. He underlined that” I sedimenti marini, o prevalentemente tali, di età pliocenica affiorano nelle serie occidentali dei fogli “Perugia “ ed “Orvieto” e sono in evidente trasgressione su tutti i sedimenti più antichi: Si tratta di litofacies esclusivamente cla- stiche, con elementi da finissimi a grossolani. I de- positi plio-pleistocenici di facies continentale appar- tengono a più cicli di deposizione ed anch’essi pre- sentano facies prevalentemente clastiche”. 49. 1970 - MALATESTA A., “Cynotherium sardous STUDIA- TI an extinct canid from the Pleistocene of Sardinia”. “The first remains of a fossil dog found in Sardinia were formerly regarded by STUDIATI as rapresen- tant of a new genus and species, Cynotherium sardous. The rich material recentely come to light in a cave, from a layer correlated to the Wurm glacial stage, allows to get a complete description of the skeleton of that species. In the general form of its dog is more similar to species of the genus Canis than to any representant of the Cuoninae. Even the mandible differs from the cuonine pattern and shows rather a fox-like profile, being elongated, straight and slender, with condyloid process placed low in comparison with the alveolar border. There are in the skull, some peculiar characters, such as lyrate sagittal area, small bullae, long frontals with small postorbital processes, narrow palatine. High and swollen maxillary, that distinguish it form the skull of whichever known living or fossil dog. The dental formula is: i 3.3, c 1.1 , p 4.4 , m 2.2 . 3.3 1.1 3-(4) . 3-(4) 3.3 Most probabily Cynotherium diet consisted mainly of small mammals, birds and other small animals in- cludes Prolagus”. 50. 1970 - MALATESTA A., “Nascita della nomenclatura binomia e della classificazione”. This paper represents a short historical excursus on the birth of Taxonomy. With the use of the binomial nomenclature and the Latin language, the linguistic barriers are overcome, allowing the scientists of the whole world to understand each other using the same taxonomical language. 51. 1971 - MALATESTA A., “Appunti di paleontologia ge- nerale”. This text-book was written for the students of the course of Paleontology at “La Sapienza” University of Roma. Several palaeontological topics are treated in a clear and exhaustive way: fossilization, evolu- tion, concept of genus, geographical distribution, mechanisms of speciation, environment, actualism, and elements of statistics, as well as a complete ex- position of the invertebrate taxonomy, and some in- formation about fossil vertebrates and plants. 52. 1971 - MALATESTA A., SURIANO F., “Avifauna pleisto- cenica di Alghero (Sardegna)” In this paper, the fossil remains of about 20 species Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 31 of birds collected in a Pleistocene layer cropping out at the “Cala della Calcina” inlet near Porto Conte (Alghero) are described. Besides the morphological description of the bony remains, the frequencies of each recognized taxonomic group are mentioned: the mostly represented are Columbiformes, Falconi- formes and Passeriformes. The occurrence of some anatidis (Colymbus, Anser, and Branta and of Pyr- rhocoras pyrrhocoras), currently absent in the Sar- dinian fauna, points out relatively cold and damp climatic conditions referable to the Würm glacial. 53. 1974 - CALOI L. & MALATESTA A., “Il cervo pleistoce- nico in Sardegna”. This paper describes and discusses the very abun- dant bone remains belonging to the cervid Megace- ros (Nesoleipoceros) cazioti (Deperet), recovered in the Dragonara Cave, near Alghero and referable to the Würm age. The fossil material was collected dur- ing 15 years of repeated excavation campaigns. The main morphological characteristics of the species can be synthetized as following: notably high teeth, and antlers with notable affinities with those of Me- gaceros verticornis but differing for the absence of the beam right angle. Concerning the proportion of the limb bones, a shortening of the proximal seg- ments is noticed, with an elongation of the distal ones. The proportions between anterior and post- erior limbs is similar to those of Cervus elaphus, while the percentage ratio between the vertebral column and limbs length is comparable to that showed by Rusa unicolor. The proportions of the limb bones, the presence of strong hoofs and the tilted pastoral point out strong adaptation to run and to move in rocky environment. “Circa la penetrazio- ne degli antenati di M.cazioti nelle isole diverse con- siderazioni indicano che la migrazione verso queste regioni non potè iniziarsi prima del Siciliano” inoltre “… la povertà delle mammalofaune quaternarie ed attuali di Sardegna e Corsica mostra che durante il viaggio attraverso quei ponti continentali si dovette esercitare una drastica azione filtrante tra le specie emigranti” “I resti di M.cazioti provengono general- mente da depositi wurmiani ma anche quelli raccolti in depositi più antichi (Capo Figari) non presentano caratteri diversi da quelli tipici della specie. Poiché neppure sul continente si riscontrano forme fossili che possano rappresentare fasi di transizione tra M.cazioti ed il suo presunto antenato (M. vertcornis), si suppone che il processo di differenziazione si sia svolto in una zona oggi sommersa dall’antico ponte continentale.” 54. 1974 - MALATESTA A., “Malacofauna pliocenica um- bra”. (Fig.18) Fig. 18 - Title page and introduction to the “Malacofauna pliocenica umbra” (MALATESTA 1974). Frontespizio e introduzione della “Malacofauna pliocenica umbra”(MALATESTa,1974). F. Angelelli et al. 32 Published in 1974, this monograph is the result of over one decade of researches. It concerns 356 species and/or subspecies of molluscs coming from the Pliocene deposits of Umbria and, partially, of Tuscany. It is a complete monographic work in which for every species the following items are pro- vided: taxonomy, synonymy, description and discus- sion of the distinctive characters (with information about the number of collected specimens, their di- mensions and indication of the layers of origin), chronological and geographical distribution, ecology, and, finally, some general considerations. For some species, considered more meaningful, the variation of their geographical distribution is reported for the different periods of Cenozoic Era, sometimes up to the present day. Those variations are shown through geographical maps (24 in total), with the intent to evidence the dispersion areas of the different spe- cies through different times. Moreover, a scheme with the distribution of the forms described in the Eu- ropean basins (North Sea, European Atlantic and Mediterranean) and northern Africa (African Atlantic) from the Cenozoic to the present is also provided. The value of this monograph is completed by the presence of 32 photographic black and white tables. 5. OTHER TASKS 5.1 Applied geology consultancy Beyond the compilation of the Geological Map of Italy scale 1:100.000, one of the main task of the Geo- logical Survey of Italy was to provide geological support to Public Administrations and the public and private cor- porate bodies to solve problems related to the stability of the inhabited areas, road constructions, etc. The as- sistance of the Geological Survey was asked not only by the Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici, but also by the Cassa del Mezzogiorno, Province Administrations, the Genio Civile etc. It must be underlined that, along the years, the request for the investigations on landslides became more and more frequent, as soon as the public interest moved towards areas not previously urbanized (urbanis- tic and road expansion, construction of aqueducts, etc.). From this perspective it is easy to understand why, al- though A. Malatesta was not assigned to the applied geology sector, he was requested to give also applied geology consultancies. Examining the registers currently in the archive of the Department of Land Defence - Service of Applied Geology and Hydrogeology, we have drawn several documents from which it results that A. Malatesta gave the following consultancies in the years 1950-1965: 1955 - On demand of the Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici: Study on the landslides in the Naso area (Messina). Demand n°1126 of the 01-03-1955 (Fig. 19). 1958 - On demand of the Catanzaro Province: Study on the consolidation of the build-up area of the Scaglio and Canali neighbourhoods (CZ). Demand n°2812 of the 23- 12-1958 (Fig. 20). 1960 - On demand of the Genio Civile office of Avellino: study for the consolidation of the build-up areas of Mon- tecalvo and Bisaccia (Avellino). Proposal of perimetrical extension. Demand n°8396/10098 of the 24-05-1960 n°440 (Figs. 21-24) . 1961 - On demand of the Genio Civile office of Sassari: consolidation of the build-up area of Esporlato (Sassari). Demand n°5793 of the 24-04-1961 n°503 (Fig. 25). 1961. On demand of the Genio Civile office of Reggio Calabria: study on the consolidation of the build-up areas of Plaesano - Feroleto della Chiesa (Reggio Calabria). Demand n°2107 of the 20-6-1961 n° 518 (Fig. 26). 1961 - On demand of the Provveditorato Opere Pub- liche of Cagliari: study of the landslides near Esterzilli (Cagliari). Demand n°8173 of the 12-07-1961 n° 537 (Fig. 27). 1961 - On demand of the Ministero del Lavori Pubblici: study for the application n°5972 of the 28-08-1961 con- solidation of the build-up area of Aggius (Sassari) n° 543. 1962 - On demand of the Genio Civile office of Reggio Calabria: study for the consolidation of the build-up areas of Campoli and Agromastelli near Caulonia (Reggio Ca- labria). Demand n°826 of the 26-2-1962 n° (Fig. 28). 5.2 Technical-administrative tasks Among the many activities carried out by A. Mala- testa within the Geological Survey of Italy, the following are worth to be mentioned: a) Member of the Editorial Board of the Bollettino del Servizio Geologico d’Italia from 1968 (Fig. 29); b) Member of the Italian Stratigraphy Committee from 1969 (Fig. 30); c) Following the voluntary resignation of the General Manager of the Geological Survey of Italy Attilio Mo- retti and before the nomination of Alfredo Jacobacci, at the end of his career in the Geological Survey A. Malatesta was deputy General Manager of the Geo- logical Survey of Italy for a brief period. ACKNOWEDGMENTS We wish to thank our friend and colleague Gabriel- la Pesci for her support and expertise in the English translation of this paper. REFERENCES ANGELELLI F. (1992) - Guida tecnica per la realizzazione di un centro di documentazione geologica del terri- torio nazionale - Progetto Geodoc - Le collezioni Paleontologiche, 1-20. Inedito, Servizio Geologico Nazionale, May 1992, Roma. ANGELELLI F. (1995) - Peculiar sensorimotor characters inferred from an endocranial cast of Nesolutra ich- nusae Malatesta, an endemic pleistocene otter from Sardinia. Geol. Romana, 31, pp.15-20. ANGELELLI F. (2006) - Il museo virtuale delle Collezioni geologiche e storiche di APAT: Le Collezioni pale- ontologiche- Giornate di Paleontologia 2006 - So- cietà Paleontologica Italiana Trieste, 8-11/06/ 2006, Abstracts, p. 34. Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 33 Fig. 19 - A page of the register of applied geology consultancies provided by the Servizio Geologico d’Italia during 1955. In evidence the consultancies carried out by A. Malatesta. Una pagina del registro delle consulenze di Geologia applicata prestate dal Servizio Geologico d’Italia a vari committenti nell’anno 1955. In evidenza quelle prestate da A. Malatesta. Fig. 20 - A page of the register of applied geology consultancies provided by the Servizio Geologico d’Italia during 1958. In evidence the consultancies carried out by A. Malatesta. Una pagina del registro delle consulenze di Geologia applicata prestate dal Servizio Geologico d’Italia a vari committenti nell’anno 1958. In evidenza quelle prestate da A. Malatesta. F. Angelelli et al. 34 Fig.21 - A page of the register of applied geology consultancies provided by the Servizio Geologico d’Italia during 1960. In evidence the consultancies carried out by A. Malatesta. Una pagina del registro delle consulenze di Geologia applicata prestate dal Servizio Geologico d’Italia a vari committenti nell’anno 1960. In evidenza quelle prestate da A. Malatesta. Fig. 22 - The telegram sent to the Genio Civile of Avellino by the General Manager of the Geological Survey that communi- cates the arrival at Avellino of A. Malatesta. Telegramma da parte del Direttore del Servizio Geologico al Genio Civile di Avellino nel quale si comunica data ed ora di arrivo di A. Malatesta. Fig. 23 - Folder containing the final geological report on the perime- trical extension of the urbanized area of Montecalvo and Bisaccia (Avellino), written by A. Malatesta. Cartellina contenente la relazione geologica originale riguardante l’ampliamento perimetrale delle zone urbanizzate di Montecalvo e Bisaccia (Avellino). Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 35 Fig. 24 - Reimbursment receipt for the Avellino trip made by A. Malatesta Ricevuta del rimborso spese relative alla missione di A. Malatesta ad Avellino per conto del Genio Civile. F. Angelelli et al. 36 Fig. 25 - A page of the register of applied geology consultancies provided by the Servizio Geologico d’Italia during 1961. In evidence the consultancies carried out by A. Malatesta. Una pagina del registro delle consulenze di Geologia applicata prestate dal Servizio Geologico d’Italia a vari committenti nell’anno 1961. In evidenza quelle prestate da A. Malatesta. Fig. 26 - A page of the register of applied geology consultancies provided by the Servizio Geologico d’Italia during 1961. In evidence the consultancies carried out by A. Malatesta. Una pagina del registro delle consulenze di Geologia applicata prestate dal Servizio Geologico d’Italia a vari committenti nell’anno 1961. In evidenza quelle prestate da A. Malatesta. Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 37 Fig. 27 - A page of the register of applied geology consultancies provided by the Servizio Geologico d’Italia during 1961. In evidence the consultancies carried out by A. Malatesta. Una pagina del registro delle consulenze di Geologia applicata prestate dal Servizio Geologico d’Italia a vari committenti nell’anno 1961. In evidenza quelle prestate da A. Malatesta. Fig. 28 - A page of the register of applied geology consultancies provided by the Servizio Geologico d’Italia during 1962. In evidence the consultancy carried out by A. Malatesta. Una pagina del registro delle consulenze di Geologia applicata prestate dal Servizio Geologico d’Italia a vari committenti nell’ anno 1961. In evidenza quella prestata da A. Malatesta. F. Angelelli et al. 38 ANGELELLI F. (2008) - Le raccolte storiche di paleontologia conservate all’APAT di Roma (già del Servizio Geologico d’Italia). Programmi di studio e valo- rizzazione. 14° Congresso ANMS - Il Patrimonio della scienza. Le colle- zioni d’interesse storico- Torino 10- 12/11/2004. Museologia scientifica Memorie. 2, pp. 77-82. ANGELELLI F. & FARAMONDI S. (2001) - Il sistema di gestione informatizzata delle collezioni paleontologiche e li- tomineralogiche del Dipartimento per i Servizi Tecnici. In: ANGELELLI F. (ed.), Catalogazione e inventariazio- ne informatizzata dei beni geologici ed ambientali. Geoarcheologia, 2, pp. 11-62. ANGELELLI F. & ROSSI R. (2004) - In, AN- GELELLI F. (ed.), Catalogue of types preserved in “Paleontological Collec- tions” of APAT - Rome. Mem. Descr. Carta Geol. d’It., 65, pp. 1-164. BENEO E. (1951) - Relazione sull’attività an- nuale del personale del S.G.I. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It, 73, pp. 399-408. CALOI L. & MALATESTA A. (1974) - Il cervo pleistocenico in Sardegna. Mem. Ist. It. Paleont. Um., 2, pp.163-247. COMPAGNONI B., CONATO V., FOLLIERI M. & MALATESTA A. (1969) - Il Calabria- no di Scalea. Quaternaria, 10, pp. 95-123. CONATO V., MALATESTA A. & VALLETTA M. (1967) - Calabriano ad Acrtica islan- dica sulla costa meridionale d’A- bruzzo. Quaternaria, 9, pp. 261-266. DRAGONE F., MAINO A., MALATESTA A. & SEGRE A. G. (1967) - Note Illustrati- ve della Carta Geologica d’Italia F° 149 “Cerveteri” alla scala 1:100.000. Serv. Geol. d’It., pp. 1-93, Roma. GIORDANO F. (1881) - Relazione dell’Ispet- tore Capo al Comitato geologico. Boll. R. Com. Geol. d’It., 12, pp. 11-24 JACOBACCI A., BERGOMI C., CENTAMORE E., MALATESTA A., MALFERRARI N., MARTELLI G., PANNUNZI L. & ZATTINI N. (1969) - Note Illustrative della Carta Geologica d’Italia F° 115 “ Città di Castello”, 122 “ Perugia”, 130 “ Orvieto” alla scala 1:100.000. Serv. Geol. d’It., pp. 1-151, Roma. JACOBACCI A., MALATESTA A. & MARTELLI G. (1956) - Pri- me notizie sul nuovo rilevamento geologico dei Monti Peloritani. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 78, pp. 447- 454. JACOBACCI A., MALATESTA A. & MOTTA S. (1961) - Piano di studi nello stretto di Messina per il collegamento della Sicilia con la Calabria. Ricerche geologiche I, pp.1- 66. JACOBACCI A., MALATESTA A., MARTELLI G. & STAMPA- NONI G. (1967) - Note Illustrative della Carta Geo- logica d’Italia F° 163 “Lucera” alla scala 1:100.000. Serv. Geol. d’It., pp. 1-48, Roma. JACOBACCI A., MALATESTA A. & MARTELLI G. (1969) - No- te Illustrative della Carta Geologica d’Italia F° 121 “Montepulciano” alla scala 1:100.000. Serv. Geol. d’It., pp. 1-73, Roma. LIPPARINI T., MALATESTA A., NICOSIA M.L. & VALDINUCCI A. (1955) - Pliocene e Quaternario di Capo Milaz- zo in Sicilia. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 77, pp. 579-604. MALATESTA A. (1950) - Sulla Grotta Reale di Porto Az- zurro (Elba). Riv. Sc. Preist, 5, pp.90-94. MALATESTA A. (1951) - Considerazioni sugli Ochotonidae fossili e viventi. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 71 (1947-49), pp. 121-146. MALATESTA A. (1951) - Osservazioni sull’estensione dei ghiacciai quaternari nella Valle di Kangra (Himala- ya esterna). Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 73, pp.63-75. MALATESTA A. (1951) - Ricerche preistoriche nella Valle della Lima (Lucca). Riv. Sc. Preist., 6, pp. 79 -83. MALATESTA A. (1952) - Il Calabriano tra Castiglioncello e Rosignano (Livorno). Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 73 (1951), pp. 171-184. MALATESTA A. (1954) - Alcuni risultati della campagna geologica (1953). Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 75 (1953), pp. 724-729. MALATESTA A. (1954) - Il cosidetto Campanile della ne- Alberto Malatesta: 20 years of activity at the Geological Survey of Italy 39 cropoli nuragica di S. Andrea Priu (Bonorva). Riv. Sci. Preist., 9, pp. 105-113. MALATESTA A. (1954) - Risultati del rileva- mento del F° 192 Alghero, Sardegna. Fossili delle spiagge tirreniane. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’Ital, 76, pp. 9-17. MALATESTA A. (1954) - Risultati del rileva- mento del foglio 192 Alghero, Sarde- gna. Note di stratigrafia quaternaria, Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 75, pp. 371- 395. MALATESTA A. (1954) - Primo dente di ele- fante fossile rinvenuto in Sardegna. Quaternaria, 1, pp. 97-105. MALATESTA A. (1955) - Faune a Cyprina islandica L. tra piazza Armerina e Mazzarino (Sicilia centro-meridio- nale). Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 77, pp. 447-454. MALATESTA A. (1955) - Risultati preliminari del rilevamento in Sicilia e nelle isole Egadi. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 76 (1954), pp. 517-521. MALATESTA A. (1955) - Denticulina doder- leini D. St. nel Pliocene inferiore della Sicilia. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It. 77, pp. 455-460. MALATESTA A. (1956) - Conchiglie. Il Mediter- raneo, 1 (3), pp. 1-2. MALATESTA A. (1957) - Terreni, faune e in- dustrie quaternarie nell’Arcipelago delle Egadi. Quaternaria, 4, pp. 165- 190. MALATESTA A. (1957) - On Thais (Polytro- pa) lapillus lapillus (LINNE’) in the Pleistocene of Sicily. J. Palaeont. Soc. India, 2, pp. 113-118. MALATESTA A. (1958) - Cenni sui risultati delle campa- gne geologiche effettuate durante l’anno 1956. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 79 (1957), pp. 475-477. MALATESTA A. (1958) - Osservazioni sul Pliocene e il Pleistocene della costa settentrionale della Sicilia tra Gualtieri- Sicaminò e Gioiosa Marea. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It. 79 (1957), pp. 291-326. MALATESTA A. (1959) - Notizie preliminari su una fauna del Pleistocene siciliano. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 80 (1) (1958), pp. 77-81. MALATESTA A. (1959) - Note di Geologia e Geomorfolo- gia della valle Caudina e sulla Valle del fiume Ca- lore. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 80 (1958), pp. 255-260. MALATESTA A. (1959) - Di un livello fossilifero attraversa- to dalla galleria di Bomba nella Valle del Sangro. Boll. Serv. Geol.d’It., 80 (1958), pp. 261-273. MALATESTA A. (1960) - Malacofauna pleistocenica di Grammichele (Sicilia). Parte I. Memorie per Servi- re alla Descrizione della Carta geologica d’Italia, 12 (1),1-196. MALATESTA A. (1962) - Mediterranean Polyplacophora, Cenozoic and Recent. Geologica Romana, 1, pp.145-171. MALATESTA A. (1963) - Malacofauna pleistocenica di Grammichele (Sicilia). Parte II. Memorie per Ser- vire alla Descrizione della Carta geologica d’Italia, 12 (2), pp.199-392. MALATESTA A. (1964) - Fossili eocenici del territorio di Briga e Tenda nelle alpi Marittime Geologica Ro- mana, 3, pp. 65-92. MALATESTA A. (1964) - Trias fossilifero a Marettimo nelle isole Egadi. Atti Soc. Tosc. Sci., Nat., Mem., ser. A, 71, pp. 186-199. MALATESTA A. (1964) - Uber einige pleistozane Sus- swassermollusken aus Mittel-Italien. I. Arch. Mol- lusk., 93, pp. 151-162. MALATESTA A. (1969) - Conchiglie di mare che si raccol- gono in terra. La conchiglia, 1 (1), p. 7, 1 (7), p. 3. MALATESTA A. (1969) - Conchiglie di mare che raccol- gono a terra - Un gruppo scomparso di bivalvi: le Rudiste. La conchiglia, 1 (3), p. 5. MALATESTA A. (1970) - Cynotherium sardous STUDIATI an extinct canid from the Pleistocene of Sardinia. Mem. Ist. It. Paleont. Um., 1, pp. 1-72. MALATESTA A. (1970) - Nascita della nomenclatura bi- nomia e della classificazione. La Conchiglia, 2 (9), p. 5. MALATESTA A. (1971) - Appunti di paleontologia genera- le. 106 pp. ciclostilate, Roma. MALATESTA A. (1974) - Malacofauna pliocenica umbra. Mem. Descr. Carta Geol. d’It., 13, pp. 1-498. MALATESTA A. (1977) - The skeleton of Nesolutra ichnu- sae sp. n., a quaternary otter discovered in Sardi- nia. Geol. Romana, 16, pp. 173-209. F. Angelelli et al. 40 MALATESTA A. & MARTELLI G. (1953) - Sull’origine ed età della porfirite di Calabona (Alghero). Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 74 (1952), pp. 447-456. MALATESTA A. & MOTTA S. (1956) - Notizie preliminari di geologia messinese. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 78, pp. 463-466. MALATESTA A. & NICOSIA M.L. (1955) - I fossili del Plio- cene e Pleistocene di Agrigento della Collezione Lomi. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 77, pp.173-180. MALATESTA A. & PANNUTI S. (1957) - Giacimento prei- storico di superficie presso Acilia. Bull. Paletn. I- tal., n.s., 66, pp. 269-275. MALATESTA A. & SEGRE A. G. (1955) - Note Illustrative della Carta Geologica d’Italia F° 111 “Livorno” alla scala 1:100.000. Serv. Geol. d’It., pp. 1-30, Firenze MALATESTA A. & SEGRE A. (1956) - Considerazioni pale- ontologiche e sistematiche su Turris (Fusiturris) undatiruga BIV. Atti Soc. Tosc. Sci. Nat., Mem., ser. A, 63, pp. 12-32. MALATESTA A. & SETTEPASSI F. (1954) - Risultati del ri- levamento del F° 192 Alghero, Sardegna. Fossili delle formazioni continentali quaternarie. Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 76, pp. 33-42. MALATESTA A., SURIANO F. (1971) - Avifauna pleistoce- nica di Alghero (Sardegna) Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It. 91 (1970), pp.149-158. MALATESTA A. & TORRENTE A. (1954) - Pliocene e Plei- stocene a Caltagirone (Sicilia). Boll. Serv. Geol. d’It., 75 (1953), pp. 399-411. MALATESTA A., PERNO U. & STAMPANONI G. (1967) - No- te Illustrative della Carta Geologica d’Italia F° 175 “Cerignola” alla scala 1:100.000. Serv. Geol. d’It., pp. 1-38. Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1954) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 111 “Livorno”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1955) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 272 “Gela”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1959) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 192” Alghero”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1959) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 193” Bonorva”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1963) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 163” Lucera”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1963) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 175” Cerignola”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1965) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 197” Amalfi”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1967) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 149” Cerveteri”, Ro- ma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1968) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 121” Montepulciano”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1968) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 122” Perugia”, Roma SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1968) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 127” Piombino”, Ro- ma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1968) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 148”Vasto”, Roma SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1969) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 115 “Città di Castel- lo”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1969) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 173”Benevento”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1974) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 167-168 “ Isola Ros- sa- La Maddalena”, Roma. SERVIZIO GEOLOGICO D’ITALIA (1974) - Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 100.000 F° 169 “ Caprera”, Ro- ma. SPERANDIO S. & ZANFRÀ S. (1997) - Primi programmi per la Cartografia Geologica d’Italia: verbali delle adu- nanze del Regio Comitato Geologico d’Italia negli anni 1868-1877. Boll. Serv. Geol d’It., Suppl., 114 (1995), pp. 15. ZEZI P. (1878) - Cenno intorno ai lavori del Comitato Geologico nel 1877. Boll. R. Com. Geol. d’It., 9 (1878), pp. 3-9. Ms. ricevuto il 10/07/2010 Testo definitivo ricevuto il 18/01/2011 Ms. received: July 10, 2010 Final text received: January 18, 2011