Systematic consumption of non-marine gastropods at open-air Mesolithic sites in the Iberian Mediterranean region

Arenal de la Virgen and Casa Corona, located in the upper Vinalopó Valley (SE of the Iberian Peninsula), are open-air Mesolithic sites dated to the Middle Holocene – 8600-7800 cal BP. Recent excavations have provided evidence of non-marine assemblages dominated by terrestrial (Sphincterochila candidissima and Iberus alonensis) and fresh water gastropods (Melanopsis tricarinata tricarinata) associated with habitation structures. These sites represent the first documented cases of systematic land snail consumption at open-air residential camps in the Iberian Mediterranean Region. This report presents the assemblage composition and modern ethological parameters, and discusses taphonomic processes, gathering strategies, seasonal patterns and their implications in subsistence practices. The pattern of occurrence of these species is contrasted with lake environmental records at a local scale to trace paleoecological conditions in the study area.