Betfia 13: Early/Lower Pleistocene, Romania

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
Petauristinae indet. Miller 1912
Borsodia newtoni
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus stenonis Cocchi 1867
recombined as Allohippus stenonis
E. stenonis cf. senezensis
Mammalia - Cervidae
Cervidae indet. Gray 1821
Mammalia - Carnivora - Felidae
Panthera sp. Oken 1816
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
Canis cf. falconeri Forsyth-Major 1877
recombined as Xenocyon falconeri
Mammalia - Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus etruscus Cuvier 1823
Mammalia - Carnivora - Mustelidae
Pannonictis pliocaenica Kormos 1931
Mustela palerminea
Mammalia - Talpidae
Desmana thermalis Kormos 1930
Talpa minor Freudenberg 1914
Talpa minor sp.
Mammalia - Soricidae
Crocidura sp. Wagler 1832
Beremendia fissidens (Petényi 1864)
Petenyia hungarica Kormos 1934
Sorex margaritodon Kormos 1930
Sorex ex gr. minutus Linnaeus 1766
Mammalia - Erinaceidae
Erinaceus cf. samsonowiczi Sulimski 1959
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Lagurus arankae
Prospalax priscus
Ungaromys cf. nanus
U. cf. nanus sp.
Villanyia exilis
Villanyia paraexilis
Mimomys pitymyoides
Mimomys cf. reidi
Mimomys pusillus
Mimomys tornensis
Mimomys pliocaenicus (Forsyth Major 1889)
Clethrionomys sp. Tilesius 1850
synonym of Myodes
Microtus pliocaenicus (Kormos 1932)
original and current combination Allophaiomys pliocaenicus
M. (A.) pliocaenicus deucalion
Allocricetus bursae
Pliomys episcopalis
Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae
Parapodemus betfiensis
Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus (Linnaeus 1758)
original and current combination Mus sylvaticus
Epimeriones dacicus
Micromys sp. Dehne 1841
Mammalia - Rodentia - Zapodidae
Sminthozapus betfianus
Sicista praeloriger Kormos 1930
S. praeloriger sp.
Mammalia - Rodentia - Castoridae
Castor sp. Linnaeus 1758
Trogontherium boisvilletti
T. b. boisvilletti
Mammalia - Rodentia - Gliridae
Glis cf. minor Kowalski 1963
Muscardinus dacicus Kormos 1930
Eliomys sp. Wagner 1840
Mammalia - Rodentia - Sciuridae
Spermophilus primigenius
Sciurus sp. Linnaeus 1758
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Ochotona sp. Link 1795
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Hypolagus brachygnathus
Mammalia - Primates - Cercopithecidae
Macaca sylvana (Linnaeus 1758)
recombined as Macaca sylvanus
M. sylvana cf. florentina
Mammalia - Chiroptera
Chiroptera indet. Blumenbach 1779
see common names

Geography
Country:Romania County:Bihor
Coordinates: 47.0° North, 22.0° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:46.9° North, 22.0° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Time
Period:Quaternary Epoch:Pleistocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
*Period:Early/Lower Quaternary *Epoch:Early/Lower pleistocene
*International age/stage:Eburonian *Local age/stage:Early/Lower Biharian
Key time interval:Early/Lower Pleistocene
Age range of interval:2.58000 - 0.77400 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy comments: Cave deposit. The abundance of Mimomys species and the appearance of two primitive species of arhizodont arvicolids make it possible to place this fauna at the beginning of the Biharian (Early Pleistocene, Eburonian). The large number of Villanyian survivors justifies such a dating. Is subsequent to the first Eburonian cooling, and probably corresponds to a warming phase in the middle of this glacial complex.
Lithology and environment
Lithology description: A calcareous, slightly cemented breccia with terra-rossa, accumulated in a karstic fissure.
Environment:fissure fill
Geology comments: A calcareous, slightly cemented breccia with terra-rossa, accumulated in a karstic fissure.
Taphonomy
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Disassociated major elements:many
Disassociated minor elements:many
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:bulk,field collection
Reason for describing collection:biostratigraphic analysis
Collection method comments: Caves discovered between 1966 and 1991 and excavated by the Bucharest Speleological Institute and the "Tarii Crisurilor" Museum of Oradea.
Taxonomic list comments:Contains some thermophilous forms, such as Macaca sylvana cf. florentina and a species of flying squirrel, is subsequent to the first Eburonian cooling, and probably corresponds to a warming phase in the middle of this glacial complex.
Metadata
Also known as:Betfia XIII, Somleu Hill
Database number:32145
Authorizer:A. Behrensmeyer Enterer:H. O'Regan
Modifier:H. O'Regan Research group:PACED
Created:2003-06-06 13:17:14 Last modified:2003-08-12 07:13:47
Access level:the public Released:2003-06-06 13:17:14
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
8655. E. Terzea. 1996. Biochronology of the Pleistocene deposits at Betfia (Bihor, Romania). Acta Zoologica Cracovensia 39(1):531-540 [A. Behrensmeyer/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]