Betfia 5 (Pleistocene of Romania)

Also known as Betfia V Somleu Hill

Where: Romania (47.0° N, 22.0° E: paleocoordinates 46.9° N, 22.0° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Early/Lower Pleistocene (2.6 - 0.8 Ma)

• Late Menapian (=Late Lower Pleistocene, approx. 1.05-1.00Ma)

Environment/lithology: karst

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk,

• Sites discovered between 1966 and 1991 and excavated by the Bucharest Speleological Institute and the "Tarii Crisurilor" Museum of Oradea

Primary reference: 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]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 33974: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 11.08.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• A rich fauna characterised by a marked turnover, due both to the presence of immigrants among the large mammals and to accelerating evolutionary changes in the different lineages of rodents. The high frequency of Leporidae, Cricetidae and lagurines, the prevalence of the genus Microtus and the scarcity of forest species, lead us to assign this fauna to a dry phase. The evolutionary level allows us to place it in the late Menapian.
Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Praealces latifrons
Mammalia
 Chiroptera -
Chiroptera indet.
Chiroptera indet. Blumenbach 1779 bat
 Carnivora - Canidae
Canis mosbachensis, "Vulpes sp." = Vulpes, "Cynalopex praecorsac" = Vulpes
Canis mosbachensis Soergel 1925 canine
"Vulpes sp." = Vulpes Frisch 1775 fox
Vulpes (s.l.) sp.
"Cynalopex praecorsac" = Vulpes fox
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mustela palerminea, Putorius cf. stromeri, Meles meles, Martes vetus, "Gulo schlosseri" = Gulo gulo
Putorius cf. stromeri Kormos 1934 polecat
Meles meles Linnaeus 1758 European badger
Meles meles atavus
Martes vetus Kretzoi 1947 marten
"Gulo schlosseri" = Gulo gulo Linnaeus 1758 wolverine
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus mediterraneus, Ursus gombaszoegensis
 Carnivora - Felidae
Felis sp., Lynx cf. issiodorensis, Homotherium moravicum
Felis sp. Linnaeus 1758 cat
Lynx cf. issiodorensis Croizet and Jobert 1828 lynx
Felis (Lynx) cf. issiodorensis
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
? Crocuta sp.
? Crocuta sp. Erxleben 1777 spotted hyaena
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bison schoetensacki
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Capreolus sussenbornensis, Praemegaceros sp.
Praemegaceros sp. Portis 1920 deer
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus ? mosbachensis
Equus ? mosbachensis horse
Equus sp. (? mosbachensis)
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Stephanorhinus etruscus
Stephanorhinus etruscus Falconer 1868 rhinoceros
Dicerorhinus etruscus ssp.
 Soricomorpha - Soricidae
Beremendia fissidens, Sorex margaritodon
Beremendia fissidens Petényi 1864 shrew
Sorex margaritodon Kormos 1930 long-tailed shrew
 Rodentia - Muridae
Spalax sp., "Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus" = Mus sylvaticus
Spalax sp. Güldenstadt 1770 blind mole
"Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus" = Mus sylvaticus Linnaeus 1758 wood mouse
Apodemus gr. sylvaticus
 Rodentia - Zapodidae
Sicista praeloriger
Sicista praeloriger Kormos 1930 birch mouse
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Allocricetus bursae, Prolagurus pannonicus, Microtus hintoni, Microtus burgondiae, "Clethrionomys ex gr. glareolus" = Myodes, Mimomys pusillus, Mimomys savini, Cricetus cricetus, Pliomys episcopalis, Pliomys lenki, Lagurus transylvanicus
Prolagurus pannonicus Kormos 1930 vole
"Clethrionomys ex gr. glareolus" = Myodes vole
Clethrionomys gr. glareolus
Cricetus cricetus Linnaeus 1758 European hamster
Cricetus cricteus praeglacialis
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Sciurus sp., Spermophilus primigenius
Sciurus sp. Linnaeus 1758 squirrel
Spermophilus primigenius ground squirrel
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Ochotona sp.
Ochotona sp. Link 1795 pika
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp., Hypolagus brachygnathus
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare