Betfia 10 (Pleistocene of Romania)

Also known as Betfia X, Somleu Hill

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

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

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

• Fewer members of the genus Mimomys, prevalence of arhizodont arvicolids, plus the primitive and homogenous morphology of Microtus has led site to be dated on biostratigraphic grounds to the Lower Waalian (~1.4-~1.3Ma). Abundance of Muridae and the occurence of Glirulus pusillus are in any case evidence of a temperate phase.

Environment/lithology: cave

• Accumulated in a small, entirely silted cave near the village of Betfia, opened by quarrying for Cretaceous limestone.
• Accumulated in a small, entirely silted cave near the village of Betfia, opened by quarrying for Cretaceous limestone.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk,

• Caves 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 32192: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 10.06.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Fewer members of the genus Mimomys, prevalence of arhizodont arvicolids, plus the primitive and homogenous morphology of Microtus has led site to be dated on biostratigraphic grounds to the Lower Waalian (~1.4-~1.3Ma). Abundance of Muridae and the occurence of Glirulus pusillus are in any case evidence of a temperate phase.
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Glis sackdillingensis Heller 1930 dormouse
"Glirulus pusillus" = Amphidyromys pusillus Heller 1936 Japanese dormouse
Muscardinus dacicus Kormos 1930 dormouse
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Spermophilus primigenius ground squirrel
Sciurus sp. Linnaeus 1758 squirrel
 Rodentia - Muridae
"Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus" = Mus sylvaticus, Spalax sp.
"Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus" = Mus sylvaticus Linnaeus 1758 wood mouse
Spalax sp. Güldenstadt 1770 blind mole
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetus cricetus Linnaeus 1758 European hamster
C. cricetus nanus
"Microtus pliocaenicus" = Allophaiomys pliocaenicus Kormos 1932 vole
M. (A.) pliocaenicus pliocaenicus
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Beremendia fissidens Petényi 1864 shrew
Petenyia hungarica Kormos 1934 red-toothed shrew
Sorex margaritodon Kormos 1930 long-tailed shrew
Episoriculus gibberodon Petenyi 1864 red-toothed shrew
Crocidura sp. Wagler 1832 white-toothed shrew
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Talpa fossilis Petenyi 1864 mole
T. fosslis sp.
Talpa minor Freudenberg 1914 mole
 Placentalia -
Chiroptera indet. Blumenbach 1779 bat
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mustela praenivalis Kormos 1934 weasel
M. praenivalis ?