Węże (Pliocene of Poland)

Also known as Weze I

Where: Poland (52.3° N, 22.2° E: paleocoordinates 52.5° N, 21.8° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: MN 15 (4.2 - 3.2 Ma)

• Assigned to mammalian zone MN 15 (Ref 9172, 1989).

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: cave; shelly/skeletal breccia

• "bone breccia"

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: Mlynarski, 1962, has Weze I and Weze II on the taxonomic list, but only describes Weze I in terms of locality, so it's unclear what the relationship betwen I and II is.

Primary reference: K. Kowalski. 1962. Fauna of Bats from the Pliocene of Weze in Poland. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 7(3):1-51 [J. Alroy/E. Leckey/E. Leckey]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 33396: authorized by John Alroy, entered by Erin Leckey on 28.07.2003, edited by Hannah O'Regan, Jason Head, Juliette Richter, Lars van den Hoek Ostende, Terri Cleary and John Alroy

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• some from owl pelets, some from animals that fell into the cave
Amphibia
 Salientia - Palaeobatrachidae
Pliobatrachus langhae6 Fejérváry 1917 frog
 Salientia - Discoglossidae
Discoglossus sp.6 Otth 1837 painted frog
 Salientia - Bufonidae
Bufo sp.6 Laurenti 1768 toad
 Salientia - Ranidae
Rana sp.6 Linnaeus 1758 frog
small form
 Salientia - Pelobatidae
Pelobates cf. fuscus6 Laurenti 1768 Common Eurasian spadefoot toad
Eopelobates sp.6 Parker 1929 spadefoot toad
 Caudata - Urodela
Salamandridae indet.6 Gray 1825 newt
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix primigenia5 Wagner 1848 porcupine
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Gliridae indet.4 Muirhead 1819 dormouse
isolated teeth M1, M2
Glis minor4 Kowalski 1963 dormouse
mandibular fragments with m1, m3, isolated teeth: 1p4, 20m1, 12m2, 5m3, 1P4, 16M1, 18M2, 1M3
Muscardinus pliocaenicus n. sp.4 Kowalski 1963 dormouse
mandibular fragments with teeth(m1-3, p4), maxillary fragment with M1?, isolated teeth 3m2, 1M2
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Tamias orlovi2 chipmunk
cheek teeth and one jaw fragment
Sciurus warthae2 squirrel
2m1or2, m3
Pliopetes hungaricus2 squirrel
a number of jaw fragments and isolated teeth, with M1or2, M3, m3
Blackia polonica2 squirrel
2M1or2, m1or2, p4
 Rodentia - Castoridae
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
? Copemys sp.3 Wood 1936 mouse
said to be new sp., re-ID of Cricetus sp. from Kowalski, 1964
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Erinaceus sp.8 Linnaeus 1758 hedgehog
Erinaceus samsonowiczi n. sp.8 Sulimski 1959 hedgehog
toothless mandibular fragments, isolated teeth (entire set?)
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Soricidae indet.14 Fischer 1814 shrew
mandibular fragments (form #5)
"Blarinella europaea" = Alloblarinella europaea11 Reumer 1984 shrew
32 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth; 9 fragmentary maxillae and detached upper teeth
Beremendia fissidens9 Petényi 1864 shrew
388 specimens, fragmentary mandibles and maxillae with teeth
"Suncus zelceus n. sp." = Petenyiella zelcea15 Sulimski 1959 shrew
Blarinoides mariae n. gen. n. sp.15 Sulimski 1959 red-toothed shrew
265 specimens, fragmentary mandibles and maxillae with teeth (see ref. 8998)
"Sorex kretzoii" = Sulimskia kretzoii16 Sulimski 1962 red-toothed shrew
32 fragmentary maxillae and detached upper teeth; 110 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth
Mafia cf. csarnotensis12 red-toothed shrew
15 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth
Petenyia hungarica11 Kormos 1934 red-toothed shrew
43 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth; 43 fragmentary maxillae and detached upper teeth
Deinsdorfia cf. kordosi13 red-toothed shrew
5 fragmentary maxillae and detached upper teeth; 3 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth
Sorex minutus14 Linnaeus 1766 Eurasian pygmy shrew
17 fragmentary maxillae and detached upper teeth; 26 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth
Sorex subminutus n. sp.16 Sulimski 1962 long-tailed shrew
Sorex hibbardi n. sp.16 Sulimski 1962 long-tailed shrew
1 fragmentary maxilla or detached upper tooth; 40 fragmentary mandibles or detached lower teeth
Sorex bor14 Reumer 1984 long-tailed shrew
104 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth
Sorex pseudoalpinus n. sp.14 Rzebik-Kowalska 1991 long-tailed shrew
re-ID of S. cf. praealpinus Sulimski, 1962; 9 fragmentary maxillae and detached upper teeth; 18 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth
Episoriculus gibberodon10 Petenyi 1864 red-toothed shrew
right mandibular fragment with i1 and p4-m3, a left fragment with i1 and m1-m3, both without processes
Paenelimnoecus pannonicus12 red-toothed shrew
2 fragmentary maxillae and detached upper teeth; 26 fragmentary mandibles and detached lower teeth
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Galemys sulimskii n. sp.7 Rümke 1985 Pyrenean desman
11 mandibular fragments with damaged processes and jointly containing i3-m1, 6 maxillary fragments with I1-M1, 2 toothless fragments and one well-preserved rostral portion of a skull with all teeth but i2 and i3
Desmana kowalskae n. sp.7 Rümke 1985 Russian desman
numerous mandibular fragments and a nearly complete skull, 3 mandibular fragments w/o processes but jointly containing teeth from p1-m2, and a damaged maxilla with P2-M3
Talpa minor15 Freudenberg 1914 mole
 Chiroptera - Rhinolophidae
Rhinolophus grivensis Depéret 1892 horseshoe bat
fragments of mandibles with some teeth
Rhinolophus delphinensis Gaillard 1899 horseshoe bat
mandibles with teeth (whole and fragments) fragments of maxillae, isolated teeth
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Plecotus crassidens Kormos 1930 vesper bat
fragments of mandibles with some teeth
Myotis podlesicensis vesper bat
fragments of mandibles with some teeth (all except i1)
Myotis cf. aemulus vesper bat
fragments of mandibles with some teeth (all except i1), without processes
Myotis cf. exilis Heller 1936 vesper bat
fragments of mandibles with some teeth (all)
Myotis helleri n. sp. vesper bat
fragments of mandibles with some teeth (c, p4-m2) ramus is lacking
Myotis danutae Kowalski 1956 vesper bat
fragments of mandibles with some teeth
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
"Dicerorhinus megarhinus" = Dihoplus megarhinus5
"Dicerorhinus megarhinus" = Dihoplus megarhinus5 de Christol 1835 rhinoceros
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
 Carnivora - Felidae
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Arctomeles pliocaenicus5 Stach 1951 badger
Baranogale helbingi5 Kormos 1934 mustelid carnivore
 Carnivora - Ursidae
 Carnivora - Canidae
Nyctereutes cf. donnezani5 Depérer 1890 raccoon dog
Reptilia
 Testudines - Emydidae
Emys wermuthi6 Mlynarski 1956 pond turtle
Emys orbicularis6 Linnaeus 1758 European pond turtle
Emydinae indet.1 Rafinesque 1815 turtle
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudo sp.6, Testudo antiqua6, "Testudo szalaii" = Testudo globosa6
Testudo sp.6 Linnaeus 1758 turtle
large form
Testudo antiqua6 Bronn 1831 turtle
T. antiqua noviciensis
"Testudo szalaii" = Testudo globosa6 Portis 1890 turtle
 Testudines - Geoemydidae
Geoemyda eureia6 Wegner 1913 turtle
 Squamata -
Squamata indet.18 squamates
two small teeth in fragment of mandible
Squamata indet.18 squamates
fragment of mandible of very small lizard
Serpentes indet.18 Linnaeus 1758 snake
one fragment of mandible
 Squamata - Viperidae
Viperidae indet.6 Oppel 1811 viper
 Squamata - Crotalidae
"Vipera ammodytes" = Vipera (Vipera) ammodytes17
"Vipera ammodytes" = Vipera (Vipera) ammodytes17 Linnaeus 1758 sand viper
 Squamata - Colubridae
Elaphe sp.6 Wagler 1833 colubrid snake
cf. Coluber viridiflavus17 Lacépède 1789 racer
two maxilIary fragments (ZZSiD WI-3, 10), one palatine fragment (ZZSiD WI-4), one pterygoid fragment (ZZSiD WI-2), 5 dentary fragments (ZZSID WI-5-9), one quadrate (ZZSiD WI-1) 542 precaudal ve.rtebrae (ZZSiD WI-11-553), 27 cloacal and caudal vertebrae (ZZSID WI-554-580)
Natricinae indet.6 Bonaparte 1838 colubrid snake
Natrix cf. longivertebrata17 Szyndlar 1984 water snake
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacerta sp.6 Linnaeus 1758 squamates
 Squamata - Anguidae
Anguis cf. fragilis6, "Ophisaurus pannonicus" = Pseudopus pannonicus6
Anguis cf. fragilis6 Linneaus 1758 Slow worm
"Ophisaurus pannonicus" = Pseudopus pannonicus6 Kormos 1911 legless lizard