Betfia 7 level 4a (Pleistocene of Romania)

Also known as Betfia VII/4a Somleu Hill

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

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Middle Pleistocene (0.8 - 0.1 Ma)

• Site overview: the site of Betfia has a height of 8m and encompasses four complexes of layers. The last (level 4) is made up of loess-like deposits, accumulated in sub-aerial conditions. Level 4 comprises two layers of loess separated by a fossil soil. Level 4a is the first loess level and is correlated with Glacial A of the Cromerian (= Early Middle Pleistocene, approx. 0.7Ma)

Environment/lithology: loess

• The last (level 4) is made up of loess-like deposits, accumulated in sub-aerial conditions. Level 4 comprises two layers of loess separated by a fossil soil. Level 4a is the first loess level.

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 34010: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 12.08.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Level 4a, has remarkable faunal diversity, with Mimomys savini, Microtus gregaloides and a high frequency of Bison schotensacki and the first emergence of Microtus agrestis, Ursus deningeri and Mammuthus trogontherii.
unclassified
  -
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Marmota cf. marmota Linnaeus 1758 Alpine marmot
Spermophilus primigenius ground squirrel
 Rodentia - Zapodidae
Sicista praeloriger Kormos 1930 birch mouse
 Rodentia - Muridae
"Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus" = Mus sylvaticus, Spalax sp.
"Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus" = Mus sylvaticus Linnaeus 1758 wood mouse
Apodemus gr. sylvaticus
Spalax sp. Güldenstadt 1770 blind mole
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetus cricetus Linnaeus 1758 European hamster
Cricetus cricetus praeglacialis
Lagurus transylvanicus mouse
Lagurus transylvanicus sp.
Microtus arvalidens vole
Microtus (Terricola) arvalidens
Microtus gregaloides vole
Microtus (Stenocranius) gregaloides
Microtus nivalinus vole
Microtus (Chionomys) nivalinus
Microtus nivaloides vole
Microtus (M.) nivaloides MAJOR (M. arvalinus HINTON)
Microtus ratticepoides vole
Microtus (M.) ratticepoides
Microtus agrestis Linnaeus 1761 field vole
Microtus (M.) agrestis
"Clethrionomys ex gr. glareolus" = Myodes vole
Clethrionomys gr. glareolus
Lemmus aff. lemmus Linnaeus 1758 Norway lemming
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Ochotona sp. Link 1795 pika
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Beremendia fissidens Petényi 1864 shrew
Sorex ex gr. minutus Linnaeus 1766 Eurasian pygmy shrew
Sorex minutus
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus ? mosbachensis horse
Equus sp. (? mosbachensis)
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Praemegaceros ? sp. Portis 1920 deer
Praemegaceros sp. ?
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
? Crocuta sp. Erxleben 1777 spotted hyaena
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
"Gulo schlosseri" = Gulo gulo, Mustela palerminea
"Gulo schlosseri" = Gulo gulo Linnaeus 1758 wolverine
Mustela palerminea weasel
Mustela palermina sp.
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus cf. deningeri Reichenau 1904 bear
 Carnivora - Canidae
Canis mosbachensis Soergel 1925 canine
Vulpes sp. Frisch 1775 fox
Vulpes (s.l.) sp.
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus cf. trogontherii Pohlig 1885 mammoth