Betfia 10: Early/Lower Pleistocene, Romania

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Mammalia - Chiroptera
Chiroptera indet. Blumenbach 1779
Mammalia - Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mustela praenivalis Kormos 1934
M. praenivalis ?
Mammalia - Talpidae
Talpa fossilis Petenyi 1864
T. fosslis sp.
Talpa minor Freudenberg 1914
Mammalia - Soricidae
Beremendia fissidens (Petényi 1864)
Crocidura sp. Wagler 1832
Episoriculus gibberodon Petenyi 1864
Petenyia hungarica Kormos 1934
Sorex margaritodon Kormos 1930
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758
Hypolagus brachygnathus
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetus cricetus (Linnaeus 1758)
C. cricetus nanus
Allocricetus bursae
Mimomys pusillus
Mimomys tornensis
Microtus pliocaenicus (Kormos 1932)
original and current combination Allophaiomys pliocaenicus
M. (A.) pliocaenicus pliocaenicus
Ungaromys cf. nanus
Lagurus arankae
Pliomys episcopalis
Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae
Spalax sp. Güldenstadt 1770
Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus (Linnaeus 1758)
original and current combination Mus sylvaticus
Mammalia - Rodentia - Gliridae
Glirulus pusillus (Heller 1936)
original and current combination Amphidyromys pusillus
Glis sackdillingensis Heller 1930
Muscardinus dacicus Kormos 1930
Mammalia - Rodentia - Sciuridae
Sciurus sp. Linnaeus 1758
Spermophilus primigenius
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:Early/Lower Waalian *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: 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.
Lithology and environment
Lithology description: Accumulated in a small, entirely silted cave near the village of Betfia, opened by quarrying for Cretaceous limestone.
Environment:cave
Geology comments: Accumulated in a small, entirely silted cave near the village of Betfia, opened by quarrying for Cretaceous limestone.
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: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.
Metadata
Also known as:Betfia X, Somleu Hill
Database number:32192
Authorizer:A. Behrensmeyer Enterer:H. O'Regan
Modifier:H. O'Regan Research group:PACED
Created:2003-06-10 02:40:41 Last modified:2003-08-12 07:12:23
Access level:the public Released:2003-06-10 02:40:41
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]