Betfia 7 level 3a: Early/Lower Pleistocene, Romania

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus cf. meridionalis (Nesti 1825)
Mammalia - Chiroptera
Chiroptera indet. Blumenbach 1779
Mammalia - Rodentia - Sciuridae
Spermophilus primigenius
Mammalia - Rodentia - Zapodidae
Sicista praeloriger Kormos 1930
Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae
Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus (Linnaeus 1758)
original and current combination Mus sylvaticus
Apodemus gr. sylvaticus
Apodemus mystacinus Danford and Alston 1877
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Prolagurus pannonicus Kormos 1930
Microtus arvalidens
Microtus (Terricola) arvalidens
Microtus nivalinus
Microtus (Chionomys) nivalinus
Clethrionomys ex gr. glareolus
synonym of Myodes
Clethrionomys gr. glareolus
Mimomys pusillus
Mimomys savini
Allocricetus bursae
Lagurus transylvanicus
Cricetus cricetus (Linnaeus 1758)
Cricetus cricetus praeglacialis
Pliomys episcopalis
Pliomys lenki
Mammalia - Rodentia - Gliridae
Dryomys sp. Thomas 1906
Dryomys s. Eliomys
Glis sackdillingensis Heller 1930
Mammalia - Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix sp. Linnaeus 1758
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758
Hypolagus brachygnathus
Mammalia - Talpidae
Talpa fossilis Petenyi 1864
Desmana sp. Guldenstaedt 1777
Mammalia - Soricidae
Crocidura sp. Wagler 1832
Crocidura sp. I, II
Beremendia fissidens (Petényi 1864)
Sorex ex gr. minutus Linnaeus 1766
Sorex gr. minutus
Sorex runtonensis Hinton 1911
Mammalia - Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mustela palerminea
Mustela praenivalis Kormos 1934
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
Canis mosbachensis Soergel 1925
Vulpes sp. Frisch 1775
Vulpes (s.l.) sp.
Mammalia - Cervidae
Cervidae indet. Gray 1821
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Dicerorhinus etruscus (Falconer 1868)
Dicerorhinus etruscus ssp.
    = Stephanorhinus etruscus Falconer 1868
O'Regan 2003
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:estimated from map
Time
Period:Quaternary Epoch:Pleistocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Early/Lower Pleistocene
Age range of interval:2.58000 - 0.77400 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy comments: Site overview: the site of Betfia 7 has a height of 8m and encompasses four complexes of layers. The first three of these represent the filling of a former cave, containing numerous fragments of speleothemes. Level 3 is formed of three layers of clay with speleothemes. Level 3a is dated to the Late Menapian/early Bavelian on arvicolid morphology (= Late Lower Pleistocene, approx. 1.0Ma).
Lithology and environment
Lithology description: level 3 is formed of three layers of clay with speleothemes.
Environment:cave
Taphonomy
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:bulk,field collection
Reason for describing collection:biostratigraphic analysis
Collection method comments: Sites discovered between 1966 and 1991 and excavated by the Bucharest Speleological Institute and the "Tarii Crisurilor" Museum of Oradea
Taxonomic list comments:The composition of rodent faunas evokes a steppe environment with isolated enclaves of forest in a warm and dry climate of Mediterranean aspect.
Metadata
Also known as:Betfia VII/3a Somleu Hill
Database number:33975
Authorizer:A. Turner Enterer:H. O'Regan
Modifier:H. O'Regan Research group:PACED
Created:2003-08-11 08:33:07 Last modified:2003-08-27 11:16:19
Access level:the public Released:2003-08-11 08:33:07
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]

Secondary references:

9580PACED H. J. O'Regan. 2003. Reidentifications and synonomies of European mammals. [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/M. Uhen]