Eomyidae and Gliridae from Rudabánya
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Palaeontographia Italica 90 2003 149-161 tavv. Pisa, 2005 Eomyidae and Gliridae from Rudabánya GUDRUN DAXNER-HÖCK* KEY WORDS — Rodents, Late Miocene, MN9, Hungary ABSTRACT — Six glirid species are described from the Late Miocene of Rudabánya: Glirulus lissiensis Hugueney & Mein 1965, Paraglirulus werenfelsi Engesser 1972, Muscardinus hispanicus De Bruijn 1966, Muscardinus cf. vallesiensis (Hartenberger 1966), Glis minor Kowalski 1963 and Myoglis cf. ucrainicus Nesin & Kowalski 1997. Although descending from Early Miocene glirid lineages, three out of six species are restricted to the Late Miocene. The eomyid from Rudabánya, Eomyops catalaunicus, is known to range from MN9 to MN10. This glirid-eomyid association is characteristic for a Vallesian age (MN9). The Rudabánya glirids most probably lived in arboreal thickets and forests, feeding on fruits, seeds, berries and insects as their living relatives do. RIASSUNTO — Vengono descritte sei specie di gliridi dalla località del Miocene superiore (MN9) di Rudabánya (Ungheria): Glirulus lis- siensis Hugueney & Mein 1965, Paraglirulus werenfelsi Engesser 1972, Muscardinus hispanicus De Bruijn 1966, Muscardinus cf. valle- siensis (Hartenberger 1966), Glis minor Kowalski 1963 and Myoglis cf. ucrainicus Nesin & Kowalski 1997. Sebbene rappresentanti di linee evolutive che risalgono al Miocene Inferiore, tre delle sei specie presenti a Rudabánya sono limitate al Miocene superiore. Un unico eomyide è presente a Rudabánya, Eomyops catalaunicus. Questa forma è nota per avere una distribuzione che abbraccia le zone MN9 e MN10. L’associazione gliridi-eomyidi di Rudabánya è indicativa di una età Vallesiana (MN9). I gliridi di Rudabánya molto probabilmente vivevano in boschi e foreste, cibandosi di frutta, semi ed insetti, come fanno i loro corrispondenti viventi. * Gudrun Daxner-Höck, Dept. Geol.-Pal., Museum of Natural History, Burgring 7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria. e-mail: [email protected] INTRODUCTION ments a Leica WILD M8 stereo microscope was used. The famous vertebrate locality Rudabánya is sit- uated in NE Hungary. Since the first finding of the TABLE 1 - The total number of teeth of glirids and primate Rudapithecus in 1965 by G. Hernyak, there eomyids from Rudabánya were field activities for more than 30 years. The first systematic excavations of fossils were carried Kretzoi Kordos Daxner-Höck out by M. Kretzoi from 1971 to 1978. Several exca- 1971-1978 1985-1998 1994 vations followed from 1985 to 1998 under the lead- ership of L. Kordos, R. Bernor, P. Andrews, M. Eomyops catalaunicus 4 13 Armour-Chelu and D.R. Begun (cfr. Bernor et al., Glis lissiensis 7 2003). During all these field seasons small mam- Paraglirulus werenfelsi 6 1 5 mals were collected by wet screening, but the result Muscardinus hispanicus 23 was relatively poor. Primarily small vertebrates Muscardinus cf. vallesiensis 11 were recovered from the black mud, black clay and Glis minor 28 315 gray mud layers of the localities I and II. Only for Myoglis cf. ucrainicus 48 13 28 small samples from different layers of locality II 89° 17* 72* were sieves with mesh sizes of 0.5 mm used in the summer 1994. From these samples even the finest fraction of washing remains was carefully sorted. It TAXONOMIC DESCRIPTION included small sized rodents (Glirulus lissiensis, Eomyops catalaunicus) which were poorly repre- Eomyidae Deperet & Douxami, 1902 sented or unknown from Rudabánya before. The Eomyops Engesser, 1979 total number of teeth of glirids and eomyids is list- Eomyops catalaunicus (Hartenberger, 1966) ed in Table 1. The specimens collected by M. (Text-fig. 1/1-8; Tab. 2) Kretzoi from 1971 to 1978 are indicated by (°) in tables and figures. All specimens collected by L. 1974 Leptodontomys catalaunicus (Hartenberger) - Kretzoi et Kordos from 1985 to 1998, and by Daxner-Höck in al.: p. 375 the 1994 will be stored in the collection of the Geological Institute of Hungary and are indicated Type locality by (*) in tables and figures. Can Llobateres (Spain), MN9 SEM-photos of the fossils were taken by a Philips XL 20 scanning electron microscope at the Measurements Biozentrum/University of Vienna. For measure- see table 2 150 GUDRUN DAXNER-HÖCK Text-fig. 1 - Teeth of Eomyops catalaunicus (Hartenberger, 1966) from Rudabánya (Hungary). 1) °P4 left; 2) *M1/2 left; 3) *M1/2 left; 4) *M1/2 right; 5) *p right; 6) *m left; 7) *m left; 8) *M1/2 right. ° = Coll. Kretzoi / Budapest, * = Coll. Kordos / Budapest. All right side teeth are 4 1/2 1/2 figured as if they were from the left side. TABLE 2 - Measurements (in mm) of Eomyops catalaunicus from Rudabánya E. catalaunicus Fig. P4 M1/2 p4 m1/2 m3 LWLWLWLWLW °P4l 1/1 0.90 1.00 °M1/2l 0.90 1.00 *M1/2l 1/2 0.90 0.95 *M1/2l 1/3 0.90 1.00 *M1/2r 1/8 0.90 1.00 *M1/2r 1/4 0.90 1.00 *M1/2l 0.85 0.90 *M1/2l 0.85 1.00 *M1/2r 0.80 0.95 *M1/2r 0.85 1.00 *p4r 1/5 0.80 0.75 °m1/2r 0.92 0.97 *m1/2l 1/6 1.05 1.00 *m1/2l 1/7 1.05 0.90 *m1/2r 1.00 0.90 *m1/2r 1.00 0.95 °m3l 0.85 0.83 Description arm of the protocone. The protoloph and the met- Maxillary P4 (Text-fig. 1/1) is trapezoidal in aloph contact the anterior arms of the protocone occlusal view, and the buccal wall is slightly longer and hypocone, respectively. The mesoloph is short than the lingual one. Only one, strongly worn tooth and directed forwards. The V-shaped lingual sinus exists which does not show dental morphology in is directed slightly forwards in three of four M1/2. all details. The mesoloph is long and ends in a There are three roots: a lingual and two buccal small mesostyle. There is no anteroloph. The lin- ones. gual sinus is transversely directed. P4 has three Mandibular p (Text-fig. 1/5) is longer than 4 roots: a lingual one and two buccal ones. wide. There is no anterolophid. The large proto- Maxillary M1/2 (Text-fig. 1/2-4, 8) is almost conid and the small metaconid are situated very square in occlusal outline. The corners are round- close to one another and the short metalophid is ed. The buccal part of the anteroloph is longer than interrupted. The mesolophid is long, it ends in a the lingual one. It is connected with the anterior small mesostyle. There is a small mesoconulid EOMYIDAE AND GLIRIDAE FROM RUDABÁNYA 151 anterior to the mesolophid. The strong hypolophid TABLE 3 - Measurements (in mm) of Glirulus lissiensis extends to the posterior arm of the hypoconid. The from Rudabánya posterolophid is short. P has two roots, an anteri- 4 or and a posterior one. G. lissiensis Fig. M1 m1 m2 m3 Mandibular m (Text-fig. 1/6-7) are rectangular LWL WLWLW 1/2 in occlusal outline. The corners are rounded. The *M1r 2/1 0.90 0.90 lingual cusps are situated opposite to the buccal *m1r 2/2 0.95 0.85 cusps. The anterolophid has a lingual and a buccal *m1r 1.00 0.85 arm. The metalophid extends to the protoconid, *m2l 2/4 0.95 0.90 the hypolophid extends to the posterior arm of the *m2l 0.95 0.95 hypoconid. The mesolophid is long in one and *m2r 2/3 0.95 0.95 short in three other teeth. The m have three 1/2 *m3l 2/5 0.90 0.85 roots: a posterior and two anterior ones. Mandibular m is strongly worn. The lingual 3 arm of the anterolophid is longer than the buccal one. The mesolophid is strong and ends in a mesostylid on the lingual border. Description M2 (Text-fig. 2/1) is rhomboidal in occlusal view, Discussion small and concave. It is wider anteriorly than pos- In the Early Miocene eomyids were represented teriorly. The five transverse ridges are directed by eight genera which were widely distributed all slightly forwards and lingually connected with the over Europe. Successively these Early Miocene endoloph. The endoloph is complete. The anterior genera became extinct. However, at the MN4/5 centroloph is long and connected with the transition two new genera appeared, the smallest endoloph. Buccally it ends free forming a small that ever existed in Europe: Eomyops and Kerami- conulus. The posterior centroloph is bent and con- domys. nected with the anterior centroloph by a small lon- Eomyops is represented in many vertebrate fau- gitudinal ridge. There are three long extra ridges. nas by some isolated teeth only, but in a few locali- There are buccal connections of the anteroloph ties it is abundant. It persisted from MN5 (late and the protoloph, and of posteroloph, metaloph Early Miocene) to MN17 (Pleistocene). There are and posterior centroloph, respectively. Roots are four species (Engesser, 1999): Eomyops hebeiseni not preserved. Mandibular m (Text-fig. 2/2-5) is rectangular Kälin, 1997, E. oppligeri Engesser, 1990, E. catalau- 1/2 in occlusal view. The endolophid of m is complete, nicus (Hartenberger, 1966) and E. bodvanus 1 but it shows a notch behind the centrolophid in m . (Janossy, 1972). 2 Eomyops hebeiseni (type locality Katzloch, The centrolophid is long in all specimens, but Switzerland; MN6) is the oldest one. It is restricted never reaches the buccal border of the occlusal sur- face. The m and two out of three m ’s have two to MN6. Eomyops oppligeri (type locality Anwil, 1 2 Switzerland; MN8) ranges from MN7 to MN8. It is extra ridges between their anterolophid and met- alophid. All m ’s and m ’s have three further extra uncertain whether or not Eomyops from Podlesice 1 2 (MN14) belongs to this species.