Cranium, jrg. 10, no. 1, pag. 97-99, augustus 1993 New records of Beremendia fissidens (Petenyi, 1864) and Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766 (Insectivora: Soricidae) from the British Lower and Middle Pleistocene David+L. Harrison and John+D. Clayden Summary Beremendiafissidens is a rare shrew in the British Pleistocene deposits, known only from one Cromerian locality (Sug- This note describes additional from the foreshore at of worth) at present. an specimen Crag East Runton Villanyian age for from ca 1.7 m.y.b.p. and a molar, recorded the first time, the type Cromerian Freshwater Bed at West Runton, ca 700,000 y.b.p. Sorex minutus is also recorded from the Freshwater Bed at West Runton, where it has not previously been noted. Samenvatting Beremendiafissidens is zeldzaam in pleistocene afzettingen van Groot-Britannië.De soort is tot op heden slechts bekend van één vindplaats (Sugworth) met een Cromerien ouderdom. In deze bijdrage wordt een bovenkaaks snijtand van Bere- uit de de kust ouderdom mendia fissidens beschreven, afkomstig ’Crag’ voor bij East Runton met een Villanyien (ca. 1,7 uit miljoen jaar oud) en een onderkaakskies de type-afzettingen van het Cromerien, de ’Freshwater Beds’ bij West-Run- ton met een ouderdomvan ca. 700.000 jaar. In de ’Freshwater Bed’ afzettingen van West Runton is ook voor het eerst de dwergspitsmuis Sorexminutus aangetroffen. Een incomplete kaak van deze soort is ook in dit artikel beschreven en afge- beeld. taken the method of Beremendiafissidens length 4.22 mm by REUMER, 1984), strongly fissident condition with slightly divergent cusps The species was described from Beremend 1 (PETENYI, and well with this and pigmented tip agree species are 1864). It is known from numerous sites in Continental not comparable with any other known fossil shrew in Europe (REUMER, 1984). It first in sites ofLo- appears Britain, (Fig. 1). wer and Middle-Plioceneage such as Podlesice, Weze and Gundersheim (KURTEN, 1968; RZEBIK-KOWALSKA, 1976). It attains its zenith in the Lower Pleistocene when its remains are abundant in Continental sites of Villanyian and Biharian age, persisting until Cromerian times in the Middle Pleistocene at least in Poland, (RZEBIK-KOWALSKA, 1976). In the British Isles, remains of this species are very rare and fragmentary and confi- until isolated molars ned now to three (STUART, 1980, 1982), from the Cromerian at Sugworth, Oxford (STU- ART, 1980, 1982). In spite of extensive screen washing for small mammalremains in it has remai- recent years, from the ned unknown the type Cromerian horizon, Freshwater Bed at West Runton, (STUART, 1992). It is of interest to describe below isolated incisor an upper from the foreshore Crag at East Runton of Villanyian age and a lower molar from the Cromerian Freshwater Bed at West Runton. Description II HZM.17.23334 Part right sup. East Runton, near Cromer, Norfolk. Collected by J.D. from the foreshore Clayden crag. (Fig. 1) incisor Fig. 1: Incomplete right upper ofBeremendia fissidens; HZM.16.22451 sin. West m2 Runton, near Cromer, lingual (A), dorsal (B) and buccal (C) views. HZM.17.23334, East Norfolk. Collected by J.D. Clayden Runton, Norfolk, foreshore crag (Lower Pleistocene). Scale = 2 mm. D: Outline of entire tooth below, after REUMER (1984). Not from the CromerianFreshwater Bed to scale. (Bed G). (Fig. 2) 1: bovenkaaks Fig. Incomplete snijtand van Beremendia fissi- dorsaal dens; linguaal, en buccaal aanzicht. HZM.17.23334, Bast Although the talon of the upper incisor Runton, Norfolk, foreshore crag (Lower Pleistocene). Schaal = (HZM.17.23334) is missing, the large size, (estimated 2mm. D: Zijaanzicht van een complete bovenkaaks snijtand naar REUMER niet (1984), op schaal. 97 Fig.m22: Beremendia fissidens sin; buccal (A), lingual (B) and occlusal (C) views. HZM.16.22451, West Runton, Norfolk, Cromerian Freshwater Bed. Scale = 2 mm. West Fig. 2: Beremendia fissidens m2 sin; buccaal, linguaal en occlusaal aanzicht. HZM.16.22451, Runton, Norfolk, Cromerian Freshwater Bed. Schaal = 2 mm. Remains of shrews are unfortunately rare in the marine terior surface, the posterior root is missing, its point of littoral of Norfolk and often indeterminate. attachment concealed adherent matrix. is fre- crags are by As The Weybourne Crag of East Runton contains a char- quently the case in fossil shrew teeth from West Runton acteristic Lower Pleistocene microtine fauna generally all trace of pigmentation has been lost and the preserva- of is considered to be Pre-Pastonian (Villanyian) age, ca tion colour jet black. 1.7 m.y.b.p. (MAYHEW & STUART, 1986; HARRISON, BA- Discussion in with TES & CLAYDEN, 1988) correlating age Tegelen in the Netherlands. It was predictable that Beremendia The incisor from the foreshore East fragmentary crag at would occur in the Soricid fauna at this time and this is of shows Runton presumed Villanyian age no signifi- now confirmed. cant difference from material from continental sites. The Cromerian specimen of m2 described above has The mandibular molar from West Runton minor but perhaps significant features in comparison (HZM.16.22451) is characterised by its massive size in with Polish Villanyian and Biharian materialin the Har- comparision with other known shrews from this deposit, rison These well Zoological Museum. are a developed which are Sorex runtonensis, Sorex savini and Neomys lingual cingulum, undulant buccal cingulum and not- newtoni (STUART, 1992). This specimen is relatively ched cristid obliqua. These features could be merely in- short and broad with the crown almost rectangular in dividualvariations and not evident in the Cromerian that it is The are outline, clearly indicating an m2. mi crown molar figured by STUART (1980, fig. 1 C). More material is decidedly longer in relation to its width. The dimens- is to the Cromerian form ions 237 width clearly required assess more are crown length mm; trigonid 1.60 mm; accurately. Its great rarity at West Runton probably in- talonid width 1.54 mm. These measurements fall well dicates that it extinction. was already dwindling to Sig- within the range of 31 examples from Villany 3 given by nificantly, it was not found in the later Cromerian fauna REUMER (1984, Table 47). It is slightly larger than the of Westbury-sub-Mendip (BISHOP, 1982) which AN- three lower molars from Sugworth recorded by STUART considers later DREWS (1990) a interglacial (Westbury (1980). The trigonid exhibits the slight posterior shift of Interglacial) correlating with Ostend, Norfolk. In both the metaconid in relation to the protoconid which is of these later Cromerian faunas the dominant West characteristic of Beremendia, so that the trigonid basin Runton vole Mimomys savini, which was also present at is deep and wide (REUMER, 1984). The entoconid crest Sugworth (STUART, 1980), has evolved into its descen- is short and only moderately high. The principal cusps time dant Arvicola cantiana. It seems likely that by this are prominent, with early wear facets. In the trigonid Beremendia had become extinct in Britain. the paraconid is lowest, the protoconid highest. Sorexminutus The distinct, conical entoconidis smaller than the hypo- conid and has a well developed post-entoconid edge. This species was not included by STUART (1992) in his The cristid passing from the to the obliqua hypoconid list of mammals known from the Freshwater Bed. It is posterior wall of the trigonid has a distinct notch just evidently a rare species in the deposit, previously unre- before its point of attachment just external to the meta- corded there. It was however found at Sugworth (STU- conid. The Ungual cingulum is unusually high and well ART, 1980, 1982). In the HZM collection, it is repre- while buccal has well developed, the cingulum a marked sented by four fragmentary rami listed below, all from undulation below the of the The anteri- tip protoconid. the Freshwater Bed. or root is well and its preserved deeply grooved on pos- 98 Addresses of the authors: David L. Harrison, Harrison Zoological Museum, Bowerwood House, St Botolphs Road, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, TN13 3AQ JohnD. Clayden, The Rockeries, Cromer Road, West Runton, Nor- folk, England NR27 9QA Sorex minutus Fig. 3: posterior left mandibular ramus with m1; References: lingual view. HZM.78.15549, West Runton, Norfolk, Cromerian Freshwater Bed. Scale = 2mm. ANDREWS, P., 1990: Owls, Caves and Fossils. Natural Hist. Mus. Sorex minutus London Pub. 231 pp. Fig. 3: posterieure deel van een linker onderkaak West met m1; linguaal aanzicht. HZM78.15549, Runton, Norfolk, BISHOP, MJ., 1982: The Mammal Fauna of the Early Middle Cromerian Freshwater Bed. Schaal = 2mm. Pleistocene Cavern infill site of Westbuiy-Sub-Mendip, Somerset. Special Papers in Palaeontology, 28: 1-108. Palaeontological Asso- ciation. London. Description HARRISON, D.L., PJJ. BATES, & J.D. CLAYDEN, 1988: On the of occurrence Galemys kormosi (SCHREUDER, 1940) (In- sectivora: in the British Lower Pleistocene. Acta The- HZM. 78.15549 Left posterior mandiblewith mi, Desmaninae) riologica, 33(26): 369- 378. coronoid and condyle.Collected by B., 1968: Pleistocene Mammals of Weidenfeld D.L. Harrrison and PJJ. Bates (Fig. 3). KURTEN, Europe. & Nicolson, London. 317 with pp. HZM.113.22850Right ramus p4-m3. MAYHEW, D.F. & A J. STUART, 1986: Stratigraphic and taxono- Collected by J.D. Clayden. mic revision of the fossil vole remains (Rodentia, Microtinae)from HZM.114.22852Left ramus with mi. the lower Pleistocene deposits of Eastern England. Philosophical Collected by J.D. Clayden. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, 312: 431- 485. HZM.115.23298Posterior left ramus. PETENYI, SJ., 1864: Hatrahagyott munkai. Akad. Kiadasa, Pest: 1- Collected by J.D. Clayden. 130. REUMER, J.W.F., 1984. Ruscinian and early Pleistocene Soricidae (Insectivora, Mammalia) from Tegelen (The Netherlands) and Measurements HZM.78.15449 113.22850 114.22852 115.23298 (mm) Hungaty. Scripta Geologica, 73: 1-173. RZEBIK-KOWALSKA, B., 1976: The Neogene and Pleistocene In- Coronoid height 3.14 - • 3.07 sectivores of Poland.