Felis cf. lunensis Martelli, 1906

Gasparik, Mihály & Pazonyi, Piroska, 2018, The macromammal remains and revised faunal list of the Somssich Hill 2 locality (late Early Pleistocene, Hungary) and the Epivillafranchian faunal change, Fragmenta Palaeontologica Hungarica 35, pp. 153-178 : 164-166

Felis cf. lunensis Martelli, 1906

( Figs 26–32 )

Material – Layer 2: Phalanx II (V.81.37).

Layer 4: Left femur distal fragment ( Fig. 26 ); right radius distal and proximal fragment; right ulna proximal fragment; right scapula distal fragment; 2 vertebrae caudalis; 3 phalanges I; 4 phalanges II (VER 2018.2612.).

Layer 8: Deciduous right lower caninus (V.83.24) ( Figs 27–28 ).

Layer 22b: Caninus fragment (VER 2018.2634.).

Layer 36: Vertebra cervicalis (VER 2018.2644.).

From mixed deposits: MT III proximal fragment ( Figs 29–32 ); phalanx II (VER 2018.2690.).

Remarks – The cat remains from Somssich Hill 2 originally were described by JÁNOSSY (1999) as jungle cat ( Felis chaus ) remains, because the morphology and the measurements are very similar to the latter; however, we have no evidence of the occurrence of this species in early Middle or Early Pleistocene sites. As the Somssich Hill 2 specimens are clearly larger than the recent or the Pleistocene wild cat ( Felis silvestris ) remains, but there are not any isolated teeth or other cranial remains in the record, we provisionally ranked them into Felis lunensis , which species is also larger than F. silvestris . According to the data of STACH (1961) who published some measurements on F. lunensis and described the Pliocene Felis wenzensis as a new species, it seems that the estimated body size of the Somssich Hill 2 cat is more similar to the larger F. wenzensis than to F. lunensis . However, we can rule out the former species because it is definitely older stratigraphically. F. lunensis together with “ Chaus sp.” has already been listed by JÁNOSSY (1990) in the faunal list of Somssich Hill 2 but later in JÁNOSSY (1999) only the Felis chaus was described.

Figures

Figs 17–34. Carnivora remains from Somssich Hill 2. – Fig. 17. Mustela palerminea Petényi right mandibula fragment (VER 2018.2680.), buccal view. – Fig. 18. Mustela praenivalis Kormos left mandibula fragment (VER 2018.2664.), lingual view. – Figs 19–20. Pannonictis sp. right P3 (VER 2018.2639.). – Fig. 19. Lingual view. – Fig. 20. Occlusal view. – Figs 21–22. Pannonictis sp. left P 4 (VER 2018.2639.). – Fig. 21. Buccal view. – Fig. 22. Occlusal view. – Figs 23–24. Martes foina cf. intermedia (Severtzov) left mandibula fragment (VER 2017.8220.). – Fig. 23. Occlusal view. – Fig. 24. Lingual view. – Fig. 25. Martes foina cf. intermedia (Severtzov) left humerus fragment (VER 2018.2661.), posterior view. – Fig. 26. Felis cf. lunensis Martelli left femur fragment (VER 2018.2612.), posterior view. – Figs 27–28. Felis cf. lunensis Martelli deciduous right lower caninus (V.83.24). – Fig. 27. Lingual view. – Fig. 28. Buccal view. – Figs 29–32. Felis cf. lunensis Martelli left MT III fragment (VER 2018.2690.). – Fig. 29. Lateral view. – Fig. 30. Medial view. – Fig. 31. Proximal view. – Fig. 32. Anterior view. – Figs 33–34. Homotherium sp. right I3 fragment (V.82.100). – Fig. 33. Lingual view. – Fig. 34. Anterior view. All scale bars = 10 mm