Glis sackdillingensis Heller, 1930

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 : 173-174

Glis sackdillingensis Heller, 1930 Cervus sp.

smaller than the Middle Pleistocene C. mosbachensis remains. A similar phenomenon was observed amongst the small mustelids, as the range of the length of Mustela palerminea lower first molars (M 1) from Somssich Hill 2 is between those of the Villafranchian M. palerminea and the Middle Pleistocene (and recent) M. erminea .

The macromammal assemblage of the Somssich Hill 2 locality shows many similarities with several European late Villafranchian and early Galerian faunas and localities, for example Pirro Nord and Colle Curti in Italy, some sites of Atapuerca in Spain, Le Vallonet and Sainzelles in France, and Untermassfeld in Germany ( PETRONIO et al. 2011; BELLUCCI et al. 2015; GLIOZZI et al. 1997; PALOMBO & VALLI 2004; GARCIA & ARSUAGA 1999; KAHLKE 1997; KAHLKE & GAUDZINSKI 2005).

The faunal change is more obvious amongst the micromammals but it is also present amongst the macromammals ( Fig. 48 ). The two small mustelids ( Mustela palerminea and M. praenivalis ), the large mustelid Pannonictis , and the extinct corsac fox ( Vulpes praecorsac ) are disappearing species of the fauna. There is a large sized wild cat, Felis cf. lunensis in the Somssich Hill 2 fauna, which was known only from older localities and it has rather strict biostratigraphical appearance. On the basis of the Somssich Hill 2 record we have to extend the biostratigraphical range of this species, but of course we have to note that the identification of the Somssich Hill 2 remains is a bit dubious. Definitely newcomer species are the medium sized wolf ( Canis mosbachensis ) and the badger ( Meles meles ). In the macromammal record of the Somssich Hill 2 one can find two further newly occurring species; however, their identification is unfortunately uncertain due to the rather fragmentary and scanty material. These species are Panthera onca gombaszogensis and Cervus cervus acoronatus .

Mainly on the basis of the micromammals and supported by ESR data the age of the locality was dated to ca. 1 Ma ( PAZONYI et al. 2018) but some kinds of mixing of the deposits were demonstrable. Some micromammal species evidently can be present in the fauna only due to reworking processes during which remains of biostratigraphically older species were washed into the fissure from older deposits near the site.

Figures

Fig. 48. Ranges of some selected micro- and macromammal taxa of Somssich Hill 2 and the biostratigraphic position of the locality