Szabó János szerk.: Fragmenta Mineralogica Et Palaentologica 19. 2001. (Budapest, 2001)

Anurans and squamates from the Lower Pliocene (MN 14) Osztramos 1 locality (Northern Hungary) by Márton VENCZEL Abstract — The Lower Pliocene (MN 14) locality of Osztramos 1 (Hungary) yielded at least 7 anurans: Latonia gigantea, Bombina sp. (Discoglossidae), Pliobatrachus cf. langhae (Palaeobatrachidae), Eopelobates sp. (Pelobaddae), Bufo bufo, B. viridis (Bufonidae), Rana sp. (Ranidae); and 14 squamate taxa: Geckonidae indet., Eacerta sp. (Lacertidae), Anguis fragilis, Pseudopus pannonicus (Anguidae), Eryx sp. (Boidae), Coluber bungaricus, Coronella austriaca, Elaphe kormosi, E. praelongissima, Elaphe sp., Natrix longivertebrata, cf. Neonatrix sp. (Colubridae), Vipera cf. ammodytes and V. cf. berus (Viperidae). A number of taxa {Eopelobates sp., Geckonidae indet., Eryx sp., cf. Neonatrix sp., Vipera cf. ammodytes and V. cf. fenw) are reported for the first dme from the Hungarian Neogene. The composition of the fauna suggests mild and wet climate and a diversified paleoenvironment, with a water source in the area, which permitted the co-occurrence of a number of extinct and extant genera during the accumulation of the sediments. Keywords — Anurans, squamates, Lower Pliocene, Hungary, taxonomy VENCZEL, M. (2001): Anurans and squamates from the Lower Pliocene (MN 14) Osztramos 1 locality (Northern Hungary) — Fragmenta Palaeontologica Hungarica, 19: 79-90. Introduction Osztramos Hill is situated in North-Hungary (at northern latitude 49°30'), in the Upper-Bódva Basin between Tornaszentandrás and Bódvarákó. In the limestone quarry of Triassic (Ladinian - Anisian) age, 15 fossil localities were unearthed during years 1956-1976 (JÁNOSSY 1979; JÁNOSSY & KORDOS 1977). Osztramos 1 locality was found in a fissure of more than 400 m length, of 3-4 m width, and in about 50 m depth. The first samples were collected by KRETZOI (1956), while the excavation of the entire material took place between 1970-1972 (JÁNOSSY & KORDOS 1977). In the fissure system different "bone-pockets" were identified and noticed as Loc. 1/a—1/f. The first description of the fossil remains, coming from Loc. 1/b and 1/c, was published by JÁNOSSY (1972), while a review of the entire locality complex (including Osztramos 1/a—l/f) was prepared by JÁNOSSY & KORDOS (1977). Based on micromammals, the age of the fauna may be defined as Lower Pliocene (MN 14) (KORDOS 1994; FEJFAR et al. 1998). JÁNOSSY (1972) and JÁNOSSY & KORDOS (1977) reported Anguts (Loc.l/b, 1/c) and Pseudopus (=Ophisaurus) (Loc. 1/b, 1/c, 1/d), and mentioned that the fossil material contained also urodeles, anurans, snake vertebrae and turtle remains. VENCZEL (1997) listed a number of anurans from the Loc. 1: Latonia gigantea (1 /e), Bombina sp. (1/c), Peiobates sp. (1/b), Pelobates cî.fuscus (1/c), Bufo bufo (1/c), Bufo viridis (1/b), and Rana Id. esculenta (1/b, 1/c, 1/e). Few land salamander vertebrae coming from the Loc. 1/c, have been assigned to Parabynobius, an extinct hynobiid genus (VENCZEL 1999). The purpose of the present paper is to describe the fossil remains of anurans and squamate reptiles coming from Loc. 1. The entire material is deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest. Material and methods The fossil material used in this study were selected off from the abundant microvertebrate remains coming from localities 1/b, 1/c and 1/e. The remains were cleaned from the brecciated sediments using acetic acid, and than impregnated. The terminology used follows SANCHÍZ (1998) for anurans, ROCEK (1984) and RAUSCHER (1992) for lizards, and SZYNDLAR (1984) and SZYNDLAR & SCHLEICH (1994) for snakes.