Szabó János szerk.: Fragmenta Mineralogica Et Palaentologica 23. 2005. (Budapest, 2005)

FRAGMENTA PALAEONTOLOGICA HUNGARICA 23, BUDAPEST, 2005 Collimys dobosi n. sp. (Cricctidae, Mammalia) from the Late Astaracian (MN 8) vertebrate fauna of Felsőtárkány 3/2 (Northern Hungary) by János HÍR Abstract — Description of a new Middle Miocene hamster species is given on the basis of 400 molars. This is the most abundant sample of the Collimys genus from the fauna of the Felsőtárkány Middle Miocene terrestrial sediments. The material has been collected by the author during the last five years. From former collections, done between 1920 and 1950, a mega-flora was identified by Gábor ANDREÁNSZKY. On the basis of the paleobotanical material and the new rodent fauna, a subtropical forest environment with different levels of foliage may be presumed. The rodents and the preliminary results of the study of the insectivors and molluscs indicate Late Astaracian age (MN 8) of the material. Keywords — Systematics, stratigraphy, rodents, Middle Miocene, continental sediments, Central Paratethys. HÍR, J.: Collimys dobosi n. sp. (Cricetidae, Mammalia) from the Late Astaracian (MN 8) vertebrate fauna of Felsőtárkány 3/2 (Northern Hungary). — Fragmenta Palaeontologica Hungarica, 23: 5—18. Introduction The village Felsőtárkány is found at the Southern foothills of the Bükk Mountains, North from town Eger. From the vicinity of the settlement, SCHRÉTER (1913) published fossiliferous Miocene non-marine sediment first time, then SÜMEGHY (1923, 1924) described its terrestrial gastropods. The first vertebrate finds were collected by F. LEGÁNYI, an excellent self-educated naturalist. First paper on the vertebrates was given by ÉH1K (1926) on leporid molars. Later BALOGH & RÓNAI (1965) and KRETZOI (1982) completed the list of the vertebrates of these early collections: Galerix ehiki P/iopitheats sp. Chloromys minutus Iuplodontomys sp. Amphilagus font an ne s Proboscidea indet. Cervavitus sp. The section was studied also by paleobotanists, their results are published in ANDREÁNSZKY & KOVÁCS (1955) and ANDREÁNSZKY (1958). Recently ERDEI (1999) published the results of a revision of this flora. The exact location of this material is unknown but the plant bearing level is above the layer with bone content. The paleovertebrate locality "Felsőtárkány 1" was found by the author's team in 1999. Next year another bonebearing layer (Felsőtárkány 3/2) was found by the same group in an erosion trench, 80 m NE from the wine bottling manufactory "Vitavin Kft." (N 47° 58.5'; E 20° 24.7'). Based on the lithostratigraphical position and the original description, Felsőtárkány 3/2 presumably corresponds to the bone-bearing layer of the classic locality. During the last five years, eight metric tonnes of sediments were washed from the Felsőtárkány 3/2 locality producing the following leporid and rodent fauna: Eurolagus fontannesi (DEPERÉT, 1887) Trogontherium minutum (VON MEYER, 1838) Spermophilinus bredai (VON MEYER, 1848) Miopetau/ista sp. Albanensia cf. gtimmi (BLACK, 1966) Neoopetes sp. Blackia miocaenica MEIN, 1970 Muscardinus aff. Sansaniensis (LARTET, 1951) Clirulus sp. Paraglirulus aff. werenfelsi ENGESSER, 1972. Myoglis meint BAUDELOT, 1965 Eomyops oppligeri ENGESSER, 1990 Keramidomjs mohleri ENGESSER, 1972 Megacricetodon minutus DAXNER-HOCK, 1967 Eumyarion médius (LARTET, 1851) Collimys dobosi n. sp. Anomalomys gaudryi GAILLARD, 1900 Preliminary evaluation of the assemblage is given by HÍR (2001, 2002a, 2002b); dominant species of the fauna is Collimys dobosi n. sp. Biochronological classification of the fauna from Felsőtárkány 3/2 (MN 8) is based on the following arguments: 1 morphology of the Anomalomys gaudryi molars is more simplified than A. gaudryi finds from Anwil (ENGESSER 1972) but definitely more complicated than A. rudabanyensis from the Early Vallesian (MN 9) fauna of Rudabánya (KORDOS 1989); 2 preliminary evaluation of the Insectivora material refers to the MN 7-8 zones (MÉSZÁROS 2003, pers. com.); 3 preliminary valuation of the Mollusca material refers to the Sarmatian (KÓKAY 2002 pers. com.).