Szekessy Vilmos (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 55. (Budapest 1963)

Topál, Gy.: The bats of a Lower Pleistocene site from Mt. Kövesvárad near Répáshuta, Hungary

ANNALES HLLTORICO-NATL RALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 55. PARS MINBRALOGICA ET PALAEONTOLOGICA 1963. The liats of a Lower Pleistocene Site from Mt. Kövesívárad near Répáshuta, Hungary By GY. TOPÁL

. Budapest Dr. D. J

ÁNOSSY discovered in 1954 a Lower Pleistocene site of mammals in the quarry of the Mt. Kövesvárad near the village Répáshuta. This site is regarded as one of the most interesting from this period, if only for the fact that Répáshuta is about 300 km NE of the classic Hungarian localities, Beremend and Villány, being the second after Gombaszög in the northern part of the Carpathian Basin. In the generally yellowish-red deposit, — of which about 3 tons were worked out in 1957 and 1958 by the washing double-screen process used first, here and in Hungary, by J

ÁNOSSY

, — the badly broken and scattered skeletal remains occured rather sporadically. Also the author lent a hand in the second phase of the work in the field. It was at that time (in the fall of 1958) that we found the microfaunally richest material in a clay lode which had probably run alongside the wall of a former cave. We were able to gather several thousands of bones and bony fragments, some hundreds of which still remained in a state fit for identification". Thanks to the extracting method, practically every small bone and separate tooth came into our hands, except possibly for the most minute bat incisors and premolars. J

ÁNOSSY (2) had thoroughly discussed the history of the exploration of this site, assessing the composition of the fauna and evaluating the results. In this paper, I propose to discuss only the bats found in the locality. I should like to express my thanks, also in this place, to my friend and colleague Dr. D. J

ÁNOSSY for his ceding of the valuable bat material for purposes of identification. As a result of my studies 1 found (mainly in the vein containing the rich microfauna cited above) the remains of ten bat species. An especially high value for the mammalian fauna comprising of 49 species! Closely following the more than 300 specimens of a bear of the L'rsus deningeri type, the most frequent species had been some bats. They suggest, just as (he great numbers of the young bear-cubs, a former, though probably not very large, cave, as also pointed out by J

ÁNOSSY (2). The age of the findings is well indentifiable by reason of the ancient beartype, then Mimomgs, Petényid, and some other species, and it can be assigned to the Bihar section of the Lower Pleistocene (

J

ÁNOSSY

, 2; KRETZOI, 8). Aside of Ihe remains of some recent bats, there were also found several ancient forms. Rhinolophus cf. ferrumcqiiiniim SCHREB. Right upper C 4 exemplars, M

; 2 ex., M

2, M

3; left upper C, P

4 talon fragment, M

1, M

1 fragment, M

2, M

3. Right mandible with C P

4— M

3, M

t—M

3, posterior fragment with M

3 and whole processes, separate lower C 2 ex.; left mandible with C

—M

3. Right cochlea 2 ex.; left humeral diaphysis, clavicula fragment 2 ex. Total: 25 exemplars, belonging to at least 4 specimens. Length of C

—ÁI

3 9,5 mm, P

4

—M

3 7,3—7,5 mm, Mi

—M

3 (i,l

—6,25 mm, length of cross-section of upper C 2,20—2,32 mm, breadth 1,78—1,90 mm, length