Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 65. (Budapest 1973)

Jánossy, D.: New species of Episoriculus from the Middle Pliocene of Osztramos (North Hungary)

terior (unguium of the incisor subtends an acute angle in all specimens of the examined material of all three species, as well as in recent Episoriculus, and it is not rectangular as described and illustrated by KRETZOI (1962 Plate II, Fig. 1) as characteristic to the genus Asoriculus from Csarnóta — perhaps a southern endemic form (Plate I, Fig. 7-11). The lower antemolars of E. tornensis are reduced (length 1.45 mm), as in E. borsodensis (length 1.32-1.48 mm) and in contrast with E. gibberodon (1.70-2.00 mm). The first antemolar is more diminished as compared to the second one in E. tornensis than in E. borsodensis. The lower molars of E. tornensis stand, in their proportions as well as in the development of the endoconid, between those of E. gibberodon and E. borsodensis : thinner and weaker than in the former but thicker and stronger than in the latter one. The talonid of Jf

3 is more reduced in E. tornensis than in E. gibberodon and E. borsodensis. Remarks: These rather subtile differences substantiate in my opinion not only the taxonomic independence of the new species originating from Loc. 1 and 13, Osztramos, but they also have an important evolutionary significance, to be discussed later. As mentioned in the introduction, géomorphologie arguments speak for a lower stratigraphie age of E. tornensis than for the other two forms. The taxonomic and stratigraphie arguments concur in speaking with a large probability for an older Middle Pliocene age, and perhaps also for a somewhat earlier stratigraphie level. I do not know of other closely related fossil species than the two forms compared above in detail (E. gibberdon and E. borsodensis). As mentioned earlier, I had the possibility to compare my fossil findings with the hitherto known two recent species of the genus Episoriculus) E. caudatus HORSFIELD 1851, and E. leucops- HORSFIELD, 1855. as well as with one species of the genus Chodsigoa: Ch. cf. salenskii KASTSCHENKO, 1907 (mandible of latter material originating from owl pellets, coll. TOPÁL. N-Vietnam) and finally, with the only species of Soriculus s. str. : S. nigrescens GRAY, 1-842. A comparison of our fossils with Chodsigoa may be excluded by reason of the more reduced upper dentition (with only three upper unicuspids), by the very different shape of the lower incisor, the weeker cingulum on the outer side of the lower molars, the relatively more reduced J/3 and the differences in the ascending ramus of the mandible, etc. (For further details on this latter, see REPENNING 1967). The differences in dentition are considerable also in respect of Soriculus nigrescens. In Soriculus — among others — the last lower antemolar and M

1-M

2 and M\ is, in relation of the other molars, much more reduced than in Chodsigoa, Episoriculus or the fossil forms. A comparison with members of the recent Episoriculus reveals that our fossil species stands in several details, and chiefly in the reduction of the anterior dentition, nearer to the living species of the genus (chiefly E. leucops of the same size) than to the fossil E. gibberodon or E. borsodensis. Although the well expressed differences in the morphology of dentition etc. of the recent forms exclude unambiguously a specific identity, no a generic distinctness obtains. Finally I received for comparison by courtesy of J. CHALINE (Dijon) remains of Nesiotites corsicanus BATE, 1945. collected by CHALINE in the type-locality. The examination of these bones and dentition convinced me that Nesiotites represents a quite different evolutionary line than the Episoriculus group of the European continent (fresh, redcolored pigmentation of teeth, elongated lower incisor, as in Neomys, but strongly curved as in Chodsigoa. quite aberrant shape of the ascending ramus of the mandible etc.).