Vörös A. szerk.: Fragmenta Mineralogica Et Palaentologica 18. 1996. (Budapest, 1996)

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS The length of the M2, ml, m3 molars of Cricetinus janossyi are the longest as compared to the other known Cricetinus species (Figs. 17-21). The morphological characters refer to the general characters of the genus (HÍR 1994a). Only the peculiar connections of the entoconid on m3 (Figs. 12-15) seem to be special markers. These configurations are unknown in the Hungarian Plio-Pleistocene Allocricetus and Cricetus populations as well (HÍR 1994a and other papers in preparation). DISCUSSION In the Carpathian Basin the Cricetinus species were the only representatives of the Cricetidae family during the Middle Pliocene (MN 16) between the LAD of Kowalskia and the FAD of the Allocricetus genus. In spite of this fact the biochronological importance of them is limited because they are infrequent elements of the faunas in Hungary (except Beremend 15) and the presently known geographical range of the Cricetinus genus in Europe confined only to Ukraina (TOPATSHEVSKIY & SKORIK 1992) and Hungary (KRETZOI 1959, 1962, Hír 1984a). Cricetinus janossyi occurs in Csarnóta 2 as well beyond Osztramos 7. Fig. 17 demonstrates the inhomogenity of the M2 molars from Csarnóta 2 and we have to redeterminate exactly the "holotype M2" of Cricetinus europaeus as Cricetinus janossyi. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to express his sincere thanks to the staff of the Paleontological Department of the Hungarian Natural History Museum for the kindness in offering the material investigated. The research was supported by the Hungarian National Research Fund (OTKA No.T014417). REFERENCES DE BRUIJN, H, DAAMS, R., FAHLBUSCH, V., GINSBURG, L., DAXNER-HOCK, G., MEPN, P., MORALES, J. (1992): Reports of the RCMNS working group on fossil mammals, Reisenburg 1990. - Newslett. Stratigr., 26 (2-3): 65-118. FEJFAR, O. & HEINRICH, W. (1990): Proposed biostratigraphical division of the European continental Neogene and Quaternary based on muroid rodents (Rodentia: Mammalia). - Int. Symp. Evol. Phyl. Biostratigr. of Arvicolids, Praha: 115-124. HÍR, J. (1993a): Allocricetus éhiki, Schaub, 1930 (Rodentia, Mammalia) finds from Villány 3 and Osztramos 3 (Hungary). - Fragm. Min. et Pal., 16: 61-80. HÍR, J. (1993b): Cricetulus migratorius (Pallas, 1773)(Rodentia, Mammalia) population from the Toros Mountains (Turkey) (With a special reference to the relation of Cricetulus and Allocricetus genera). - Folia Hist. Nat. Mus. Matraensis, 18: 17-34. HÍR, J. (1994a): Cricetinus beremendensis sp. n. (Rodentia, Mammalia) from the Pliocene fauna of Beremend 15. (S Hungary). - Fragm. Min. et Pal., 17: 71-89.