Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 70. (Budapest 1978)

Jánossy, D.: Larger mammals from the lowermost Pleistocene fauna, Osztramos, Loc. 7. (Hungary)

Dicerorhinus inegarhinus is said to be as a typical Upper Pliocene ("Astian") form in the literature. This species was described from the (older) sands of Montpellier by CHRISTOL and occurs also in the younger marine sands of the corresponding territory ("Roussillon", DÉPERET 1897). We know their remains in Europe hitherto only from Upper Pliocene (Postpannonian Pliocene) localities besides Roussillon: Wölfersheim too. GUÉRIN (1972) separated newly a form of the same size category from layers of transitional position between the Pliocene and Pleistocene (Vialette, "Villafranca", Etouaires, etc.) under the designation D. jeanvireti. The distinction from megarhinus does not seem to be clear on the basis of fragmentary remains. The stratigraphical position of all known remains of this group in the Carpathian Basin: the gravels of Rákoskeresztúr and Maglód (both east from Budapest; the latter one has not been published, preserved in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest), and one from Gödöllő (MOTTL 1939) is hitherto uncertain. The similar fossils originating from Ajnácskő (Hajnacka) are according to FEJFAR (1964) of Lowest Pleistocene age. As we will come back later to that, from our point of view it is the most important establishment that the stratigraphically very well defined Osztramos finds proves the presence of the larger rhinoceros and not that of the smaller D. etruscus. Equus ,,robustus POMEL, 1853" (Plate I: Fig. 5-8; Plate II: Fig. 1) Material: Fragment of an upper (milk) incisor; D

2

, D

3 and D

4 from the left tooth row; left and right D.,; mandible fragment with a part of a milk molar; left and right complete femora (without epiphyses); fragment of (a young) radius; fragment of vertebra caudalis. All remains seem to originate from the same foal, possessing well-developed (nearly erupted) germs of milk molars. It is not possible to discuss here the patterns of the teeth due to their unworn condition. Although some measurements prove the large dimensions of this horse unequivocally: the length of the D

2 is about 38 mm (in Saint-Valuer, the only locality in which I found an exact description and figures of milk molars, VIRET, 1954: this measurement is 36.7 mm), the length of D

2 is about 50 mm (in Saint Vallier, measured on the figure: 48 mm), the length and width of D

4 is about 38x26 mm. All these dimensions suggest a heavy-built Lowest- to Lower-Pleistocene caballine horse, very widespread at that times in Europe. It is quite unambiguous to establish the presence of this evolutionary lineage, as is difficult the taxonomical designation. The correct name of this form is very disputed in literature (Equus stenonis race rnajor-vireti-senezensis, bressanus ?, sylvarum, robustus, — see STEHLIN 1933; KRETZOI 1938, 1954; VIRET 1954; PRAT 1969 etc.). For that very reason I use here provisionally the name "robustus" being conscious of the fact, that this is not the taxonomically correct designation. We can establish in this place the same as for the large rhinoceros, but with an opposite sign thus, we have before us one of the stratigraphically best confined remains of our territory of a Pliocene relict evolutionary line, here the large caballine horse as a species of the hitherto known oldest ones in Europe. ARTIODACTYLA OWEN, 1848 Cervus s. 1. sp. I (aff. philisi SCHAUB) Material: three fragments of molars, two small fragm. of antlers (tines only), two fragm. of corpora vertebrae, C

2

_

3

: (capitatum — trapezoideum), Cr (naviculare), Cu (triquetrum), Ci (lunatum), metacarpale (nearly complete, distal, ep. lacks) and prox. fragment of the same; prox. and dist. fragments of a juv. femur; astragalus, prox. and dist. fragment of metatarsalia, trochlea of a metapodial, fragment of a phalanx I., lateral phalanx L, phalanx II. As it is well known from the literature, the morphological-systematical relegation of deer of Lowest viz. Lower Pleistocene does not seem very hopeful. Most of the pieces are so fragmentary that, it is hardly possible to take comparable measurements of them. Nevertheless I give in this place some measurements to show the relatively small dimensions of the fossil species. The proximal width of the metacarpal bone measures 33 and 34 mm, that of the metatarsal 26 and 31 mm. The length and width of astragalus amount 42x25 mm, the length and distal width of the phalanx II. 35 x 12 mm. All these measurements fall into the variation of the group of smaller deer of the Lower Pleistocene, described from Western Europe (Cervus cusanus, raniosus, pardinensis, perolensis, philisi, perrieri, ardei). As it is well known, the most important differences among these species represent the configuration of the whole antler. As the anatomical list shows, antlers are not present viz. since we have only indifferent fragments of tines.