Vörös A. szerk.: Fragmenta Mineralogica Et Palaentologica 13. 1987. (Budapest, 1987)

FRAGMENTA MINERALOGICA et PALAEONTOLOGICA Abstract. The macro-mammalian fauna of the Lipova Cave at Hronec in Slovakia was excavated in 1837 and 1851. Some animal remains were published as Upper Pleistocene species. The metrical and morphological investigations of the animal remains showed them to be Middle Pleistocene. The oldest Ovibos remains are in the fauna of the Lipova Cave. The Lipova Cave is (or was) in the upper valley of the river Hron (Garam) west of Brezno (Breznóbánya) near Hronec (Hronyec, Rhonitz, Rohnic, Garamfalva, Kisgaram; Zólyom (Zvolen) region, Slovakia, Czechoslovakia). A conjectural use of past tense in the sentence above is reasonable, because apart from the references to the cave in the last century literature (MNM, G AO. 1851, NEUBEHLER 1851, PETÉNYI 1854, 1864, KUBLNYI 1856) I have not found any more exact or recent data on the site. According to J. S. PETÉNYI the "bone-cave" called Lipova is near Garamfalva (Hronecz, Rohnitz) on the slope of a mountain ascending to the North (PETÉNYI 1854). I have no knowledge of the origin of the name of the cave. It seems therefore that the Lipova Cave can be found in the northern part of the Slovak Ore Mountains (Slovenské rudohorie), where it is situated on the left bank of the Cser brook on the steep southern slope of one of the eastern, 645 m high, spurs of the Chvatimeck mountains. The earliest reference to the Lipova Cave is from 1837 when A. KOCH, Imperial and Royal member of mining-commission, director at Besztercebánya (Banská Bystrica), visited it and made excavations there (PETÉNYI 1864). Though the participants of the 3rd General Assembly of Hungarian Doctors and Researchers of Natural Sciences held in 1842 at Besztercebánya (now Banská Bystrica) did not visit the Lipova Cave, they knew about it and the "minérale-bones" which were found there (BALOGH 1846), Imperial and Royal Adjuncten P. NEUBEHLER at Besztercebánya presented five Rhi noceros teeth from the Lipova Cave at the meeting of the Kais, und könig. geologischen Reichsanstalt held in Vienna on 1st April, 1851 (NEUBEHLER 1851). When in 18 51 J. S. PETÉNYI, founder of ornithological, mammal and vertebrate paleontological collections in Hungary was appointed as ordinary curator of the Natural History Department of the National Museum, several private collectors offered their material for the museum from different parts of the country. The animal bone assemblage of the Lipova Cave had got to the National Museum at that time. In July 1851 J. S. PETÉNYI visited Besztercebánya and its environs when he requested, received and brought to Pe_st and there he identified the bone remains of the Lipova Cave, Although he had no comparative bone material available, J. S. PETÉNYI gave an excellent anatomical description of the finds, save for a few exceptions. The specific identifications of the finds, especially that of "atypical" knuckles, vertebrae, etc. corresponds to the paleontological knowledge of macromammals in the middle of the last century (Table 1). 13, Budapest, 1987 p. 111-122