When different is the same: a case study of two small-mammal bearing fissures from the Early Miocene of Mokrá-Quarry sites (South Moravia, Czech Republic)
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Bollettino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.paleoitalia.it/bollettino-spi/bspi-vol-613/ |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.4435/BSPI.2022.18 |
| Keywords | Cricetidae; Eomyidae; Gliridae; Burdigalian; Karpatian; Moravian karst |
| Description | Fossil rodents belonging to Cricetidae, Eomyidae, Platacanthomyidae, and Gliridae from the karstic fissures MWQ 2/2003 and MCQ 3/2005 from Mokrá-Quarry (South Moravia, Czech Republic) are described in this work. These fissures have yielded remains of three cricetid genera (Megacricetodon, Democricetodon, and Eumyarion) which denote a high cricetid biodiversity, and together with the finding of Ligerimys florancei indicate an earliest Karpatian age (Burdigalian, MN4). Moreover, the rare Platacanthomyidae species Neocometes similis, together with four different genera of dormice (Myoglis, Glirudinus, Bransatoglis, and Peridyromys) are present as well. The small mammal assemblages from the two fissures presented here, although coeval in age, are much more diverse than the previously studied MWQ 1/2001. Our results confirm that the faunal assemblages recovered from all Mokrá-Quarry fissures resemble those from other Czech localities, such as Dolnice sites and Ořechov. The inferred paleoecological conditions concur with previous studies focused on the herpetofauna and small mammals from MWQ 1/2001, showing a dry karst plateau with marshy areas together with open steppe and patches of dense woodland. The wide range of species found in Mokrá-Quarry fissures would confirm a rich and diverse environment during the early Karpatian. Therefore, Mokrá-Quarry constitutes one of the most relevant localities of the Burdigalian (Early Miocene) in Central Europe. |
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