A new interpretation of the Miocene rodent faunas from Comǎne?ti 1 and Tau? (W-Romania) [Une nouvelle interprétation des faunes de rongeurs de Comǎne?ti 1 et de Tau? (Roumanie de l'ouest)]

摘要

The rodent faunas from the Comǎne?ti 1 and Tau? localities (Western Romania) are revised in light of the latest taxonomical, biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental information. The main systematic results show that the two cricetid rodents Megacricetodon crisiensis and Democricetodon iazygum are invalid, whereas Democricetodon zarandicus is retained. The original assigment of the cricetodontini remains from Tau? to Hispanomys is emended, as a relationship to Byzantinia is more likely. While the geological evidence suggests that the localities are late Middle Miocene (Upper Volhynian-Bessarabian, late Sarmatian sensu stricto) in age, the association of Myoglis ucrainicus with Muscardinus hispanicus rather argues for an MN9 correlation for Tau?. Indeed, uncertainties and discontinuities in the Central and East European mammalian biostratigraphy render any conclusion about the correlation of the localities to the MN 'zonation' problematic. The high diversity of squirrels (five genera), as well as the presence of a pliopithecoid alongside, glirid and eomyid rodents, suggest a forest environment at the time of accumulation of the Tau? fauna, which is in agreement with the indication of humid climate provided by ectothermic vertebrates.