Ruscinian and early Pleistocene Soricidae (Insectivora, Mammalia) from Tegelen (The Netherlands) and Hungary

Plio-Pleistocene Soricidae have been studied from Tegelen (The Netherlands) and from seven Hungarian localities: Osztramos 1, 3, 7, 9, 13, Csarnóta 2, and Villány 3. The subdivision of the subfamily Soricinae into tribes is revised. Of the three tribes recognized by Repenning (1967), two have been retained, viz. the Soricini Fischer von Waldheim, 1817 and the Blarinini Kretzoi, 1965. The third tribe (Neomyini Repenning, 1967) is split into four new (or resurrected) tribes: Soriculini Kretzoi, 1965 (this name having preference over Neomyini Repenning, 1967); Beremendiini new tribe, Amblycoptini Kormos, 1926, and Notiosoricini new tribe. In addition, the Allosoricini Fejfar, 1966 replaces the formerly separate subfamily Allosoricinae, but it includes taxa included earlier in the Neomyini (Petenyiella gracilis) and in the Limnoecinae (Paenelimnoecus). Two new genera are discribed: Mafia and Sulimskia, both belonging to the Blarinini. Five new species are discribed: Sorex bor, Deinsdorfia janossyi, Deinsdorfia kordosi, Blarinella europaea, and Mafia csarnotensis. Some new terms are introduced for the dental morphology. In the P4, the connective ridge between the parastyle and the paracone is called the parastylar crest. For the lower incisor, names (adjectives) are introduced to describe the number of cuspules on the dorsal edge: acuspulate (for an I inf. without cuspules), monocuspulate (1), bicuspulate (2), tricuspulate (3), and tetracuspulate (4 cuspules). Furthermore, the degree of posterior emargination in M1 and M2 has been quantified by means of a formula; the result is the PE-index. Some palaeoecological conclusions are drawn. The observed differentiation of the climate during the Csarnótanian and the Villányian is of particular interest. For two genera it has been possible to reconstruct migratiory trends. It is noted that in Central Europe Episoriculus gradually retreated southwards. This retreat started in the Ruscinian and continued into the Pleistocene; it might have been caused by the gradual deterioration of the climate. Crocidura originates from Africa and invaded Europe, starting in Asia Minor in the Ruscinian and ending its invasion in England during the last interglacial. It has since withdrawn from England, but still occurs in Europe below c. 53°N. Finally, it can be concluded that during the Ruscinian the Soricidae were a very successful group, showing an explosion in species diversity. The Villányian climatic decline caused many extinctions and a considerable impoverishment of the soricid diversity. Of the — at least — eleven genera found in the late Ruscininian, four became extinct at the Ruscinian-Villányian boundary, two during the Villányian and two at the Villányian-Biharian boundary. At present only four genera are found in Europe; only one of these (Sorex) was already in Europe during the early Ruscinian, the others immigrated later.