Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 39(1) 1996

Issue:

VOL 39(1) 1996

Keywords:

Pliocene, Pleistocene, Lagomorpha, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary

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Evolutionary shifts in the first premolar pattern of Hypolagus beremendensis (Petényi, 1864) (Lagomorpha, Mammalia) in the Plio-Pleistocene of Central Europe

• Florian A. FLADERER
• Gerhard REINER

Abstract:

The abundant material of leporids from the karst infills near Deutsch-Altenburg, lower Austria, dating from the Middle Pliocene to the Early Pleistocene allowed us to study the variability of the first premolars (P², P₃) of Hypolagus beremendensis. The morphological variation shown by means of morphotypes, morphogenetic schemes and frequency diagrams is interpreted as the result of microevolutionary change. Biostratigraphic applicability is demonstrated by comparison with leporid remains from Polish, Czech, Slovakian and Hungarian sites. Some other morphological features of the cranial and postcranial skeleton also document the transition from the older H. beremendensis beremendensis (MN 14 - lower part of MN 17) to the younger H. beremendensis brachygnathus (MN 17 - early Middle Pleistocene).