New data on the Sciuridae (Rodentia) from the Villafranchian site of Węże 2 in southern Poland

Abstract

In addition to specimens attributable to Pliopetaurista dehneli (Pteromyini), already described by Sulimski (1964), the fossil tooth material collected at the Upper Pliocene (MN 16b) site of Węże 2 in southern Poland comprises specimens assignable to other representatives of the Sciuridae. These include Tamias orlovi (Marmotini), Blackia miocaenica (Pteromyini) and Sciurus warthae (Sciurini). All these species are otherwise relatively rare in the fossil record. Along with another MN 16b site, Frechen, as well as the MN 16 sites of Rębielice Królewskie 1A and Rębielice Królewskie 2, Węże 2 thus represents one of the youngest occurrences of B. miocaenica in the fossil record. P. dehneli, B. miocaenica and S. warthae are considered to have inhabited dense forests while T. orlovi probably also lived in more open wooded environments.