A late Pleistocene fossiliferous paleokarst site in the Western Mecsek Mts (Bükkösd, SW Hungary)

In the framework of a project studying karst region Western Mecsek Mts in 2018–19, new paleokarst cavity containing abundant vertebrate remains was found near village Bükkösd, extending sparse Quaternary record region. Th e herpetofauna is represented by salamandrid, true frog, lacertid lizards and colubrid snakes, latter dominating material. poor mammal material shows that area inhabited insectivores, bats, mice, hamsters voles. show no signs long transport. composition total fauna suggests sunny, rocky hillside with scrub trees places immediate vicinity accumulation site. age charcoal recovered from fi ll (41–42 ka) late Pleistocene (MIS 3), this makes assemblage rst proven MIS 3 southern Hungary. re-evaluation paleokarstrelated fossil previously reported revealed further probably also age, Mélyvölgy Rock shelter. palaeoclimate reconstructed palaeoecological analysis faunas warmer than coeval sites northern Hungary, more closed (forested) vegetation mammoth steppes. refers to existence north-south thermal gradient Carpathian Basin at time. U-series dating speleo thems showed had existed for 0.5 Ma. During 3, stopped be part an active conduit it lled up loess-derived silt. site lying above water table then, may have acted as trap either live animals or bones deposited on surface. With 25 figures tables.