Arvicola materials from Mosbaeh 2, including the types of A. mosbachensis housed at the Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg Frankfurt am Main, are described. Six specimens display incipient root development. This population is therefore one of the oldest of the genus Arvicola. This is confirmed by SDQ and tooth length values indicating a primitive evolutionary stage. The age of the population correlates with either Cromer lnterglacial III or IV.The type material of Arvicola cantianus consists of a few fragmentary molars only. This scarce material does not permita clear assessment of the most significant features in middle Pleistocene populations, rootless molars with negative enamel differentiation, and is not clearly distinguishable flora either Mimomys savini of Arvicola terrestris. We therefore propose to restrict the name A. cantianus to the type material. All other middle Pleistocene Arvicola finds should be referred to A. mosbachensis.

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Phenomenon in the Evolution of Voles (Mammalia, Rodentia, Arvicolidae). Rekovets, L. I., Kovalchuk, О. М. -Th is paper presents analytical results of the study of adaptatiogenesis within the family Arvicolidae (Mammalia, Rodentia) based of morphological changes of the most functional characters of their masticatory apparatus -dental system -through time. Th e main directions of the morphological diff erentiation in parallel evolution of the arvicolid tooth type within the Cricetidae and Arvicolidae during late Miocene and Pliocene were identifi ed and substantiated. It is shown that such unique morphological structure as the arvicolid tooth type has provided a relatively high rate of evolution of voles and a wide range of their adaptive radiation, as well as has determined their taxonomic and ecological diversity. Th e optimality of the current state of this group and evaluation of evolutionary prospects of Arvicolidae were presented and substantiated here as a phenomenon in their evolution.

For the first time, data on distribution in time and space of fossil beavers (Castoridae) from the late Miocene (early Sarmatian) to Pleistocene of Ukraine are presented. The faunal list comprises: Palaeomys castoroides, Steneofiber jaegeri, Trogontherium minutum (Miocene), T. minus, T. cuvieri, Dipoides sigmodus, Castor praefiber (Pliocene), C. tamanensis, C. fiber, T. minus and T. cuvieri (Pleistocene). Many forms have been designated as sp. (species). Taxonomic problems and synonymy of extinct genera of Castoridae (from Miocene and Pliocene) of Europe are briefly discussed. The remains of the genus Monosaulax have not been identified to the species level. Faunistic lists of particular localities were supplemented, palaeoecological conditions and stratigraphic problems are also discussed.

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