First report of a Pliocene pike (Esocidae: Esox) in Transylvania, Romania

Abstract

Plio cene fish spe cies based on skel e ton re mains and as so ci ated teeth ever re ported from the in ner Carpathian area in Roma nia in the Braºov Ba sin (Baraolt sub-ba sin), which re fers to a pike (Esox sp.). The fish fos sils il lus trat ing a large-sized spec i men orig i nate from the South Racoº coal open pit (Racoºu de Sus, Covasna County), in the so-called "For ma tion with Limnocardium" (Dacian, Lower Plio cene). Com par i sons with osteological ma te rial of re cent pikes orig i nat ing from var i ous local i ties in Ro ma nia are pre sented. The as so ci ated mol lusc fauna known from the for ma tion that yielded the pike re mains sug gests the pres ence of a lake with a strat i fied wa ter col umn in the Baraolt sub-ba sin.