Discussion of the genus Cricetulodon C. hartenbergeri is the smallest and oldest species of the known Vallesian and Turolian European cricetines, and shows a mosaic distribution of characters. It may well be derived from some Late Aragonian Spanish Democricetodon, or it may represent an immigration from an eastern source, which may be a Democricetodon as well. C. hartenbergeri may well be the ancestor of C, sabadellensis, as already supposed by Freudenthal (1967). This evolution is marked by a moderate size increase, development of trilobate anteroconids, reduction of mesoloph(id)s, and reduction of the anterior protolophule. C. sabadellensis shows an advanced state of several derived characters: tripartition of the anteroconid in M 1 , loss of the mesolophids in the lower molars, loss of the anterior protolophule in M'. The mesoloph of M 1 and M2 is absent or short, and there is no tendency to form an anterior metalophule. The M3 is short, and there may be a mesoloph, visible as a spur on the anterior metalophule, but in most specimens the mesoloph is lost. This advanced morphology, in combination with its old age (Early Vallesian) made us conclude, that C. sabadellensis may well be the ancestor of Rotundomys, but its advanced morphology makes it impossible that it be the ancestor of any Neocricetodon species, or of one of the other Cricetulodon species. The morphology of C. hartenbergeri, in which none of the basic characters has suffered an important degree of reduction, makes it a suitable candidate for the ancestry of the later Cricetulodon species, C. bugesiensis and C. lucentensis, but we have not sufficient arguments to confirm or reject this hypothesis. It is not probable, that C. lucentensis be derived from C. bugesiensis, because in the latter species the anterosinusid of M 2 has already disappeared. We are not in a position to judge whether Cricetulodon complicidens Topachevsku & Skorik, 1992, belongs to Cricetulodon or not. Some of the figured M 1 show a dominant labial anterolophulid, and the M 3 are quite reduced. On the other hand mesoloph(id)s, and labial spur of the anterolophule are well developed.
Genus Rotundomys Mein, 1966
Type-species Cricetodon montisrotundi Schaub, 1944 Attributed species Rotundomys bressanus Mein, 1975; Rotundomys mundi Calvo et al., 1979; Rotundomysfreiriensis Antunes & Mein, 1979; Rotundoinys sp. nov. Freudenthal, Mein & Martin Suรกrez (in prep.).