Les Vertébrés des sables continentaux d'âge orléanien inférieur (MN 3) de Mauvières à Marcilly-sur-Maulne (Indre-et-Loire), La Brosse à Meigné-le-Vicomte (Maine-et-Loire) et Chitenay (Loir-et-Cher)

The faluns of the middle Miocene (MN 5) of the Loire basin contain a lot of terrestrial vertebrates remains, among them many are reworked from ununderlayed continental sands. The age of these continental deposits is lower Miocene (MN 3). The fauna of the continental place of Les Beilleaux is already published (Collier & Huin 1979; Ginsburg et al. 1881a, b, 1985, 1988). Here we study the fauna of two other places, La Brosse and Mauvières, and we add the Chitenay one, which is not in the faluns area but not far in the Loire basin, and which is famous since Stehlin's (1907) and Mayet's (1908) works. It appears that all these fauna are contemporary or sub-con-temporary. The Estrepouy one is older, the Wintershof-West one is slightly younger, while the orleanais sands ones are much younger.