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The Fossil Record of Lizards and Snakes (Reptilia: Squamata) in Greece

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Fossil Vertebrates of Greece Vol. 1

Abstract

The fossil record of squamates (i.e. lizards and snakes) from Greece is reviewed herein. Fossil remains of lizards and snakes in Greece date as back as the early Miocene. Their fossil record spans throughout most of the Neogene and the Quaternary and extends in several localities across both continental and insular parts of the country. All major squamate lineages that exist in the Greek herpetofauna have been identified in the fossil record of the area, with the exception of geckos. In addition, several “exotic” – now extirpated from Europe – groups existed in the country during the Neogene and the Quaternary. Although the majority of the existing fossil material has been identified only up to the family or genus level, few species have been erected from Greece. Such valid species include the varanid Varanus marathonensis, the pythonid Python euboicus, the colubrids Periergophis micros and Paraxenophis spanios, and the viperid Laophis crotaloides; all but the former are so far known exclusively from Greek localities.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Hans de Bruijn and Wilma Wessels (University of Utrecht) for the loan of material—without the study of the material collected by the University of Utrecht that has resulted in a number of different publications, this current review paper would have been definitely much shorter. GLG acknowledges support from Forschungskredit of the University of Zurich, grant no. [FK-20-110]. The quality of the manuscript was enhanced by useful comments and suggestions provided by the two reviewers, Andrea Villa and Elena Syromyatnikova.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Georgios L. Georgalis

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy

    Georgios L. Georgalis & Massimo Delfino

  3. Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Massimo Delfino

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  1. Georgios L. Georgalis
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Correspondence to Georgios L. Georgalis .

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  1. Museo Paleontólogico Egidio Feruglio, CONICET, Trelew, Argentina

    Evangelos Vlachos

Appendix

Appendix

List of the Greek localities containing squamate fossils. Locality numbers refer to the collection numbers of the PalaeoBiology Database (PBDB)

Locality

Age (MN)

Taxa

Pili B204953

Late Quaternary

Eryx jaculus1

Gerani Cave195229

Late Pleistocene

Natrix cf. tessellata2

Bate Cave183122

Late Pleistocene

Podarcis cf. erhardii3,

Hierophis cf. gemonensis3

Tourkobounia 534592

Middle Pleistocene

Varanus sp.1,4,

Scolecophidia indet.1,4

Tourkobounia 234767

Middle Pleistocene

Elaphe quatuorlineata1,

Zamenis situla1

Scolecophidia indet.1

Latomi204077

Middle Pleistocene

Lacertidae indet.5,

“Colubrinae” indet.5,

Eryx jaculus5,

Natricinae indet. 5,

“Oriental vipers complex” indet.5

Kaiafas34766

Early Pleistocene

Lacertidae indet. (A)6,

Lacertidae indet. (B)6,

Lacertidae indet.6,

Laterata indet. or Scinciformata indet.6,

Ophiomorus sp.6,

Pseudopus sp.6,

Squamata indet.6,

“Colubrinae” indet.6

Tourkobounia 134589

late Pliocene (MN16)

Naja sp.1,2,7,

Malpolon sp.1,2,7,

Scolecophidia indet.1,2,7,

“Oriental vipers complex” indet.1,2,7

Spilia-431229

early Pliocene (MN15)

Amphisbaenia indet.8

Vorio 8207964

early Pliocene (MN15)

Caenophidia indet.9

Vorio 3A205086

early Pliocene (MN15)

Natrix sp.9,

Caenophidia indet.9

Vorio 3205086

early Pliocene (MN15)

Natrix sp.9,

Caenophidia indet.9

Megalo Emvolon36579

early Pliocene (MN15)

Laophis crotaloides10,11

Vorio 2207948

early Pliocene (MN14)

Natrix sp.9

Vorio 1205087

early Pliocene (MN14)

Natrix sp.9

Maritsa68046

early Pliocene (MN14)

cf. Eryx sp.1,

Scolecophidia indet.1

Maramena32189

late Miocene/early Pliocene (MN13/14)

Agaminae indet.12,14,

Lacertidae indet.14,

?Lacertidae indet.14,

aff. Palaeocordylus sp.12,14,

?Scincidae indet.14,

Anguis sp.14,

Ophisaurus sp. (morph. 1–5)12,14,

Pseudopus sp.14,

Anguinae indet.14,

Varanus sp.14,

Hierophis cf. hungaricus14,

Paraxenophis spanios14,

Periergophis micros14,

“Colubrinae” indet. (morph. 1)14,

Natrix aff. rudabanyaensis14,

Natrix sp.14,

cf. Micrurus sp.14,

Naja sp.14,

Scolecophidia indet.14,

“Oriental vipers complex” indet.13,14

Tomea Eksi 2205088

late Miocene (MN13)

Lacertidae indet.9,

Laterata or Scinciformata indet.9,

Squamata indet.9,

“Colubrinae” indet.9,

Natricinae indet.9,

Colubridae indet.9,

Caenophidia indet.9

Tomea Eksi 1205089

late Miocene (MN13)

Lacertidae indet.9,

Squamata indet.9,

Natricinae indet.9,

Caenophidia indet.9

Komanos 1205083–84

late Miocene (MN13)

Anguinae indet.9

Ano Metochi 231924

late Miocene (MN13)

Lacertidae indet.15,

aff. Palaeocordylus sp.15,

Ophisaurus sp.15,

Anguinae indet.15,

Natrix sp.15,

Serpentes indet.15

Ano Metochi 331928

late Miocene (MN13)

Lacertidae indet.15,

aff. Palaeocordylus sp.15,

Ophisaurus sp.15,

Anguinae indet.15,

cf. Dolichophis sp.15,

“Colubrinae” indet.15,

Natrix sp.15,

Scolecophidia indet.15,

Viperidae indet.14,15

Pikermi

(including both classical locality and Chomateri and PV1 sites)

182754, 195562, 202630

late Miocene (MN11–13)

Lacertidae indet.16,

?Anguinae indet.16,

Varanus marathonensis20–22,

Varanus sp.16–19,

?Erycidae indet.16,

Colubridae indet.16,

Squamata indet.16

Mytilinii95691

late Miocene (late MN11 – early MN13)

Varanus marathonensis22,23

Ravin de la Pluie191070

late Miocene (MN10)

?Anguinae indet.24,

Varanus sp.24,

“Colubrinae” indet.24,

Naja cf. romani24

Plakias183151

late Miocene (MN9)

Amphisbaenia indet.25,

?Natricinae indet.25

Aliveri68032

early Miocene (MN4a)

Chamaeleo cf. andrusovi27,

Chamaeleonidae indet.26,

Lacertidae indet.27,

Laterata indet. Or Scinciformata indet.27,

Anguinae indet.27,

Colubridae indet.27,

Viperidae indet.27,

Serpentes indet.27

Karydia69435

early Miocene (MN4a)

Lacertidae indet.27,

Laterata indet. or Scinciformata indet.27,

cf. Ophisaurus sp.27,

Anguinae indet.27,

Colubridae indet.27,

Serpentes indet.27

Kymi206392

early Miocene (MN3/4)

Python euboicus28

Lapsarna186558

early Miocene (?MN3)

Lacertidae indet.29,

?Natricinae indet.29,

Serpentes indet.29,

Squamata indet.29

  1. MN Mammal Neogene Zone
  2. 1Szyndlar 1991a, 2Szyndlar 1991b, 3Kotsakis 1977, 4Georgalis et al. 2017b, 5Schneider 1975, 6Villa et al. 2020, 7Szyndlar and Zerova 1990, 8Georgalis et al. 2018c, 9Loréal et al. 2020, 10Owen 1857, 11Georgalis et al. 2016a, 12Richter 1995, 13Szyndlar 1995, 14Georgalis et al. 2019b, 15Georgalis et al. 2017a, 17Gaudry 1862a, 18Gaudry 1862b, 19Gaudry 1862–1867, 20Weithofer 1888, 21Nopcsa 1908, 22Villa et al. 2018, 23Conrad et al. 2012, 24Georgalis et al. 2018b, 25Georgalis et al. 2016c, 26Georgalis et al. 2016b, 27Georgalis et al. 2019a, 28Römer 1870, 29Vasileiadou et al. 2017

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Georgalis, G.L., Delfino, M. (2022). The Fossil Record of Lizards and Snakes (Reptilia: Squamata) in Greece. In: Vlachos, E. (eds) Fossil Vertebrates of Greece Vol. 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68398-6_7

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