Abstract
This paper deals with the squamate fauna from three Neogene localities in Slovakia. Neogene lizards and snakes have rarely been reported from this region and many aspects of their evolution and palaeodiversity are still poorly understood. Squamate remains from the Upper Miocene (MN 9) locality of Borsky Sväty Jur belong to at least five different taxa: Lacerta sp., Pseudopus sp., Colubroidea indet. (? Elapidae), Natricinae indet. and Colubridae indet. The ophidian assemblage from Ivanovce (Lower Pliocene; MN 15b) is dominated by colubrids, mainly Zamenis longissimus. The remainder is comprised of the species Natrix natrix. Squamate material from this locality also includes Lacerta cf. agilis, Pseudopus sp. and Ophisaurus sp., while that from Hajnáčka (Upper Pliocene; MN 16a) is extremely poor, comprising just one taxon - Natrix natrix. The Ivanovce material represents the oldest proof of the former existence of the species Zamenis longissimus and Natrix natrix in the Slovak Republic. The composition of this snake fauna indicates faunistic and palaeoecological changes at the end of the Miocene, although this was not as rapid as at similar localities in Europe. The squamate fauna of Slovakia has changed very little since the beginning of the Pliocene, and the majority of taxa are represented by species that currently occur in this region.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Z number:
-
Collection of the Slovak National Museum, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- MN:
-
Mammal Neogene zone
References
Bachmayer F. & Szyndlar Z. 1985. Ophidians (Reptilia: Serpentes) from the Kohfidisch Fissures of Burgenland, Austria. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. 87 A: 79–100.
Casanovas-Vilar I., Moya-Sola S., Agusti J. & Kohler M. 2005. The geography of a faunal turnover: tracking the Vallesian crisis. pp. 247–300. In: Elewa A.M.T. (ed.), Migration of Organisms, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 332 pp. ISBN-10 3-540-26603-8.
Čerňanský A. & Joniak P.2009. Nové nálezy jašteríc (Sauria, Lacertidae) z neogénnych sedimentov Slovenska a Českej republiky [New finds of lacertids (Sauria, Lacertidae) from the Neogene of Slovakia and Czech Republic]. Acta Geologica Slovaca 1(1): 57–64.
Estes R. 1969. Die Fauna der miozänen Spaltenfüllung von Neudorf an der March (ČSSR). (Reptilia, Lacertilia). Sitz.-Ber. Ö sterr. Akad. Wiss. Math.-Naturwiss. K1. Abt. 1. 178: 77–82.
Fejfar O. & Heinrich. D. 1985. Zur Bedeutung der Wirbeltierfundst ätten von Ivanovce und Hajnáčka für die Säugetierpal äontologie im Pliozän und frühen Pleistozän in Europa: Kenntnisstand und Probleme. Věstník Ustředního ústavu Geologického 60: 213–224
Fejfar O. & Sabol M. 2004. Pliocene carnivores (Carnivora, Mammalia) from Ivanovce and Hajnáčka (Slovakia). Courier Forschungs-Institut Senckenberg 246: 15–53.
Holec P., Klembara J. & Meszároš Š. 1987. Discovery of a new fauna of marine and terrestrial vertebrates in Devínska Nová Ves. Geologica Carpathica 38: 349–356.
Ivanov M. 1998. The snake fauna of Devínska Nová Ves (Slovak Republic) in relation to the evolution of snake assemblages of the European Middle Miocene. Acta Mus. Morav. Brno Sci. Geolog. 83: 159–172. ISSN 1211-8796
Jandzík D. 2000. Opis a porovnanie kraniálneho skeletu troch taxónov čeľade Colubridae: Natrix natrix, Natrix tesseleta a Elaphe longissima [Description and comparisons of a cranial skelet of free taxa of the family Colubridae: Natrix natrix, Natrix tesseleta and Elaphe longissima]. Thesis, Faculty of Natural Sciences. Comenius University in Bratislava, 68 pp.
Klembara J. 1986a. New finds of the genus Ophisaurus (Reptilia, Anguidae) from the Miocene of Western Slovakia (Czechoslovakia). Acta Univ. Carol. Geolog., Spinar. Vol. 2: 187–203.
Klembara J. 1986b. Neue Funde der Gattungen Pseudopus und Anguis (Reptilia, Anguidae) aus drei Pliopleistozänen Mitteleurop äschen Lokalitäten. Geologicky Zborník — Geologica Carpathica 37: 91–106.
Klembara J., Böhme M. & Rummel M. 2010. Revision of the anguine lizard Pseudopus laurillardi (Squamata, Anguidae) from the Miocene of Europe, with comments on paleoecology. J. Paleontol. 84: 159–196. DOI: 10.1666/09-033R1.1
Konečný V., Vass D., Elečko M., Konečný P., Balogh K. & Túnyi I. 2004. Geology and evolution of the Bone George Maar. In: Sabol M. (ed.), Early Villanyian site of Hajnáčla I (Southern Slovakia), Gemer-Malohont Museum in Rimavská Sobota, 143 pp. ISBN 80-85134-17-9.
Młynarski M., Szyndlar Z., Estes R. & Sanchíz B. 1984. Amphibians and reptiles from the Pliocene locality of Węże II near Działoszyn (Poland). Acta Palaeont. Polon. 29: 209–226.
Pipik R. & Holec P. 1998. Panónske lastúrničky (Crustacea, Ostracoda) a stavovce (Chordata, Vertebrata) z hliniska tehelne v Borskom Sv. Jure [Pannonian ostracods (Crustacea, Ostracoda) and vertebrates (Chordata, Vertebrata) from loam pit of the brick yard in Borsky Sväty Jur]. Mineralia Slovana 30: 185–194.
Popesko P. (ed.). 1974. Nomina anatomica veterinaria. Príroda, Bratislava, 222 pp.
Rage J.C. & Szyndlar Z. 1986. Natrix longivertebrata from the European Neogene, a snake with one of the longest known stratigraphic ranges. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte 1: 56–64.
Roček Z. 1984. Lizards (Reptilia: Sauria) from the Lower Miocene locality Dolnice (Bohemia, Czechoslovakia). The Papers of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences 94: 1–69.
Sabol M., Joniak P. & Holec P. 2004. Succession(-s) of mammalian assemblages during the Neogene - a case study from the Slovak part of the Western Carpathians. Scr. Fac. Sci. Nat. Univ. Masaryk. Brun. Geol. 31–32/2001–2002: 65–84.
Szyndlar Z. 1984. Fossil snakes from Poland. Acta Zool. Cracov. 28(1): 1–156.
Szyndlar Z. 1991a. A review of Neogene and Quarternary snakes of Central and Eastern Europe. Part I: Scolecophidia, Boidae, Colubridae. Estudios Geol. 47(1–2): 103–126.
Szyndlar Z. 1991b. A review of the Neogene and Quaternary snakes of central and eastern Europe. Part II: Natricinae, Elapidae and Viperidae. Estudios Geol. 47(3–4): 237–266.
Venczel M. 1994. Late Miocene snakes from Polgárdi( Hungary). Acta Zool. Cracov. 37(1): 1–29.
Wettstein-Westersheimb O. 1955. Die Fauna der miozähnen Spaltenf üllung von Neudorf an der March (ČSR). Amphibia (Anura) et Reptilia. Sitz.-Ber. Österr. Akad.Wiss. Math.-Naturwiss. K1. Abt.1. 164/10: 805–815.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Čerňanský, A. New finds of the Neogene lizard and snake fauna (Squamata: Lacertilia; Serpentes) from the Slovak Republic. Biologia 66, 899–911 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-011-0098-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-011-0098-y