Université de Fribourg

Fossil amphibians and reptiles from the Neogene locality of Maramena (Greece), the most diverse European herpetofauna at the Miocene/Pliocene transition boundary

Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Villa, Andrea ; Ivanov, Martin ; Vasilyan, Davit ; Delfino, Massimo

In: Palaeontologia Electronica, 2019, p. -

We herein describe the fossil amphibians and reptiles from the Neogene (latest Miocene or earliest Pliocene; MN 13/14) locality of Maramena, in northern Greece. The herpetofauna is shown to be extremely diverse, comprising at least 30 different taxa. Amphibians include at least six urodelan (Cryptobranchidae indet., Salamandrina sp., Lissotriton sp. [Lissotriton vulgaris group], Lissotriton sp.,...

Université de Fribourg

A new species of Palaeopython (Serpentes) and other extinct squamates from the Eocene of Dielsdorf (Zurich, Switzerland)

Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Scheyer, Torsten M.

In: Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 2019, vol. 112, no. 2, p. 383–417

The lizard and snake fauna from the late middle–late Eocene (MP 16–MP 20) of Dielsdorf, near Zurich, Switzerland, is described comprehensively in this paper. Detailed comparisons of the Dielsdorf material with other extinct taxa allow us to establish a new species of the large “booid” genus Palaeopython, i.e., Palaeopython helveticus sp. nov., characterized by a unique combination of...

Université de Fribourg

Necrosaurus or Palaeovaranus? Appropriate nomenclature and taxonomic content of an enigmatic fossil lizard clade (Squamata) = Necrosaurus ou Palaeovaranus ? Nomenclature appropriée et contenu systématique d’un clade énigmatique de lézards fossiles (Squamata)

Georgalis, Georgios L.

In: Annales de Paléontologie, 2017, vol. 103, no. 4, p. 293–303

Necrosaurus cayluxi est un lézard énigmatique du Paléogène des Phosphorites du Quercy, France, qui a été mentionné pour la première fois au 19e siècle. Bien qu’il soit généralement admis que Filhol est l’auteur qui a établi ce taxon, je démontre ici que la paternité devrait en fait en être attribuée à Zittel, ce qui influence également non seulement la nomenclature...

Université de Fribourg

Fossil amphibians and reptiles from Plakias, Crete: A glimpse into the earliest late Miocene herpetofaunas of southeastern Europe

Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Villa, Andrea ; Vlachos, Evangelos ; Delfino, Massimo

In: Geobios, 2016, vol. 49, no. 6, p. 433–444

Fossil amphibians and reptiles from the earliest late Miocene (early Tortonian, MN 9) of Plakias (Crete, Greece) are described in this paper. Most of the material is fragmentary, precluding precise taxonomic assignment. Nevertheless, the herpetofauna of Plakias is here shown to be diverse, comprising at least six different taxa: an alytid anuran, a crocodilian, two turtles (a pan-trionychid...

Université de Fribourg

The last amphisbaenian (Squamata) from continental Eastern Europe

Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Villa, Andrea ; Delfino, Massimo

In: Annales de Paléontologie, 2018, vol. 104, no. 2, p. 155–159

Les archives fossiles des amphisbaeniens en Europe ont récemment été augmentées grâce à la description de nouvelles découvertes à travers le continent. Il a été suggéré à plusieurs reprises que l’extension des amphisbaeniens post-Miocène a subi une réduction progressive vers le sud qui a finalement conduit à leur distribution disjointe actuelle. Nous décrivons ici une...

Université de Fribourg

Lizards and snakes from the late Miocene hominoid locality of Ravin de la Pluie (Axios Valley, Greece)

Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Rage, Jean-Claude ; Bonis, Louis de ; Koufos, George D.

In: Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 2018, vol. 111, no. 1–2, p. 169–181

We here describe lizards and snakes from the late Miocene (MN 10) of Ravin de la Pluie, near Thessaloniki, Greece, a locality widely known for its hominoid primate Ouranopithecus macedoniensis. The new finds comprise two large-sized lizards (a probable anguine and a varanid) and two snakes (an elapid and a small-sized “colubrine”). Even if the material is represented by few specimens,...

Université de Fribourg

Early Miocene gastropod and ectothermic vertebrate remains from the Lesvos Petrified Forest (Greece)

Vasileiadou, Katerina ; Böhme, Madelaine ; Neubauer, Thomas A. ; Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Syrides, George E. ; Papadopoulou, Lambrini ; Zouros, Nickolas

In: PalZ, 2017, vol. 91, no. 4, p. 541–564

The Lesvos Petrified Forest (western Lesvos, Greece) has long been famous for its plant fossils. Recently, one proboscidean (from the Gavathas locality) and seven micromammalian species (from the Lapsarna locality) were described; these were the first animals to be found in the Early Miocene subtropical forest. For the first time, a fauna of gastropods and ectothermic vertebrates from the...

Université de Fribourg

First record of fossil anguines (Squamata; Anguidae) from the Oligocene and Miocene of Turkey

Čerňanský, Andrej ; Vasilyan, Davit ; Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Joniak, Peter ; Mayda, Serdar ; Klembara, Jozef

In: Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 2017, vol. 110, no. 3, p. 741–751

Fossil anguine lizard specimens from several Turkish localities are described in this paper. The material comes from ten different localities, spanning a large geographic area consisting of both parts of the European Turkey and Anatolia, and ranging in age from the Oligocene to the Late Miocene. In certain cases, the generic determination was possible and, accordingly, members of Ophisaurus...

Université de Fribourg

A revision of the trionychid turtle Procyclanorbis sardus Portis, 1901 from the late Miocene of Sardinia (Italy) = Une révision de la tortue trionychidé Procyclanorbis sardus Portis, 1901 du Miocène supérieur de Sardaigne (Italie)

Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Zoboli, Daniel ; Pillola, Gian Luigi ; Delfino, Massimo

In: Annales de Paléontologie, 2017, vol. 103, no. 2, p. 127–134

Procyclanorbis sardus Portis, 1901 est la première tortue trionychidé fossile décrite en Sardaigne. Ce taxon du Miocène supérieur a été initialement considéré comme ayant des affinités avec les cyclanorbines d’Afrique et d’Asie du Sud. Nous décrivons ici en détail et figurons l’holotype de cette espèce, qui a subi une importante dégradation depuis sa publication originale. Une...