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

Early Miocene herpetofaunas from the Greek localities of Aliveri and Karydia – bridging a gap in the knowledge of amphibians and reptiles from the early Neogene of southeastern Europe

Georgalis, Georgios L. ; Villa, Andrea ; Ivanov, Martin ; Roussiakis, Socrates ; Skandalos, Panagiotis ; Delfino, Massimo

In: Historical Biology, 2019, vol. 31, no. 8, p. 1045–1064

We here describe new remains of amphibians and reptiles from the early Miocene (MN 4) of two different Greek localities, Aliveri and Karydia. The newly described material consists of urodelans, alytids, indeterminate anurans, turtles, crocodylians, lacertids, indeterminate scincomorphs, anguids, colubrids, viperids, and indeterminate snakes. The presence of the frog Latonia cf. gigantea in...

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 is an enigmatic lizard from the Paleogene of the Phosphorites of Quercy, France that was first mentioned in the 19th century. Although it is generally believed that Filhol was the author who established this taxon, I am herein demonstrating that authorship should in fact be attributed to Zittel, a fact that also influences not only its generic nomenclature, but also its...

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

The fossil record of amphisbaenians in Europe has recently been augmented through the description of new finds across the continent. It has been suggested that the post- Miocene range of amphisbaenians followed a progressive southward constriction that ultimately lead to their extant disjunct distribution. We herein describe amphisbaenian vertebral material from the Pliocene of northern...

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...