Amphibian and reptilian fauna from the early Miocene of Echzell, Germany Author Vasilyan, Davit https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8712-0678 JURASSICA Museum, Route de Fontenais 21. 2900 Porrentruy, Switzerland & Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du musee 6, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland davit.vasilyan@jurassica.ch Author Cernansky, Andrej https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8920-2503 Department of Ecology, Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynska dolina, Ilkovicova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia Author Szyndlar, Zbigniew Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Slawkowska 17, 31 - 016 Krakow, Poland Author Moers, Thomas https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2268-5824 Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P. O. Box 50007, 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden & Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden text Fossil Record 2022 2022-05-10 25 1 99 145 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/fr.25.83781 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/fr.25.83781 2193-0074-1-99 7A16698D4F1848D29D9651A6E0CC15AC 2F5D6AE2EEB55A17ACF1623B06B4EA8D Anguidae indet. Fig. 16 Material. Four caudal vertebrae HLMD-Ez 1981-1984, 73 osteoderms HLMD-Ez 1985-1987 (figured ones), HLMD-Ez 1988 (the remaining osteoderms). Description. Caudal vertebra: The caudal vertebrae (Fig. 16A-E ) are elongate and narrow. Both pre- and postzygapophyses are small; thus, there is a typical tendency toward the elongation of the centra in caudal vertebrae and a relative reduction of all processes. The cotyle and condyle are dorsoventrally depressed. The neural canal is a tunnel-like structure here. The haemapophyses are fused to the posterior portion of the centrum, but, unfortunately, their ends are broken off. Only the bases of the anteroventrally oriented transverse processes (pleurapophyses) are preserved, being dorsoventrally slightly flattened. They are pierced by a foramen. The distal portions are, however, broken off. The neural spine is posterodorsally oriented, rather slim and pointed. The transverse autotomic split is present. Figure 16. Anguidae indet. from the Echzell locality. Caudal vertebra HLMD-Ez 1981 in ( A ) anterior, ( B ) posterior, ( C ) lateral, ( D ) dorsal and ( E ) ventral views. Osteoderms HLMD-Ez 1985 ( G ), HLMD-Ez 1986 ( E ) and HLMD-Ez 1987 ( I ) in ( F, H, I ) external and ( G ) internal views. Remarks. The presence of an autotomic split indicates that we can exclude Pseudopus , in which only autotomic foramina are developed (see Cernansky et al. 2019 ). In contrast, the autotomic split is present in both Anguis and Ophisaurus (see Hoffstetter and Gasc 1969 ). Osteoderm: A large number of osteoderms of several types are preserved in the material. The first type represents wide, rectangular osteoderms (e.g., HLMD-Ez 1985, Fig. 16G-F ). There is a low medial ridge running along their central regions. However, the ridge is almost indistinctive and restricted only to the sculptured region. The anterior overlap surface is large and occupies about one-third of the external surface. The lateral bevel is the highest close to the overlap surface. The posterior portion of the external surface is ornamented. The ornamentation is formed by several tubercles, pits, long grooves, and ridges diverging from the central region. Three foramina pierce the central part of the internal surface. The second type (and the most common, as represented by HLMD-Ez 1986, Fig. 16H ) includes slender osteoderms. In those, the medial ridge runs along the entire external surface, including both ornamented and anterior overlap surface. The third type (rare, HLMD-Ez 1987, Fig. 16I ) is represented by a flat and wide osteoderm without a medial ridge. The differences might very likely represent individual variability and a different body topology from where osteoderms originated (e.g., ventral vs. dorsal armour; see, e.g., Cernansky and Klembara 2017 ). Their determination to the alpha taxonomy level is currently impossible. Nevertheless, they resemble osteoderms of Ophisaurus , but other taxa cannot be excluded.