Early Miocene squamate assemblage from the Mokrá-Western Quarry (Czech Republic) and its palaeobiogeographical and palaeoenvironmental implications
Author
Ivanov, Martin
Author
Čerňanský, Andrej
Author
Bonilla-Salomón, Isaac
Author
Luján, Àngel Hernández
text
Geodiversitas
2020
2020-08-28
42
20
343
376
journal article
8562
10.5252/geodiversitas2020v42a20
ad4dbfb6-14ce-48e2-8fe9-99fa26a9bcf4
1638-9395
4447563
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8FF2A078-CE45-4BF1-A681-00136F57375E
?
SCINCOIDEA
indet.
(
Fig. 4C, D
)
MATERIAL. —
MWQ, early Miocene, Burdigalian, Orleanian,
MN
4: 2/2003 Reptile Joint: one left maxilla (Pal. 1573).
DESCRIPTION
Maxilla
Only a fragment of the left maxilla is preserved. It bears five tooth positions (only one and half teeth are attached). The supradental shelf is thin and straight in the preserved portion. The nasal process is partly preserved. On the medial side of the nasal process, there is a fine ridge (carina maxillaris
sensu
Müller 1996
) that runs posterodorsally. The ridge originates from the subdental shelf. This gives an estimation that this fragment represents the anterior region of a maxilla. In the lower region of the external surface, three irregularly spaced labial foramina are located. Besides this, the rest of the surface is smooth.
Dentition
The implantation is pleurodont. Only one tooth is more-orless completely preserved. The lingual aspect of the crown is bordered by the culmen lateralis anterior and culmen lateralis posterior (terms after
Richter 1994
), between which the area is striated. This fine striation is formed by approximately six striae. The tooth crown termination is blunt. In medial aspect, it appears to be divided into rounded labial cusp, and a smaller, medially located lingual cusp. The tooth bases are pierced by small rounded resorption pits.
REMARKS
The tooth morphology resembles that of Scincidae or Cordylidae (see
Kosma 2004
). Both groups have been previously described from several lower Miocene sites of Central Europe (e.g.,
Roček 1984
;
Čerňanský 2012
; Čerňanský 2016). Unfortunately, the character of preservation of this maxillary fragment from Mokrá does not allow a more specific allocation.