First fossil of Varanus Merrem (Squamata: Varanidae) from the Miocene Siwaliks of Pakistan
In the '50s of the XX century, a German expedition lead by Richard Dehm collected a large amount of fossil remains from northern Pakistan. Among these was an isolated trunk vertebra of a lizard, which is here referred to Varanus sp. The collecting site of this specimen is not precisely known, b...
| Authors: | , |
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| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| Repository: | Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ddd.uab.cat:272254 |
| Online Access: | https://ddd.uab.cat/record/272254 https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2022v44a7 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Reptilia Middle Miocene Late Miocene Neogene Potwar Plateau Chinji Formation Asia New record Miocène moyen Miocène supérieur Néogène Plateau de Potwar Asie Signalement nouveau |
| Summary: | In the '50s of the XX century, a German expedition lead by Richard Dehm collected a large amount of fossil remains from northern Pakistan. Among these was an isolated trunk vertebra of a lizard, which is here referred to Varanus sp. The collecting site of this specimen is not precisely known, but it most likely comes from middle to early late Miocene Siwalik sediments of the Chinji Formation. This is the first published record of a fossil lizard from the Neogene of Pakistan and adds to the very patchy record of Varanus Merrem, 1820 in Asia. It further supports previous reconstructions of a warm climate for the middle to early late Miocene of the Siwaliks. |
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