الفهرس | يوجد فقط 14 صفحة متاحة للعرض العام |
المستخلص TheEocenewasakeyintervalforthediversification ofsquamatesworldwide.However,littleisknownabout their earlyevolutioninAfricaduetothescarcityofPaleogenefossilsquamatesfromthatcontinent.Oneofthemost important EocenevertebrateassemblagesinAfricaisknownfromtheFayumDepressionofEgypt,butonlyafewlizards and snakeshavebeenreportedfromthesedeposits.Herewereportthe first PaleogenerecordofthecladeAmphisbaenia in Egypt,fromthelowestupperEoceneBirketQarunLocality2(BQ-2).Itcorrespondstoamid-trunkvertebra characterized byadepressedcentrumwitha flattened base,hemisphericalsynapophyses,andabsenceofaneuralspine. Additional materialfromBQ-2includessevenvertebraeattributedtocolubroideansnakes.Onetrunkvertebraresembles those ofearlyEocene Procerophis from Indiawhiletheremainingcolubroideanvertebraearereferredto Renenutet enmerwer. Caudalvertebraeof Renenutet are describedhereforthe first time.Similaritiesinthecaudalvertebral morphology betweenBQ-2 Renenutet and Thaumastophis missiaeni from thelowerEoceneofIndiareinforcethe hypothesis ofacloseaffinity betweenthem.Thepresenceofcf. Procerophis and Renenutet in Egyptaddstotheevidence for terrestrialfaunalexchangebetweenAsiaandnorthernAfricaduringtheearly/middleEocenealongthesouthern margin oftheTethyanSea. |