Lacertidae Oppel 1811
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2021
Yazarlar: Georgalis, Georgios L., Čerňanský, Andrej, Serdar MAYDA
, Uluslararası, 2021
Özet
Lacertidae indet. (morphotype 2) (Fig. 8) MATERIAL. — Turkey. Kavakdere: a premaxilla (EUNMH PV 14055) and a right maxilla (EUNMH PV 14058). DESCRIPTION Premaxilla The premaxilla EUNMH PV 14055 is a small, triradiate element (Fig. 8A, B). Unfortunately, it is only partly preserved; the nasal process is broken off, only its ventral portion is preserved. On its labial side, the ethmoidal foramen is located close to the base of the nasal process. The maxillary process is preserved only on the right side. It is rather long and well developed relative to the size of the premaxilla. The incomplete tooth row bears six tooth positions (two teeth are still attached). But based on the better preserved right side and a position of the central tooth (being the 5 th one), the total number of the tooth positions can be estimated as nine. The supradental shelf forms a short incisive process at its mid-region. Maxilla Only a small fragment of the posteriormost portion of the right maxilla (EUNMH PV 14058) is preserved (Fig. 8 C-E). It bears three tooth position (the last posterior tooth is still attached). The lingual portion is largely damaged. The posteroventral process of maxilla appears to be not stepped, but gradually rise dorsally in anterior direction. The labial surface of this portion is smooth. Dentition The dentition in both specimens is pleurodont. In the premaxilla, the complete tooth is only the central one. It is monocuspid and conical. The crown is well-rounded and blunt. The posteriormost maxillary tooth is rather monocuspid as well, although it should be noted that the mesial portion of the crown is slightly bulged. The labial portion of the crown of this tooth is smooth, whereas its lingual side bears a striation. The tooth base is pierced by a large circular resorption pit. COMMENTS It is difficult to associate these lacertid fragmentary specimens from Kavakdere with the above described material of Lacertidae indet. (morphotype 1). The premaxilla EUNMH PV 14055 is small, but it might still represent a juvenile individual. The maxilla EUNMH PV 14058 represents only a small fragment, where the posteriormost tooth is preserved. In the extant species Timon lepidus (Daudin, 1802), the posteriormost tooth is smaller than anteriorly located tooth (see Čerňanský & Syromyatnikova 2019: fig. 34). Its tooth crown appears to be monocuspid, although preceding anteriorly located teeth are bicuspid. The same is true for the extinct Plesiolacerta (see Čerňanský & Augé 2013: fig. 7). Moreover, the posteroventral process of the Kavakdere maxilla EUNMH PV 14058 appears to be not stepped as well. In conclusion, these two specimens might represent the same taxon as the material described here as Lacertidae indet. (morphotype 1), however, there is no strong evidence for it due to a bad preservation and variation of these elements. In that case that it represents the same taxon, it shows another character sharing with extant Timon and extinct Plesiolacerta: (1) nine premaxillary teeth, although it should be highlighted that this feature is also present in many other lacertids (see Čerňanský & Syromyatniková 2019). Nevertheless, we provisionally treat this material as pertaining to a different morphotype.