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A contribution to the herpetofauna from the late Miocene of Gritsev (Ukraine)

Zbyněk ROČEK

en Comptes Rendus Palevol 18 (7) - Pages 817-847

Published on 30 November 2019

This article is a part of the thematic issue Palaeobiology and palaeobiogeography of amphibians and reptiles: An homage to Jean-Claude Rage

Excavations in the locality Gritsev (karstic fillings of the upper Miocene age in a limestone quarry in Shepetovsky District, Khmelnitsky Region, Ukraine) revealed, since 1983 when excavations started, a rich vertebrate fauna that includes also amphibians and lizards. The material is rich enough to assess individual and developmental variation within some taxa (e.g., Pseudopus pannonicus). Although the fragmentary nature of the disarticulated bones does not sometimes allow precise taxonomic assignment, morphological differences in, e.g., dental characteristics suggest the presence of some other ones, not formally named forms. Thus, the list of the amphibian and reptilian taxa from Gritsev is by far not complete, but their osteological characteristics are representative to such a degree that they can provide information for comparisons with other European Miocene herpetofaunas.


Keywords:

Caudata, Anura, Squamata, Pseudopus, Late Miocene, Gritsev

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