A Fossil Gekkotan (Squamata) from the Late Oligocene Nsungwe Formation, Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Johannes Müller; Eric Roberts; Emily Naylor; Nancy Stevens

doi:10.1670/17-123

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4 May 2018 A Fossil Gekkotan (Squamata) from the Late Oligocene Nsungwe Formation, Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Johannes Müller, Eric Roberts, Emily Naylor, Nancy Stevens

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J. of Herpetology, 52(2):223-227 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1670/17-123

Abstract

We describe the first record of a fossil gekkotan from the Late Oligocene Nsungwe Formation in the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania. The specimen consists of an almost complete maxilla containing 23 tooth positions, with 10 teeth still in place. Typical gekkotan features include the tall facial process along with a posteriorly sloping angle, and the presence of unicuspid, pleurodont teeth with large resorption pits. Limited preservation does not allow for a more specific systematic assignment, which is why we refer the specimen to Gekkota incertae sedis. The material represents the second record of a Paleogene gekkotan from Africa and the first one from the central part of the continent.

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Johannes Müller, Eric Roberts, Emily Naylor, and Nancy Stevens "A Fossil Gekkotan (Squamata) from the Late Oligocene Nsungwe Formation, Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania," Journal of Herpetology 52(2), 223-227, (4 May 2018). https://doi.org/10.1670/17-123

Accepted: 26 February 2018; Published: 4 May 2018

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