Gritsev (Miocene of Ukraine)

Also known as Hrytsiv (ukrain. transscript.)

Where: Khmel'nitsk'yi, Ukraine (50.0° N, 27.2° E: paleocoordinates 50.4° N, 26.4° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Vallesian (11.6 - 8.7 Ma)

• "Upper Miocene (lower - 'novomoskevski' - horizon of the middle Sarmatian, MN 9a Mammal Neogene faunal zone). [...] horizon of the Middle Sarmatian, MN 9a Mammal Neogene faunal zone). This locality corresponds to the Kalfinsky Formation ('Kalfinsky faunistic complex') and to the Gritsev layers ('Gritsev[sky] faunistic [sub]complex')." (Ivanov, 1999)

Environment/lithology: fissure fill; lithology not reported

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, surface (float), sieve,

• IZAN = Institute of Zoology, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kiev

Primary reference: Z. Szyndlar and G. A. Zerova. 1990. Neogene cobras of the genus Naja (Serpentes: Elapidae) of East Europe. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 91A:53-61 [J. Head/J. Head/J. Head]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 48446: authorized by Jason Head, entered by Jason Head on 19.03.2005, edited by Torsten Liebrecht and Grace Varnham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Zerova (1993) does not mention scolecophidian remains.
Amphibia
 Salientia - Palaeobatrachidae
Palaeobatrachus sp.1 Tschudi 1839 frog
 Salientia - Bufonidae
Bufo sp.1 Laurenti 1768 toad
 Salientia - Ranidae
 Salientia - Pelobatidae
Pelobates sp.1 Wagler 1830 spadefoot toad
Eopelobates sp.1 Parker 1929 spadefoot toad
Eopelobates cf. bayeri1 Spinar 1952 spadefoot toad
 Salientia -
Latonia cf. seyfriedi1 von Meyer 1843 frog
 Caudata -
Ukrainurus hypsognathus1 Vasilyan et al. 2013 salamander
 Proteida - Batrachosauroididae
 Caudata - Urodela
Andrias scheuchzeri1 Tschudi 1837 giant salamander
Chelotriton cf. paradoxus1 Pomel 1853 newt
Mioproteus caucasicus1 Estes and Darevsky 1978 mudpuppy
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Scolecophidia indet. Duméril and Bibron 1844 snake
 Squamata - Boidae
Eryx sp.4 Daudin 1803 true sand boa
Albaneryx volynicus n. sp. Zerova 1989 sand boa
Holotype: 1 posterior caudal vertebra (IZAN 22-1089); referred specimen: 18 further posterior caudal vertebrae (IZAN 22-1092), 18 anterior caudal vertebrae (IZAN 22-1090 and 22-1094), 250 trunk vertebrae (IZAN 11-1091 and 11-1096), 20 cervical vertebrae (IZAN 22-1095), and a number of fused vertebrae forming the tip of the tail (IZAN 22-1093); information on specimens and catalogue nos. are from Zerova (1989)
Bransateryx sp.1 Hoffstetter and Rage 1972 sand boa
? Bransateryx sp.4 Hoffstetter and Rage 1972 sand boa
 Squamata - Elapidae
Naja romani Hoffstetter 1939 cobra
1 basisphenoid (IZAN 22-1771), 1 right compound bone (no catalogue no. given), 10 trunk vertebrae (one figured in the reference as IZAN 22-1776)
 Squamata - Crotalidae
"Crotalinae "gen. et sp. indet A"" = Crotalidae2, "Crotalinae "gen. et sp. indet B"" = Crotalidae2, "Crotalinae indet." = Crotalidae1, "Macrovipera sp." = Vipera (Macrovipera)1, "Vipera ukrainica" = Vipera (Macrovipera) ukrainica1, "Vipera (Daboia) ukrainica n. sp." = Vipera (Macrovipera) ukrainica3, "Vipera berus" = Vipera (Pelias) berus1
"Crotalinae "gen. et sp. indet A"" = Crotalidae2 Oppel 1811 pit viper
2 maxillaries (IZAN 3739, 3747 and 3748), already mentioned as Crotalinae gen. et sp. indet in Ivanov (1997, p. 156, pl. 19A, unpubl. PhD-Thesis)
"Crotalinae "gen. et sp. indet B"" = Crotalidae2 Oppel 1811 pit viper
2 maxillaries (IZAN 3741 and 3751), already mentioned as Crotalinae gen. et sp. indet in Ivanov (1997, p. 156, pl. 19B, unpubl. PhD-Thesis)
"Crotalinae indet." = Crotalidae1 Oppel 1811 pit viper
"Macrovipera sp." = Vipera (Macrovipera)1 Reuss 1927 pit viper
"Vipera ukrainica" = Vipera (Macrovipera) ukrainica1 Zerova 1992 pit viper
"Vipera (Daboia) ukrainica n. sp." = Vipera (Macrovipera) ukrainica3 Zerova 1992 pit viper
"Vipera berus" = Vipera (Pelias) berus1 Linnaeus 1758 common adder
 Squamata - Colubridae
Colubridae indet.1 Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
Elaphe sp. Wagler 1833 colubrid snake
Coluber sp. Linnaeus 1758 racer
Natricinae indet. Bonaparte 1838 colubrid snake
Hierophis sp.1 Fitzinger 1843 colubrid snake
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacerta sp.4 Linnaeus 1758 squamates
Plesiolacerta sp.4 Hoffstetter 1942 squamates
 Squamata - Scincidae
Scincidae indet.1 Gray 1825 skink
Chalcides sp.1 Linnaeus 1758 skink
Eumeces sp.4 Wiegmann 1834 skink
 Squamata - Gekkonidae
Gekkonidae sp.4 Gray 1825 gecko
"Lacerta s.l."
Gekkonidae indet.1 Gray 1825 gecko
 Squamata -
 Squamata - Amphisbaenidae
 Squamata - Agamidae
Agamidae sp.4 Gray 1827 squamates
Agamidae indet.1 Gray 1827 squamates
 Squamata - Anguidae
Ophisaurus sp.4 Daudin 1803 glass lizard
"several forms"
Anguis sp.4 Linnaeus 1758 slow worm
Pseudopus sp.4 Merrem 1820 legless lizard
Pseudopus pannonicus1 Kormos 1911 legless lizard