Varanus marathonensis Weithofer 1888 (monitor lizard)

Reptilia - Squamata - Varanidae

From Villa et al. 2018: Lectotype. IPUW 1888-001-001, a slab preserving at least a left incomplete maxilla. Paralectotype. Isolated supraorbital figured by Weithofer ([15], plate 19, fig. 9), currently lost. Topotype. IPUW 5187, three incomplete caudal vertebrae joined together by sediment, plus three other highly fragmentary isolated caudal vertebrae.

Synonyms: Varanus (Varaneades) amnhophilis Conrad et al. 2012, Varanus amnhophilis Conrad et al. 2012, Varanus atticus Nopcsa 1908

Full reference: A. Weithofer. 1888. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Fauna von Pikermi bei Athen. Beitr Paläontol Geol Österr-Ung Orients 6:255-292

Belongs to Varanus according to A. Villa et al. 2018

See also Conrad et al. 2012 and Weithofer 1888

Sister taxa: Varanus (Varaneades), Varanus acanthurus, Varanus albigularis, Varanus baritji, Varanus beccarii, Varanus bengalensis, Varanus bogerti, Varanus brevicauda, Varanus catalaunicus, Varanus caudolineatus, Varanus deserticolus, Varanus doreanus, Varanus dumerili, Varanus eremitus, Varanus eremius, Varanus exanthematicus, Varanus gilleni, Varanus griseus, Varanus hoffmanni, Varanus hooijeri, Varanus komodoensis, Varanus lemoinei, Varanus lungui, Varanus mokrensis, Varanus niloticus, Varanus olivaceus, Varanus prasinus, Varanus prisca, Varanus rusingensis, Varanus salvadorii, Varanus salvator, Varanus semiremex, Varanus semjonovi, Varanus sivalensis, Varanus tristis, Varanus tyrasiensis, Varanus varius, Iberovaranus catalaunicus

Type specimens:

  • Varanus marathonensis: IPUW 1888-001-001 (lectotype), a partial skull (a slab preserving at least a left incomplete maxilla). Its type locality is Pikermi (old collection), which is in a Miocene fluvial horizon in Greece.
  • Varanus amnhophilis: AMNH FR 30630, a partial skeleton. Its type locality is Samos Quarry 1, which is in a Messinian terrestrial horizon in Greece.
  • Varanus atticus: MNHN, a set of vertebrae. Its type locality is Pikermi (old collection), which is in a Miocene fluvial horizon in Greece.

Ecology: scansorial carnivore

Distribution:

• Pliocene of Turkey (1 collection)

• Miocene of Greece (2), Spain (5)

Total: 8 collections each including a single occurrence

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Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.


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