The first known fossil Uma: ecological evolution and the origins of North American fringe-toed lizards.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fossil evidence suggests that extant North American lizard genera (north of Mexico) evolved during the Miocene. Although fossils of the clade Phrynosomatidae (spiny lizards and sand lizards) have been reported, there have been no previously described fossils of the fringe-toed sand lizards (Uma). In the extant biota, Uma inhabit arid deserts, and members of the western clade of Uma are restricted to sand dunes or other habitats containing fine-grained sand.

Results

I describe the first known fossil of Uma and refer the fossil to the total clade of Uma with an apomorphy-based diagnosis. The fossil is a partial premaxilla that was found in the Miocene strata of the Dove Spring Formation of southern California, dating to 8.77 Ma. The paleoenvironment of the Dove Spri

SUBMITTER: Scarpetta SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6729053 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature