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Fossil snakes from the Palaeocene of São José de Itaboraí, Brazil Part III. Ungaliophiinae, Booids incertae sedis, and Caenophidia. Summary, update and discussion of the snake fauna from the locality
Jean-Claude Rage
Keywords: booid-grade incertae sedis; Brazil; Caenophidia; New taxa; Palaeocene; Russellophiidae; Snakes; tropidophiids; Ungaliophiinae

doi: 10.18563/pv.36.1-4.37-73
 
  Abstract

    Aside from Madtsoiidae, anilioids, and Boidae that were studied previously, the middle Palaeocene of ltaborai (BraziI) has produced Ungaliophiinae ("tropidophiids"), booid-grade snakes incertae sedis, and a possible Russellophiidae (Caenophidia) that are described in the present article. This article is the third and final report on the snakes from the locality. The Ungaliophiinae (Paraungaliophis pricei gen. et sp. nov.) are rare whereas the booid-grade snakes incertae sedis (ltaboraiophis depressus gen. et sp. nov., Paulacoutophis perplexus gen. et sp. nov.) are more frequent. A single vertebra is referred to the Russellophiidae (Caenophidia) with reservation. An update of the whole fauna of snakes from ltaborai is provided. Hechtophis austrinus that was tentatively referred to the erycine Boidae is now regarded as a Boidae incertae sedis. Most snakes from Itaborai are known only from the locality. Astonishingly, only the ailioids Coniophis cf. C. precedens gives possible evidence of interchanges between South and North America. The fauna of snakes from Itaborai, as well as the other Palaeocene faunas of snakes from South America are distinct from those of the Cretaceous and the Eocene of South America; they appear to be more different from the Cretaceous faunas than from those of the Eocene. The fauna from Itaborai is the richest and most diverse assemblage of snakes from the Palaeocene worldwide; it shares only a few taxa with other Palaeocene localities. 


  Article infos

Published in Vol. 36, Fasc. 1-4 (2008)

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Fossil snakes from the Palaeocene of Sao José de Itaborai, Brazil, Part II. Boidae
Jean-Claude Rage
Keywords: Boidae; Boinae; Brazil; Erycinae; New taxa; Palaeocene; Snakes
 
  Abstract

    The middle Palaeocene of São José de ltaboraí (State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has produced a rich and diverse fauna of boid snakes. It comprises six or seven species: Hechtophis austrinus gen. et sp. nov., Corallus priscus sp. nov., Waincophís pressulus sp. nov., Waincophis cameratus sp. nov.,"Boinae A", and "Boinae B". Moreover, two dentaries might pertain to either H. austrinus or "Boinae B", or even represent a distinct taxon. Hechtophis austrinus is assigned, with reservation, to the Erycinae. All other taxa are referred to the Boinae. The vertebrae of all taxa have paracotylar foramina, which raises the problem of the apomorphic or plesiomorphic nature of this feature. This fauna also raises the question of the presence of extinct erycine boids in South America, but it does not allow this question to be settled. 


  Article infos

Published in Vol. 30, Fasc. 3-4 (2001)

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Fossil snakes from the Palaeocene of Sao José de Itaborai, Brazil.Part 1 Madtsoiidae, Aniliidae.
Jean-Claude Rage
Keywords: Aniliidae s.l.; Brazil; Coniophis; Hoffstetterella; Madtsoia; Madtsoiidae; middle Palaeocene; New taxa; Snakes
 
  Abstract

    The middle Palaeocene of São José de Itaboraí (State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has yielded a very rich and diverse snake fauna which includes Madtsoiidae, Aniliidae s.l., Boidae, Tropidophiidae s.l., Booidea incertae sedis, and Russellophiidae. The present article (part I) deals with Madtsoiidae and Aniliidae s.l. Madtsoiidae are represented by many vertebrae and a few skull bones. They comprise one new species assigned to the genus Madtsoia (M. camposi sp. nov.). However, the definition of the genus Madtsoia is unsatisfactory and the generic allocation might be provisional. A few elements, vertebrae only, belong to the Aniliidae s. l. Two taxa are referred to this latter group: Coniophis cf. C. precedens and Hoffstetterella brasiliensis gen. et sp. nov. The forthcoming part II will deal with Boidae.

      


  Article infos

Published in Vol. 27, Fasc. 3-4 (1998)

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Carolocoutoia ferigoloi nov. and sp. (Protodidelphidae), a new Paleocene "opossum-like" marsupial from Brazil.
Francisco J. Goin, Edison V. Oliveira and Adriana M. Candela
Keywords: Brazil; Didelphimorphia; Itaborai; Marsupialia; New taxa; Paleocene; Protodidelphidae; South America
 
  Abstract

    Carolocoutoia ferigoloi gen. et sp. nov. is the largest of protodidelphid marsupials, known from Middle Paleocene levels at Itaboraí Formation, southeastern Brazil. It differs from other members of this family in having molars with low cusps which are basally inflated, rounded crests without cutting edges, and a thick enamel layer which is wrinkled, specially at the labial half. A comparative analysis among representatives of this family led us to recognize only three genera undoubtely assignable to it:  Protodidelphis PAULA COUTO, 1952, Robertbutleria MARSHALL, 1987, and Carolocoutoia gen. nov. Protodidelphids lack the basic derived features diagnostic of Polydolopimorphian marsupials, while most of its derived features agree with its belonging to the Didelphimorphia. Protodidelphids comprise a specialized clade of opossum-like marsupials adapted to frugivorous or frugivore-omnivorous feeding habits. They differ from other didelphimorphians in having very large, spire-like entoconids, reduced and antero-posteriorly compressed paraconids, absence of stylar cusp C and of para- and metaconules, large stylar cusps B and D which are proximate to each other, short postmetacristae, eccentric protocones, and molars that increase rapidly in size from M/ml to M/m3.
      


  Article infos

Published in Vol. 27, Fasc. 3-4 (1998)

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