A new squamate lizard from the Upper Cretaceous Adamantina Formation (Bauru Group), São Paulo State, Brazil

Abstract

The record of non-mosasaur squamates (Reptilia, Squamata) is sparse in the Cretaceus fossil record of Brazil and include six putative reports, three from the Aptian-Albian of the Araripe Basin (Tijubina pontei Bonfim-Júnior and Marques, Olindalacerta brasiliensis Evans and Yabumoto, and a lizard indet.) and three from the Upper Cretaceous of the Bauru Group (Pristiguana brasiliensis Estes and Price, Anilioidae gen. et sp. indet., and Squamata gen. et sp. indet.). In this contribution, a new genus and species of lizard, Brasiliguana prudentis gen. et sp. nov., is described based on an isolated left maxilla with teeth. The material was discovered in an outcrop of the Upper Cretaceous Adamantina Formation (Bauru Group) located in the proximity of Presidente Prudente Municipality, São Paulo State, Brazil. The new taxon is considered a basal non-Priscagamidae+Acrodonta iguanian based on the presence of a weakly inclined anterior margin of the maxillary nasal process and maxillary tooth shape and tooth implantation similar to that of iguanians rather than of other lizard groups (e.g. teiids). This finding significantly increases the squamate lizard diversity of South America, which is still poorly understood and sparsely represented in the fossil record.

An Overview of the South American Fossil Squamates

“…Altogether, present data suggests that the South‐American Mesozoic lizards were probably more diverse and abundant than previously thought when the existing known data were restricted to few taxa (e.g., Evans, ). Taxa with well‐supported systematic assignations (e.g., Nava and Martinelli, ; Brizuela and Albino, ) correspond to the two main clades, Iguania and Scleroglossa (sensu Gauthier et al, ), suggesting that Mesozoic lizard diversity is not properly illustrated by the existing fossil record and that more taxa will eventually appear.…”

“…These notes suggest possible Polychrotinae* affinities of this fossil, rather than to Tropidurinae* (sensu Smith, 2009 Also from the Upper Cretaceous, but from sediments of the Turonian-Santonian of Brazil, Nava and Martinelli (2011) recognized a small isolated maxilla which was used to erect the species Brasiliguana prudentis. This taxon is considered a member of Iguanidae (sensu Gauthier et al, 2012) based on the presence of a weakly inclined anterior margin of the maxillary nasal process and the pleurodont tooth implantation (Nava and Martinelli, 2011). The maxilla of Brasiliguana does not present a strong/large palatine process (Fig.…”

The South American retroarc foreland system: The development of the Bauru Basin in the back-bulge province

“…With respect to vertebrates, although the species are endemic, almost all of the groups identified in the Bauru Basin indicate Cretaceous ages. For example, considering the oldest record of frogs and lizards in South America (Ba ez et al, 2012;Estes and Price, 1973;Candeiro et al, 2009;Nava and Martinelli, 2011;Simões et al, 2015), the presence of these groups in the Marília and Adamantina formations indicates an age younger than Aptian. In addition, in view of the CampanianeMaastrichtian occurrences in South America (Marshall et al, 1983;Bonaparte, 1990;Gayet et al, 2001), a mammal specimen from the Adamantina Formation tentatively identified as placental by Bertini et al (1993), could indicate a late Later Cretaceous age.…”

A Review of the Fossil Record of Turtle Reproduction: Eggs, Embryos, Nests and Copulating Pairs

“…Azevedo et al (2000) describe a possible turtle egg and embryo from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian-Santonian) Adamantina Formation of Brazil (Nava and Martinelli 2011). Additionally, the authors tentatively assign the egg to the genus Podocnemis.…”