The anurans and squamates assemblage from Final Natufian Eynan (Ain Mallaha, Israel) with an emphasis on snake-human interactions

Biton, Rebecca; Bailón, Salvador; Birkenfeld, Michal; Bridault, Anne; Khalaily, Hamoudi; Valla, François; Rabinovich, Rivka

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0247283

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 59 publications

(97 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…observ. ; Biton et al, 2019Biton et al, , 2021. To avoid any bias that might be encountered due to variation in researchers' skill, one person (R.B.)…”

Section: Viperidae From Pleistocene Localities In Israelmentioning

confidence: 99%

An African adder (Bitis arietans complex) at Qafzeh Cave, Israel, during the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5)

Biton

Bailón

2021

J Quaternary Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We studied Viperidae remains from Qafzeh Cave, Israel, to understand past dispersal timing and range expansion of Afro‐Arabian taxa to the Southern Levant during the early Late Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage 5). A total of 62 African adder (Bitis) snake remains were retrieved from multiple layers at Qafzeh Cave, alongside five non‐Bitis ‘Oriental viper’ taxa vertebrae. These are the only available specimens of Bitis ever reported in the Southern Levant. The morphology of the maxilla and vertebrae corresponds well to that of the Bitis arietans complex. Qafzeh Cave thus becomes the northernmost boundary of the B. arietans complex expansion ever recorded outside Africa. The unprecedented occurrence of Bitis at Qafzeh Cave, in conjunction with other archaeozoological evidence at the site, attest to exceptional climatic and environmental conditions in the surroundings of the cave during the Mousterian Homo sapiens occupations. It reinforces previous evidence for taxa expanding from sub‐Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean biome of the Southern Levant through the now hyper‐arid Saharo‐Arabian desert belt. The environmental conditions following deposition of the early Late Pleistocene layers were probably not favourable for the establishment of the snake, and eventually the B. arietans complex became locally extirpated.

show abstract

“…observ. ; Biton et al, 2019Biton et al, , 2021. To avoid any bias that might be encountered due to variation in researchers' skill, one person (R.B.)…”

Section: Viperidae From Pleistocene Localities In Israelmentioning

confidence: 99%

An African adder (Bitis arietans complex) at Qafzeh Cave, Israel, during the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5)

Biton

Bailón

2021

J Quaternary Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…So far, only a few studies have dealt (at least briefly) with the vertebral morphology of psammophiids (e.g., Dowling & Duellman, 1978; Rochebrune, 1881; Szyndlar, 1984; Zaher et al, 2019), with most skeletal research focusing primarily on their skull (Bogert, 1940; Boulenger, 1896; Bourgeois, 1967, 1968; Kammal & Hammouda, 1965; Phisalix, 1922; Szunyoghy, 1932; Szyndlar, 1988; Zaher et al, 2019). In addition, data for vertebral counts of various psammophiids have been provided in a few sources (Alexander & Gans, 1966; Biton et al, 2021; Jourdran, 1904; Nopcsa, 1923; Rochebrune, 1881). Nevertheless, the absence of hypapophyses in mid‐ and posterior trunk vertebrae of certain (but not all) psammophiid species throughout their trunk vertebral column readily distinguishes them from other elapoids, as the latter instead most usually possess continuous hypapophyses throughout their trunk vertebrae series (e.g., Bogert, 1964; Dowling, 1969; McCartney et al, 2014; Szyndlar, 1985, 1991b; Weinell et al, 2020; Zaher et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…schokari of Biton et al, 2019). Another Holocene occurrence, from Eynan, also Israel, has been referred to the same species, however, it was not accompanied by any kind of description or figure (Biton et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…of Croft et al, 2017), however, this mention was not accompanied by any figure or description. Outside Europe, Malpolon has an also poor fossil record, confined exclusively to the late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of Morocco (Bailon, 2000), the Late Pleistocene of Iraq (Bendrey et al, 2020), Israel (Biton et al, 2019; Lev et al, in press), and Morocco (Bailon & Aouraghe, 2002), and the Holocene of Israel (Biton et al, 2021) and Morocco (Stoetzel et al, 2008); the genus is probably also present in the Late Pleistocene of Iran (Mashkour et al, 2009), however, this mention was not accompanied by any figure or description.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

First occurrence ofPsammophis(Serpentes) from Europe witnesses another Messinian herpetofaunal dispersal from Africa – biogeographic implications and a discussion of the vertebral morphology of psammophiid snakes

Georgalis

Szyndlar

2022

The Anatomical Record

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We here describe abundant new snake material from the late Miocene (MN 13) of Salobreña, Spain. Vertebral morphology suggests a referral of the specimens to the extant psammophiid Psammophis, documenting the first occurrence of this genus in Europe. The diversity and disparity across the vertebral morphology of different psammophiid genera are discussed. We identify vertebral features that could diagnose Psammophis and therefore enable the recognition of the genus in the fossil record. A comparison of the new Spanish form with other taxa is conducted. We provide a detailed review of the psammophiid fossil record. Material previously described from the middle Miocene of Beni Mellal, Morocco is here tentatively referred to as ?Psammophis sp., an action that renders that occurrence as the oldest (probable) record of the genus and Psammophiidae as a whole, providing thus a potential calibration point. On the other hand, Eastern European Pliocene material that had been previously supposedly referred to Psammophis is here discarded as being rather fragmentary, not affording any more precise determination. The two psammophiid genera Psammophis and Malpolon appear almost simultaneously in the European fossil record (MN 13), with the former achieving only a short‐lived and apparently geographically limited distribution in the continent, while the latter still exists in its modern herpetofauna. We assess biogeographic implications of the new find, suggesting a direct dispersal event from northwestern Africa to the Iberian Peninsula during the late Miocene, facilitated by the Messinian Salinity Crisis.

show abstract

“…Especially three species of rat snakes, E. quaturorlineata (Bonnaterre, 1773), Zamenis longissimus (Laurenti, 1768) (formerly E. longissima), and Z. situla (Linnaeus, 1758) (formerly Elaphe situla), were believed protect people from ailments and venomous snakebites 5 . Such snake cults are an old phenomenon with origins at least as early as ancient Egyptian, Jewish 6 , (Numbers 21: 9), and Mesopotamian cultures, and perhaps as early as in the Natufian period some 12,000 years ago, as well as prevailed later in ancient Greece and Rome [7][8][9] . Today, such traditions still exist, for example in the Abruzzo area of Italy (Fig.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A new, rare, small-ranged, and endangered mountain snake of the genus Elaphe from the Southern Levant

Jablonski

Ribeiro‐Júnior

Simonov

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The genus Elaphe Fitzinger, 1833 includes 17 species of charismatic, large-sized, non-venomous, Eurasian snakes. In the Western Palearctic, the genus is represented by three species from the Elaphe quatuorlineata group ranging from the Apennine peninsula to Central Asia. The southernmost population of this group is distributed in the mountains of the Southern Levant, with more than 400 km gap to other Elaphe populations. This population has been known to science for only 50 years and is virtually unstudied due to its extreme rarity. We studied these snakes’ morphological and genetic variation from the three countries where they are known to occur, i.e., Israel (Hermon, the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights), Lebanon, and Syria. We used nine mitochondrial and nuclear genes, complete mitogenome sequences, and a comprehensive morphological examination including published data, our own field observations, and museum specimens, to study its relationship to other species in the group. The three currently recognized species of the group (E. quatuorlineata, E. sauromates, E. urartica), and the Levant population, form four deeply divergent, strongly supported clades. Three of these clades correspond to the abovementioned species while the Southern Levant clade, which is genetically and morphologically distinct from all named congeners, is described here as a new species, Elaphe druzei sp. nov. The basal divergence of this group is estimated to be the Late Miocene with subsequent radiation from 5.1 to 3.9 Mya. The revealed biogeography of the E. quatuorlineata group supports the importance of the Levant as a major center of endemism and diversity of biota in Eurasia. The new species is large-sized and is one of the rarest snakes in the Western Palearctic. Because of its small mountain distribution range, in an area affected by land use and climate change, the new Elaphe urgently needs strict protection. Despite political issues, we hope this will be based on the cooperation of all countries where the new species occurs.

show abstract

The anurans and squamates assemblage from Final Natufian Eynan (Ain Mallaha, Israel) with an emphasis on snake-human interactions

Cited by 10 publications

References 59 publications

An African adder (Bitis arietans complex) at Qafzeh Cave, Israel, during the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5)

An African adder (Bitis arietans complex) at Qafzeh Cave, Israel, during the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5)

First occurrence ofPsammophis(Serpentes) from Europe witnesses another Messinian herpetofaunal dispersal from Africa – biogeographic implications and a discussion of the vertebral morphology of psammophiid snakes

A new, rare, small-ranged, and endangered mountain snake of the genus Elaphe from the Southern Levant

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About