65
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Occurrence of the large aquatic snake Palaeophis cf. africanus (Serpentes, Palaeophiidae) in the middle Eocene of the Sabkha El Breij, southwestern Morocco

ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Received 22 Feb 2024, Accepted 02 May 2024, Published online: 21 May 2024

References

  • Andrews CW. 1924. Note on some Ophidian vertebrae from Nigeria. Geological Survey Of Nigeria. 7:39–43.
  • Aniny F, Bourdon E, Adnet S, Jouve S, Zair H, Gingerich PD, Elboudali N, Zouhri S. 2024. The Oldest Eocene Marine Vertebrate Fauna from the Sahara Desert in Southwestern Morocco. In: Çiner A. editor(s). Recent Research on Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Paleontology, Geochemistry, Volcanology, Tectonics, and Petroleum Geology. MedGU 2022. Advances in Science. Cham: Technology & Innovation. Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-48758-3_1.
  • Antunes MT. 1964. O Neocretácico e o Cenozóico do litoral de Angola 255. Lisboa: Junta de Investigações do Ultramar.
  • Arambourg C. 1952. Les vertébrés fossiles des gisements de phosphates (Maroc-Algérie-Tunisie). Notes et Mémoires du Service Géologique du Maroc. 92:1–372.
  • Averianov AO. 1997. Paleogene Sea snakes from the eastern part of Tethys. Russ J Herpetol. 4(2):128–142. doi: 10.30906/1026-2296-1997-4-2-128-142.
  • Bajpai S, Head JJ. 2007. An early Eocene palaeopheid snake from Vastan Lignite Mine, Gujarat, India. Gondwana Geological Magazine. 22:85–90.
  • Davison I, Dailly P. 2010. Salt tectonics in the Cap Boujdour Area, Aaiun Basin, NW Africa. Mar Pet Geol. 27(2):435–441. doi: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2009.10.011.
  • de Zigno A. 1881. Nuove aggiunte alla fauna eocena del Veneto. Memorie del Reale Istituto Veneto di Scienze. Lettere ed Arti. 21:775–790.
  • Elboudali N. 2023. Apport des Foraminifères planctoniques à la datation de la Formation Samlat (Paléogène), Bassin de Tarfaya –Laâyoune- Dakhla (Sahara Marocain). In: Thèse de doctorat d’État. Université Hassan II, Faculté des Sciences Ain Chock- Casablanca- Maroc. ( unpublished).
  • Folie A, Mees F, De Putter T, Smith T. 2021. Presence of the large aquatic snake Palaeophis africanus in the middle Eocene marine margin of the Congo Basin, Cabinda, Angola. Geobios. 66–67:45–54. doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2020.11.002.
  • Garberoglio FF, Gómez RO, Caldwell MW. 2024. New record of aquatic snakes (Squamata, Palaeophiidae) from the Paleocene of South America. J Vertebr Paleonto. 10.1080/02724634.2024.2305892.
  • Georgalis GL. 2023. First potential occurrence of the large aquatic snake Pterosphenus (Serpentes, Palaeophiidae) from Nigeria, with further documentation of Pterosphenus schweinfurthi from Egypt. Alcheringa: Australas J Palaeontol. 47(3):327–335. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2023.2217874.
  • Georgalis GL, Del Favero L, Delfino M. 2020. Italy’s largest snake: redescription of Palaeophis oweni from the Eocene of Monte Duello, near Verona. Acta Palaeontol Pol. 65(3):523–533. doi: 10.4202/app.00711.2019.
  • Georgalis GL, Guinot G, Kassegne KE, Amoudji YZ, Johnson AKC, Cappetta H, Hautier L. 2021a. An assemblage of giant aquatic snakes (Serpentes, Palaeophiidae) from the Eocene of Togo. Swiss J Palaeontol. 140(1):20–18. doi: 10.1186/s13358-021-00236-w.
  • Georgalis GL, Rabi M, Smith KT. 2021b. Taxonomic revision of the snakes of the genera Palaeopython and Paleryx (Serpentes, Constrictores) from the Paleogene of Europe. Swiss J Palaeontol. 140(18):140. doi: 10.1186/s13358-021-00224-0.
  • Gingerich PD, Zouhri S. 2015. New fauna of archaeocete whales (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Bartonian middle Eocene of southern Morocco. J Afr Earth Sci. 111:273–286. doi: 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2015.08.006.
  • Hollard H, Choubert G, Bronner G, Marchand J, Sougy J. 1985. Carte géologique du Maroc, scale 1: 1,000,000. Serv Carte géol Maroc. 260(2).
  • Houssaye A, Rage J-C, Bardet N, Vincent P, Amaghzaz M, Meslouh S. 2013. New highlights about the enigmatic marine snake Palaeophis maghrebianus (Palaeophiidae; Palaeophiinae) from the Ypresian (Lower Eocene) phosphates of Morocco. Paleontology. 56(3):647–661. doi: 10.1111/pala.12008.
  • Janensch W. 1906. Pterosphenus schweinfurthi Andrews und die Entwicklung der Palaeophiden. Archiv fur Biontologie. 1:307–350.
  • Leriche M. 1927. Sur les vertébrés de l’argile d’Ypres (Yprésien) et sur les « Palæophis » de l’Eocène de la Belgique. Bulletin de la Société Belge de Géologie, de Paléontologie et d’Hydrologie. 36:13–25.
  • Linnaeus C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis 824. Stockholm: Laurentii Salvii.
  • Lucas FA. 1898. A new snake from the Eocene of Alabama. In: Proceedings of the US National Museum p. 637–638, 21.
  • Lydekker R. 1888. Notes on Tertiary Lacertilia and Ophidia. Geol Mag. 5(3):110–113. doi: 10.1017/S0016756800173480.
  • Lynn WG. 1934. A new snake (Palaeophis virginianus) from the Eocene of Virginia. Johns Hopkins University Studies in Geology. 11:245–249.
  • Massalongo A. 1859. Specimen photographicum animalium quorumdam plantarumque fossilium agri Veronensis. Vicentinius et Franchinius Excudebant, Veronae (= Verona) 101.
  • McCartney JA, Roberts EM, Tapanila M, O’Leary MA. 2018. Large palaeophiid and nigerophiid snakes from Paleogene Trans-Saharan Seaway deposits of Mali. Acta Palaeontol Pol. 63:207–220. doi: 10.4202/app.00442.2017.
  • Nessov LA. 1984. Subfamily Vialovophiinae subfam. nov. In: Nessov LA, Udovitschenko NI, editors. Paleogene sea snakes and elasmobranch fishes of south Kazakhstan. Paleontologitchesky Sbornik Vol. 21, 71–73. [in Russian].
  • OPPEL M. 1811. Die Ordnungen, Familien und Gattungen der Reptilien als Prodrom einer Naturgeschichte derselben 87. Munich: Joseph Lindauer.
  • Owen R. 1841. Description of some Ophidiolites (Palæophis toliapicus) from the London Clay at Sheppey, indicative of an extinct species of Serpent. Transaction Of The Geological Society Second Series. 6(1):209–210. doi: 10.1144/transgslb.6.1.209.
  • Owen R. 1850. Part III. Ophidia (Palæophis & c.). In: Owen R, editor. Monograph on the fossil Reptilia of the London Clay and of the Bracklesham and other Tertiary beds. London: Palæontographical Society of London; p. 51–63.
  • Parmley D, DeVore M. 2005. Palaeopheid snakes from the Late Eocene Hardie Mine local fauna of central Georgia. Southeast Nat. 4(4):703–722. doi: 10.1656/1528-7092(2005)004[0703:PSFTLE]2.0.CO;2.
  • Rage J-C. 1983a. Les serpents aquatiques de l’Éocène européen. Définition des espèces et aspects stratigraphiques. Bulletin du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Série 4, Section C, Sciences de la Terre, Paléontologie, Géologie. Minéralogie. 5:213–241.
  • Rage J-C. 1983b. Palaeophis colossaeus nov. sp. (Le plus grand serpent connu ?) de l’Éocène du Mali et le problème du genre chez les Palaeopheidae. In: Comptes Rendus des Séances de l’Académie des Sciences Vol. 296, Paris II: p. 1741–1744.
  • Rage J-C. 1984. Encyclopedia of paleoherpetology. 11: Serpentes. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, New York.
  • Rage J-C, Bajpai S, Thewissen JGM, Tiwari BN. 2003. Early Eocene snakes from Kutch, Western India, with a review of the Paleophiidae. Geodiversitas. 25:695–716.
  • Rage J-C, Folie A, Rana RS, Singh H, Rose KD, Smith T. 2008. A diverse snake fauna from the early Eocene of Vastan Lignite Mine, at Gujarat, India. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 53(3):391–403. http://app.pan.pl/acta53/app53−391.pdf.
  • Rage J-C, Wouters G. 1979. Découverte du plus ancien palaeopheidé (Reptilia, Serpentes) dans le Maestrichtien du Maroc. Geobios. 12(2):293–296. doi: 10.1016/S0016-6995(79)80084-4.
  • Smith KT, Georgalis GL. 2022. The diversity and distribution of Palaeogene snakes - a review, with comments on vertebral sufficiency. In: Gower D, Zaher H, editors. The Origin and Early Evolution of Snakes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; p. 55–84. doi: 10.1017/9781108938891.006.
  • Smith T, Kumar K, Rana RS, Folie A, Solé F, Noiret C, Steeman T, Sahni A, Rose KD. 2016. New early Eocene vertebrate assemblage from western India reveals a mixed fauna of European and Gondwana affinities. Geosci Front. 7(6):969–1001. doi: 10.1016/j.gsf.2016.05.001.
  • Szyndlar Z, Georgalis GL. 2023. An illustrated atlas of the vertebral morphology of extant non-caenophidian snakes, with special emphasis on the cloacal and caudal portions of the column. Vertebr Zool. 73:717–886. doi: 10.3897/vz.73.e101372.
  • Zouhri S, Gingerich PD, Khallouf B, Bourdon E, Adnet S, Jouve S, Elboudali N, Amane A, Rage J-C, Tabuce R, et al. 2021. Middle Eocene vertebrate fauna from the Aridal Formation, Sabkha of Gueran, southwestern Morocco. In: Steyer J-S, Augé ML, Métais G, editors. Memorial Jean-Claude Rage: A life of paleo-herpetologist Vol. 43, Geodiversitas; p. 121–150. doi: 10.5252/geodiversitas2021v43a5.
  • Zouhri S, Khalloufi B, Bourdon E, Lapparent de Broin FD, Rage J-C, M’Haïdrat L, Gingerich PD, Elboudali N. 2018. Marine verte brate fauna from the late Eocene Samlat Formation of Ad-Dakhla, south western Morocco. Geol Mag. 155(7):1596–1620. doi: 10.1017/S0016756817000759.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.