Horváth Géza (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 16. (Budapest 1918)

Fejérváry, G.J.: Contributions to a Monography on fossil Varanidae and on Megalanidae 16

Upon a detailed examination of FILHOL'S figure I find no sufficient reason justifying a separation of the above named femur from Varanus {Jayluxi FILH., to which I therefore refer it (see Textfig. 1 & 2). As far as bibliographical notes are concerned respecting Mr. DE STEFANO'S already mentioned publication, a few remarks appear necessary. It must be stated that" DE STEFANO commits the fault common to different authors, of being most unreliable in the-citation of other works; on p. 407 (op. cit.) for instance reference is made to FILHOL'S description of «Palaeovaranus», when in two lines quite a series of mistakes are to be found : DE STEFANO writes 1897 instead of 1877, p. 486 for p. 268, Fig. 435 instead of Fig. 434. On p. 408 he alludes to. two fragments of mandibulars belonging to the collection ROSSIGNOL, their labels bearing the date: 1877, one of these fragments he pretends to be an «osso dentale molto robusto e sviluppato; è quello figurato dal FILHOL, e poi riprodotto dallo ZITTEL,

1 appartiene ad un animale adulto.» I am sorry to have to observe that: firstly, the figure referred to, published by FILHOL, is a d e n t a r y, thus impossibly identifiable to the above named maxillary (in ZITTEL, 1. c.) ; secondly, the FILHOL fragments seem to originate from Caylus (op. cit.), whilst ZITTEL'S specimen was collected at Labenque. Furthermore allusion must bemade to DE STEFANO'S Fig. 7 on Pl. X, which according to him represents a tibia of «Palaeovaranus Cayluxi» and Fig. 11,, Pl. X, which is supposed to exhibit the tibia of DE STEFANO'S «Palaeovaranus FWtoli.» The photographs are indistinct and offer no characteristic views of the fossils, not giving thus any clue to an accurate determination of the bones from them. All that could be established is that inasmuch as the bones be really tibiae they cannot belong to the same species [i. e. V. Cayluxi (= V. Filholi)]. Finally on p. 405 DE STEFANO alludes to Placosaurus-yeitebi'de> mentioned by LYDEKKER, and draws attention to the fact of a difference- existing between the latter and those which FILHOL içiéts* to «Palaeovaranus» in his op. cit. Fig. 445—446 ; it would be interesting indeed to know where DE STEFANO met with vertebrae in FILHOL'S quoted description, Figs. 445—446 representing a right femur viewed from two different sides; on the same page (405) DE STEFANO, with regard to Varanus ( = Palaeo•mranus),alludes to FILHOL, p. 268 and 286 ; this latter number is w r o n g, FILHOL dealing on p. 286 with Conchilians ; Varanus is only yet alluded to on p. 338, where explanation of figures on PI. 26 is given. Ophiosaurier mit gut entwickelten Extremitäten und glaubt, mit diesen zwei Stücken -das Femur von Palaeovaranus und Plestiodon cadttreensis vereinigen zu müssen.» 1 Op. cit. Fig. 540.