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

362 G. J. DE FEJÉR

VARY matical value. Berefence will yet be made to other details concerning this subject in the pari treating of system. Finally, as regards Mr. ZIETZ'S «Varanus warburtonensis» I feel sure in presuming these fossils to be identical with Megalania prisca, its somewhat smaller size being the only m o r p h o 1 o g i c a 1 difference, referred to by the author as occurring between it and Megalania.. Since in an earlierstage of its development this reptile must most certainly have been smaller than in later ones, I see no reason whatever for separating at present the Warburton-River vertebras from those of the Condamine River described by Sir R. OWEN under the name of Megalania prisca and belonging thus, according to my opinion, to the separate family Megalanidae. Therefore only three fossil Varanian species can be accepted as occurring in Australian deposits, all of them claiming due reexamination, description and representation, in order to exactly prove their systematical 'position and value. * "What has been said above lias exhausted the list of fossil remains of Varanidae known until now, which, as far as positive data demonstrate, all belong to the one genus Varanus which fact can easily be attributed to the comparatively slight différenciation of these Platynota. It is true that earlier literature contains other genera-ranged in the Varanidae family, most of these however proved incorrectly determined, inasmuch as their systematic position classified them in entirely different suborders. ZITTEL for instance besides Varanus (op. cit. p. 60S —609) mentions the following genera: Hydrosaurus WAGL., Palaeovaranus FILH., Thinosaurus MARSH, ?Tinosaurus MARSH, ? Notiosaurus OWEN. The fossil Hydrosaurus proved to belong to the family Dolichosauridae (under the name of Pontosaurus), as has been stated in the historical summary of the European Varanidae; at this same occasion the identity of Palaeovaranus with Varanus lias also been demonstrated ; the most superficially known American Thinosaurus (=. Tinosaurus) has recently been defined as belonging to., the family Helodermatidae

1 ; whilst considering as a fact DE VIS' surmise of the An s t r a 1 i a n Notiosaurus bei,ng synonym of Megalania.

2 It must be here remarked that the genus 1 See NOPCSA, op. cit., p. 49; BROILI, op. cit. p. 210. . 2 DE VIS, On Megalania and its Allies, Proc. Roy. Soc. of Queensl., Vol. VI, Brisbane, 1889, p. 97.