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
870 G. J. DK FEJÉR VARY determinations would indeed be most desirable. 1 Concerning its relations, it is interesting to note that although DE STEFANO might justly observe that the «Quercy» vertebrate fauna indicates «una fauna essenzialmente africana» (op. cit. p. 385), the pointed-toothed V. Cayluxi FILH. cannot be brought into closer connexion with V. niloticus L. so much larger in size and whose teeth present, —. at least in West-African specimens — a amblyodont (conchiovor) type. Whilst examining such question we must however beware of anachronism as it is difficult to decide upon the habits of tbe V. niloticus L.'s ancestors at the epochs referred to. As is well known the young individuals of this species exhibit a type of teeth which so to say cannot yet be characterized as amblyodont, more approaching the pointed type, and curved backwards, as for instance with V. sakator LAUR.; thus on the one hand the amblyodont type might be considered as a more recent, newer acquisition, whilst on the other, connections in the descent of the Monitors are as yet so far from being clear, that we cannot even tell whether the origin of V. niloticus of our days is thus not to be sought for, after all, in the proximity of V. Cayluxi, the contrast existing between them being easily explained by the lapse of many ages. Another question is, how we are to understand this «fauna essenzialmente africana»? Properly speaking this also is an a n a c h r onism; the fauna is African with regard to its recent appearance; in the Palaeogene however this fauna was just as m ucli of a North African as of a West European type; the type of this West European fauna which is «essenzialmente africana» could iu nowise be considered of African o r i gin, for, as known, the last continental connexion before the Eocene took place in the upper Trias. In this age these problematical representatives of the Quercy fauna could evidently not yet be taken into consideration as the Eulacertilia did not yet e xis t at that epoch, and even the oldest species of the Platynota, in which we are interested, only appear in the Cretaceous period, which fact makes it quite improbable, I could almost say impossible, that the Varanus, as y o u n g e s t genus of this suborder, whose oldest remains are to be found in the upper Eocene, should originate from Africa; and as the family Varanidae is represented up to now by this only genus, what has been said of the genus in question, has to be a d o p t e d for the family as well. The phenomenon of the recent Reptile 1 The drawings published by ZITTEL (op. cit. p. G03) under the term of «? Palaeovaranus Cayluxi FILHOL» (Fig. 534) awake the suspicion of not belonging at all to Varanvs; they should be regarded as throughout problematical, until a due examination of the original remains throws light upon this question.
