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

the faciès costales, its two sides advancing as if they were parallel to eachother, forming a small, narrowly rounded ball, to which corresponds a cup of short elliptic form, deeply hollowed in the ventral direction. Th(se two latter features are obvious also on the sacral vertebra; of V. Cayluxi (==V. Filholi).(Textfig. 3/). An interesting difference in dimension is obtained by comparing the length of the dorsal vertebra of V. Cayluxi figured by DE STEFANO (measured from the middle of the border of the ball to the anterior edge of the cup), to the widest part of the centre of the vertebra (between the extremities of the facies costales) (Textfig. 3c); in this case, in the species mentioned, the length almost equals the breadth, the difference being about 2*6 mm. only, whilst in V. Hofmanni this difference is so conspicuous that the length of the dorsal Wig. 4. t Varanus Hojmanni Roa. Two anterior dorsal vertebra, a don-ally, 6 ventrally viewed. — Nat. size — Stätzling, «Oinotheriensand». — Authors pen drawing after photographes in ROGER, op. cit., Taf. Ill, Fig. 12 — 13. a vertebra, taken from the extremities joining the faciès costales, does not even reach the border of the cup,about 8*5 mm missing to attain the whole width. (Textfig. 4). The disparities therefore, as far as I was able to establish, are sufficiently striking and important to allow a specific separation of these two Varanus forms, as the characters mentioned derive from the basic s truc t u re o f t. h e vertebrae and present therein essential dissimilitudes. The real merit and absolute certainty of these observations could naturally only be obtained by precise comparison and examination of original remains. A more arduous task is met with whilst attempting to establish differences between V. Hojmanni and V. marathonensis WEITH., these two forms a p p e a ring to be identical as before mentioned in the prefatory historical part. However so important a systematic question not being solvable on consideration of mere appearance, I shall, despite this seeming identity, deal with V. Hofmanni as a separate species. Comparing the vertebrae of V. Hofmanni and V. marathonensis, I have been able to state the following differences : the vertebras of V. Hofmanni as