Szabó János szerk.: Fragmenta Mineralogica Et Palaentologica 19. 2001. (Budapest, 2001)

Order Serpentes LINNAEUS, 1758 Family Boidae GRAY, 1825 Genus Eryx DAUDÏN, 1803 Etyx sp. (Figure 5: A-E) Material — Osztramos 1/e: 20 trunk vertebrae, 3 caudal vertebrae (HNHM. No. V.99.22). Description and comments — The trunk vertebrae are small-sized and damaged. (Figure 5: C, D). The neural arch is depressed. The neural spine is of low height, relatively short and wide. The prezigapophyseal processes (if preserved) are extremely short. The zygosphenal roof is concave. The cotyie and condyle are slighdy depressed dorsoventrally. The haemal keel is wide, but weakly defined in the mid-trunk vertebrae. In the anterior trunk vertebrae the haemal keel is prominent, while the zygosphenal roof is straight (Figure 5: A, B). The lateral and subcentral foramina are distinct, while the paracotylar foramina are lacking. The centrum length of the two largest trunk vertebrae is 1.80 mm; the centrum width is 2.34 mm and 2.38 mm, respectively. The caudal vertebrae are partially damaged. They are coming probably from the anterior caudal region, having a weakly defined zygosphene and zygantrum. (Figure 5: E). The caudal vertebrae are very short and high. The neural spine is slightly bifurcate dorsally. The pleurapophyses and the haemapophyses in all the specimens are broken off. Based on the above discussed characters, the remains undoubtedly can be assigned to the genus Eryx. The fossil record from the Pannonian Basin supports the idea that this genus had a larger (circum-Mediterranean) distribution in the Neogene times (SZYNDLAR & SCHLEICH 1994). Family Colubridae OPPEL, 1811 Genus Coluber LINNAEUS, 1758 Coluber hungaricus (BOLKAY, 1913) (Figure 5: F-I) Material — Osztramos 1/b: 2 exoccipitals, 1 prootic, 2 quadrates (HNHM. No. V.99.23), 10 vertebrae (HNHM. No. V.99.24); Osztramos 1/c: 13 vertebrae (HNHM. No. V.99.25). Description and comments — The morphology of the cranial bones is similar to those known from Polgárdi, Hungary (BOLKAY 1913; VENCZEL 1994, 1998). The quadrate, having distinctly widened proximal end and sharp quadrate crest, resembles those of Polgárdi 5, Hungary (VENCZEL 1998). The vertebrae are small, the great majority of them are poorly preserved. The neural arch of the trunk vertebrae is moderately vaulted, with relatively long neural spine of low height. The haemal keel is flattened, but more prominent in the posterior trunk vertebrae. The roof of the zygosphene is straight or slighdy convex, with a small median lobe; the prezygapophyseal process is relatively short and pointed distally. The length of the parapophyses is equal with that of the diapophyses. The centrum length of seven vertebrae from Osztramos 1/c ranged between 3.18— 4.51 mm, while the centrum width between 2.32—3.52 mm. The centrum length / centrum width ratio is between 1.22—1.42 (mean = 1.3). Up to now Coluber hungaricus was only known from the Upper Miocene (MN 13) localities of Polgárdi, Hungary. Genus Coronella LAURENTI, 1768 Coronellacf. austriaca LAURENTI, 1768 (Figure 5: J-M) Material — Osztramos 1/b: 2 exoccipitals, 1 quadrate (HNHM. No. V.99.26), 4 vertebrae (HNHM. No. V.99.27); Osztramos 1/c: 8 vertebrae (HNHM. No. V.99.28); Osztramos 1/e: 9 vertebrae (HNHM. No. V.99.29). Description and comments — The vertebrae closely resemble those of recent C. austriaca. They are small-sized: the centrum length of the largest vertebra from Osztramos 1 /b is 3.08 mm, while its width is 2.67 mm. The neural arch is flattened, with extremely low and long neural spine. The haemal keel is flattened, while the parapophyses are about two times longer than the diapophyses. The zygosphene is straight or crenate, and the prezygapophyseal processes are extremely short distally. Two exoccipitals and a quadrate resembling the homologous bones of recent C. austriaca were assigned with some doubt to this form, too. C. miocaenica, an extinct member of the genus, has been described from the Upper Miocene (MN 13) of Polgárdi 4, Hungary (VENCZEL 1998).