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

any disjointed skeleton, all belonging to the same specimen. In studying V. griseus DAUD.'S caudal vertebrae for instance, we find the cup in the first post sacral vertebrae subro tu n d, becoming further ellipsoid; the 34

th vertebra's cup (the atlas included) is S till' slight 1 y broader than its length; the 3S

TH vertebra presents almost about the cont r a r y f e a t u r e, whilst from the 45

th vertebra the cup regains somewhat of its e 11 i p s o i d shape until the 50

th

, which appears in the form of a strongly extended ellipsoid. It is evident therefore that the second «différence» rests also merely on a mistake, that is to say on a mistaken evaluation of the characters, for which reason «Palaeovaranus Filholi DE STEFANO» may be considered a s„y n o n y m of V

. Gayluxi FILH. About the fossils described by DE STEFANO, NOPCSA mites as follows (op. cit. p. 43): «Der Erhaltungszustand der Reste isi elend und nach meiner Ansicht für spezifische Bestimmungen unzureichend.)) However considering the description of the enumerated re mains, as well as the photographs shown on the plates of DE STEFANO'S work, I cannot share in Baron NOPCSA'S opinion, for the vertebrae for instance are in very good conelition. The fault, in this matter, does not lie as much in the defective state of the material, as with 1 )E STEFANO'S misinterpretation of the importance of morphological characters. JOURDAN'S M O n i t o r of La Grive St. Alban, mentioned by DEPÉRET (op. cit.) as «Saurien du genre Varanus» might be specifically indentified with the Varanus of which I examined an epistropheus originating from the same locality and described by me under the name of Varanus cf.? Cayluxi FILH. (see Systematic Part). Th

3 fragment described by Mr. MORELLI from the cave at the Arene Candide, which I refer to Varanus marathonensis, is highly interesting as proving that Varanus still occurred in Europe during the Diluvial period, thus contemporary with the primitive Man of our continent, being, according to my opinion, throughout improbable that the primitive men in having «relazioni di conmrercio coi popoli della costa africana» «da essi avessero avuto Toggetto di cui si tiatta ...» (MORELLI, op. cit. p. 174). On the contrary, I take it for granted that Mr. MORELLI

'« first supposition on this matter is the right one (op. cit. p. 173) : «... si potrebbe sostenere ammettendo, come già dissi, della pantera, cue qui si traitasse d'un individuo che fosse il residuo d'una fauna anteriore sopravissuta lino all'epoca neolitica per speziali condizioni della regione.» ROGER'S Varanus Hofmanni however proves again a good species, at least inasmuch as not to be indentified with V. Cayluxi, appearing to have been moreover perhaps of a somewhat larger size than this latter. Further Annales Miisoi N;U,ionalis nun^arid. XVI. 23