Department of Zoology, University Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK.
Museum für Naturkunde - Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin, Germany.
J Hum Evol. 2020 Mar;140:102451. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.01.007. Epub 2018 Jun 14.
The squamate fossil record from Kanapoi reveals generic to higher-order similarities with modern East African herpetofaunas. The record is derived from surface collection and screen washing, and consists primarily of isolated vertebrae with a few maxillary and mandibular elements. The most abundant remains are vertebrae of large-bodied Python that are morphologically similar to extant Python sebae, and vertebrae of Varanus cf. (Varanus niloticus + Varanus exanthematicus). Additional cranial and vertebral remains indicate the presence of lygosomine skinks, indeterminate Varanus, Viperidae, cf. Atractaspididae, and multiple colubrine morphotypes in the Kanapoi ecosystem. Despite similarities with modern herpetofaunas, the Kanapoi record lacks taxa common to other East African records, including agamids, chamaeleonids, amphisbaenians, the elapid Naja, and typhlopids. The overall composition of the Kanapoi squamate record is consistent with paleoenvironments similar to modern shrub savanna habitats. There are no indicators of canopied forest environments in squamate faunal composition. The fossil record of Kanapoi suggests that assembly of squamate faunas of modern East Africa was well underway by the late Neogene.
来自 Kanapoi 的有鳞目化石记录显示出与现代东非爬行动物区系的属级到高级阶元的相似性。该记录源自地表采集和筛选，主要由孤立的脊椎骨和少量的上颌骨和下颌骨组成。最丰富的遗骸是大型蟒蛇的脊椎骨，形态上与现存的 Python sebae 相似，还有巨蜥属的脊椎骨 cf.（Varanus niloticus + Varanus exanthematicus）。额外的头骨和脊椎骨遗骸表明，在 Kanapoi 生态系统中存在蜥蜴科蜥蜴、不定的巨蜥属、蝰科、Atractaspididae cf. 和多种游蛇形态型。尽管与现代爬行动物区系有相似之处，但 Kanapoi 的记录缺乏其他东非记录中常见的类群，包括鬣蜥科、变色龙科、蚓蜥科、眼镜蛇科的 Naja 和盲蛇科。Kanapoi 有鳞目记录的总体组成与现代灌木稀树草原生境的古环境一致。在有鳞目动物群的组成中没有树冠森林环境的指示。Kanapoi 的化石记录表明，现代东非爬行动物区系的组装在晚中新世就已经在进行中了。
