Nuevos registros de squamata (reptilia) para el pleistoceno superior del norte de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

In the present contribution we report several squamate reptiles which come from the Luján Formation (Upper Pleistocene), located at Merlo in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Among the specimens, the first fossil record for the genus and species Anops kingii (Amphisbaenidae) is recovered. Moreover, the presence of undetermined specimens of the genera Homonota (Gekkonidae) and Liolaemus (Liolaemidae) is also reported. The three above mentioned genera do not presently occur together in Northern Buenos Aires province. However, they are currently found together at the Partido de Balcarce, a locality at the southern corner of the province, more than 600 kilometers south of the Merlo fossiliferous locality. This reptile assemblage reinforces previous claims that suggest an arid and colder climate at the lowermost portion of the Upper Pleistocene at Buenos Aires province.