Eumeces schneideri ssp. pavimentatus (Geoffroy SaintHilaire, 1827)

Ma‛ayan Lev, Dani Nadel, Mina Weinstein-Evron & Reuven Yeshurun, 2022, Squamates and amphibians from the Natufian cemetery of Raqefet Cave, Israel: taphonomy, paleoenvironments and paleoclimate, An International Journal of Paleobiology 34 (12), pp. 2394-2414 : 2403

Eumeces schneideri ssp. pavimentatus (Geoffroy SaintHilaire, 1827)

Schneider’s Skink was identified by a right dentary ( Figure 5 (e)) and trunk vertebrae ( Figure 5 (f)). Regarding the dentary, in medial view the mandibular symphysis is wide, strong and rounded. The subdental shelf is thick anteriorly and narrows posteriorly. The anterior subdental shelf restricts the Meckelian groove; thus, the Meckelian groove is very narrow at the anterior end and expands posteriorly. The lateral surface of the dentary has five mental foramina. The teeth are pleurodont and cylindrical and the tooth crown is slightly rounded with their tips slightly curved posteriorly. The teeth are crowded with very slight gaps between them. The anterior teeth are slender and become more robust posteriorly. The dentary differs from Trachylepis in robustness, size and the location of the Meckelian groove posterior expansion and from Chalcides and Ophiomorus in the fewer number of teeth.

The trunk vertebra is procoelous and is characterised by an oval cotyle compressed dorsoventrally in anterior view; the condyle is slightly oval and is also compressed ventrally. In the dorsal view, the neural arch is long and has a very moderate interzygapophyseal constriction. The neural spine covers most of the centrum, while more prominent in the posterior half. In lateral view, the neural spine starts to rise dorsally at the anterior edge, becoming more pronounced towards the posterior end. The prezygapophyseal articular facets are large, ovalshaped, elongated and anterolaterally directed. In the ventral view, the centrum is elongated, the synapophyses are rounded and laterally protruding. The haemal keel is wide and welldefined anteriorly and its borders are not well-defined posteriorly. In anterior view, the anterior margins of the pedicels are concave. The prezygapophyseal facets are dorsolaterally tilted. The neural canal is wide, and the anterior edge of the neural arch is V-shaped. The synapophyses are rounded. In posterior view, the neural canal is wide, the neural arch is round, its wall is thin and its posterior edge is U-shaped. The postzygapophysis is thin and dorsolaterally protruding.

The species inhabits various habitats in the Mediterranean region, mostly the Mediterranean maquis and the coastal plain, and is also infrequently found in dry semi-arid/arid habitats ( Figure 2 (c)). It was identified in the Natufian of EWT ( Lev et al. 2020) and Eynan ( Biton et al. 2021).

Figures

Figure 2. Plan of Raqefet Cave (a) provenance of the faunal samples, with the different contexts presented in this study labelled in red (b).

Figure 5. Anura and lizard bones from Raqefet Cave. Bufotes viridis sl (a) presacral vertebra, from left to right, dorsal, anterior and posterior views; Stellagama cf. stellio (b) left maxilla, medial and lateral views; (c) right dentary, medial and lateral views; (d) trunk vertebra, dorsal, ventral, anterior, posterior and lateral views; Eumeces schneiderii (e) right dentary, medial and lateral views; (f) trunk vertebrae, dorsal, ventral, anterior, posterior and lateral views; Pseudopus apodus (g) left maxilla, medial and lateral views (h) left dentary, medial and lateral views; (i) trunk vertebra, dorsal, ventral, anterior, posterior and lateral views.