Vipera sp.

Ivanov, Martin, 2002, The oldest known Miocene snake fauna from Central Europe: Merkur-North locality, Czech Republic, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 47 (3), pp. 513-534 : 530

Vipera sp.

(“ Vipera aspis complex”)

Type species: Vipera Francisci Redi Laurenti, 1768 = Vipera aspis ( Linnaeus, 1758) .

Material.—Three precaudal vertebrae ( SGDB Ah−610–612).

Precaudalvertebrae ( Fig.11A–E ).—Allvertebraearedamaged and the neural spine is always broken off at the base. In lateral view, the distinct long hypapophysis is directed postero−ventrally. The interzygapophyseal ridges are indistinct and blunt as are the subcentral ridges. The well visible lateral foramina are small and do not lie in depressions. The paradiapophyses are distinctly divided and the parapophyses are situated anterior to the diapophyses. The slender parapophyseal processes are directed antero−ventrally. The condyle hasaveryshortneck.Indorsalview,thecranialmarginofthe zygosphene has distinct lateral lobes and the median lobe is also distinct. The prezygapophyseal articular surfaces are irregularly shaped and the prezygapophyseal processes are short and pointed. The epizygapophyseal spines are absent. In ventral view, the minute and nearly indiscernable subcentral foramina occur at the base of the hypapophysis. The subcentral grooves are underdeveloped. The postzygapophyseal articular surfaces are irregularly tetragonal and enlarged laterally. In cranial view, the neural arch is flattened and the neural canal is rounded with shallow lateral sinuses. The cranial margin of the zygosphenal lip is convex. The relatively large paracotylar foramina occur in depressions on both sides of the rounded cotyle. The paracotylar tubercles are missing or underdeveloped. Measurements of the two mostcompletevertebraeareasfollows:smallervertebra:cl= 3.69 mm; naw = 2.93 mm. The metrical measurements of the largervertebraareasfollows:cl= 3.95mm;naw= 3.20mm.

Comments.—Based on the dorso−ventrally strongly depressed neural arch, antero−ventrally directed prezygapophyseal processes and the long slender hypapophysis the vertebrae were assigned to the living genus Vipera . The vertebrae are small with low ratio cl/naw; therefore, they were assigned to the “ Vipera aspis complex” (the informal name sensu Groombridge 1986). Vipera sp. from Merkur−North resembles especially the extinct species Vipera antiqua Szyndlar, 1987 from the Bohemian locality at Dolnice (MN 4) and the German locality at Petersbuch 2 (MN 4) ( Szyndlar 1987; Szyndlar and Schleich 1993). The oldest unquestionable record of the genus Vipera from the German lowermost Miocene (MN 1) locality of Weisenau most probably belongs to V. antiqua (“ Vipera cf. V. antiqua ”, cf. Szyndlar and Schleich 1993) ( Szyndlar and Rage 1999).

Figures

Fig. 11. A–E. Vipera sp. from the Early Miocene (MN 3a) of Merkur−North; precaudal vertebra (SGDB Ah−610) in lateral (A), dorsal (B), ventral (C), cranial (D), and caudal (E) views. Scale bar 2 mm.