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A tegu-like lizard (Teiidae, Tupinambinae) from the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum of the southeastern United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 April 2025

Jason R. Bourque Open the ORCID record for Jason R. Bourque [Opens in a new window]  and
Edward L. Stanley Open the ORCID record for Edward L. Stanley [Opens in a new window]
Jason R. Bourque*
Affiliation:
Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
Edward L. Stanley
Affiliation:
Division of Digital Imaging, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
*
Corresponding author: Jason R. Bourque; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The first unequivocal fossil of a tupinambine in North America is described on the basis of a single thoracic vertebra from a middle Miocene (Barstovian 2) paleocoastal deposit in southwestern Georgia, USA. Wautaugategu formidus n. gen. n. sp. is a mid- to large-bodied taxon with a unique mosaic of tupinambine features. Vertebral position of the fossil was determined both by qualitative and quantitative methods. This record is coeval with the warmest part of the Neogene, the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, when increased temperatures would have made the southeastern United Sates more habitable for this hyperthermic group of lizards. Although the arrival time of tupinambines into North America is still unclear, an increasing number of endemic South American reptiles, including the large-bodied iguanid Ctenosaura, dispersed as far North as Panama by the early Miocene before formation of the Panamanian Isthmus.

http://zoobank.org/58ded940-9082-46ae-8023-4b5f1b01691e

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Journal of Paleontology , First View , pp. 1 - 15
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Paleontological Society

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Footnotes

Handling Editor: Max Langer

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