Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 28() 1985
Fossil snakes from Poland
Abstract:
The present paper is a study of fossil snakes found in 27 Polish localities, dated from Middle Miocene into Holocene. The systematic part of the paper contains a review of 22 ophidian taxa, including description of four new species and redescription of one species. The following snakes have been recognized in the fossil materials: from the Miocene and Early Pliocene — Ogmophis europaeus, Palaeonatrix silesiaca, Natrix parva sp. n., Zelceophis xenos gen. sp. n., four members of the subfamily Colubrinae unidentified to generic level, and two unidentified members of the family Viperidae; from the Middle/Upper Pliocene — Coluber robertmertensi, C. cf. robertmertensi, C. cf. viridiflavus, Elaphe paralongissima sp. n., Natrix longivertebrata sp. n., Natrix cf. longivertebrata, and Vipera ammodytes; from the Quaternary — Elaphe aff. longissima, E. longissima, Coronella austriaca, Natrix natrix, and Vipera berus. Quantitative and qualitative changes in the snake fauna from Poland are discussed against a background of European paleo-ophiofaunas; moreover, dependence of the composition of Polish snake fauna upon climatic fluctuations during the Quaternary are pointed out. A general pattern of distributional history of modern European snakes, based both on paleontological evidence and zoogeographical analysis, completes the elaboration.
