Preliminary results on the reptiles from the Middle Pleistocene of Marathousa 1, Megalopolis basin (Greece)

Abstract

Until recently, our knowledge of the fossil record of squamates and turtles in Greece has been limited to isolated findings. However, focused research during the last decade has led to a complete re-evaluation of the known fossils, as well as to numerous new discoveries, new occurrences, and even new taxa (summarized in Georgalis and Delfino, 2022, and Vlachos, 2022; and references therein). In the Megalopolis Basin, turtle fossils are known from historical collections in Megalopolis (Melentis, 1966; Vlachos and Delfino, 2016), as well as from the more recent systematic investigations in the Kyparissia localities (Athanassiou et al., 2018). The purpose of this communication is to present our preliminary results of the study of the squamate and turtle specimens recovered in the Marathousa 1 locality.