Lizards and snakes (Lepidosauria, Squamata) from the Lajedo de Soledade, Quaternary of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Author(s)

Lomba, Silvia Oliveira ; da Costa, Joao Paulo ; Porpino, Kleberson de Oliveira ; de Araujo Jr, Herminio Ismael ; Hsiou, Annie Schmaltz

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of South American Earth Sciences; v. 164, p. 12-pg., 2025-10-01.

Abstract

Quaternary fossils in Brazil are common in natural tanks, caves, and karstic environments. These places are interesting for paleontology because they serve as shelter for many species, may be natural traps, and present sedimentary input by floods that carry skeletal material from the surrounding areas. One karstic environment that has yielded many fossils of Pleistocene megafauna is the Lajedo de Soledade in Apodi, Rio Grande do Norte state. This location is a prominent outcrop of limestone, with approximately 3 km2 of exposed rock, mainly constituted by the Jandaira Formation's lower section. Over time, the limestone underwent karstification, forming caves and ravines, many of which are filled with Quaternary sediments. The preserved paleofauna is one of the most diverse for the Quaternary period, including mammals, birds, amphibians, crocodilians, and turtles, which are uncommon in other regional Quaternary deposits. Additionally, fossil remains of squamates were collected but have never been described or adequately identified. Therefore, only fossil mammals have been described until now, and knowledge about the paleoherpetofauna is still scarce. The present study describes fossil Squamata collected at Lajedo de Soledade. Fossils of Crotalus durissus, Epicrates sp., an embryo of Boidae indet., Viperidae indet., Tropidurus sp., and Tupinambinae indet. were identified. These are the first fossil Squamata from the Lajedo to be described and identified. Most of these taxa are present on the extant herpetofauna of Rio Grande do Norte, except for the Teiidae, which does not resemble the large lizards currently found in the state. The results of this study are essential for understanding the Quaternary environment of Rio Grande do Norte and for clarifying the past faunal composition of Squamata, which had not been previously described for this locality. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/14153-0 - Neogene vertebrate microremains of the Brazilian Amazon region, with emphasis on the temporal resolution of the Solimões Formation, Miocene of the Acre Basin
• Grantee: Annie Schmaltz Hsiou
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants