First Tupinambinae teiid (Squamata, Teiidae) from the Paleogene of South America

Abstract

The Lumbrera Formation in north-western Argentina is notable for preserving lizard remains from the Palaeogene of South America. In this paper, we offer a re-description and re-evaluation of the material belonging to the holotype of the teiid lizard Lumbrerasaurus scagliai (Donadío, 1985) recovered from sediments of the Lumbrera Formation near Pampa Grande, Salta province, Argentina. Lumbrerasaurus scagliai is considered here as an extinct genus of Tupinambinae. These remains are the earliest record of teiid lizards and confirm the presence of tupinambine teiids in the South American Palaeogene.