Boine snake Bavarioboa from the Oligocene/Miocene of eastern Turkey with comments on connections between European and Asiatic snake faunas
Zbigniew Szyndlar and Izzet Hoşgör
Fossil remains of the extinct boine snake Bavarioboa, thus far known exclusively from several localities of western and central Europe, are reported for the first time outside Europe. The new fossil record is from the Mendikdere Formation in easternmost Turkey, dated Late Oligocene to Early Miocene. The finding provides strong evidence of links connecting ophidian faunas of Europe and southwestern Asia in the past, and confirms the supposition that Anatolia may have had close terrestrial connections with Europe around the Oligocene/Miocene boundary.
Zbigniew Szyndlar [szyndlar@isez.pan.krakow.pl], Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland; Izzet Hoşgör [Izzet.Hosgor@viking-intl.com], Viking International, Akmerkez, Block B Floor 5-6, Nispetiye Caddesi, 34330 Etiler-İstanbul, Turkey.
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