Geiseltaliellus lamandini ( Filhol, 1877)

Geiseltaliellus lamandini ( Filhol, 1877) Geiseltaliellus cf. lamandini

Figure 10 View Fig

Material. One incomplete right dentary ( UM-BFI 3079).

Description. UM-BFI 3079 is a fragment of a large dentary ( Fig. 10a View Fig ). Eight teeth emplacements (including six teeth) are preserved ( Fig. 10a View Fig ). Te teeth are high-crowned, with one-third of their height projecting above the parapet ( Fig. 10b View Fig ). Te teeth are straight and slender, expect for the posteriormost one, the latter being wider ( Fig. 10a View Fig ). One tooth is complete and shows a tricuspid condition, with a large central cusp and two small lateral ones ( Fig. 10a, b View Fig ). Te subdental shelf is moderately developed, with a rounded lingual margin and lacks a sulcus dentalis ( Fig. 10a View Fig ). Te ventral wall bears an inframeckelian lip parallel to the subdental shelf

( Fig. 10a View Fig ). As such, the sulcus Meckeli narrowly opens lingually ( Fig. 10a View Fig ). On the labial surface, two mental foramina are preserved ( Fig. 10b View Fig ).

Attribution and remarks. UM-BFI 3079 is reminiscent of Geiseltaliellus lamandini based on the following combination of characters (see Augé, 2005): (1) absence of a sulcus dentalis; (2) a sulcus Meckeli narrowing anteriorly; (3) slender and straight tricuspid teeth; (4) presence of inframeckelian lip parallel to the subdental shelf; and (5) enlarged posterior teeth. It is worth noting though that the first four characters of this combination are also present in other pleurodontans, including the early Eocene North American genus Suzanniwana Smith, 2009a , which has anyway been suggested to bear much resemblance to Geiseltaliellus , though being more primitive ( Smith, 2009a). In any case, due to the incompleteness of the only specimen from La Bouffie, we treat this species level identification as tentative. Furthermore, it should be noted that the referral of G. lamandini (originally established as a new species of Lacerta Linnaeus, 1758 , by Filhol [1877]; subsequently recombined into the genus Pseudolacerta by Hoffstetter [1942]; and subsequently recombined into the genus Geiseltaliellus by Augé [2005]) to Geiseltaliellus is uncertain, as its lacks the known autapomorphies of the genus ( Smith, 2009b).

Pleurodonta incertae sedis

Cadurciguana Augé, 1987

Cadurciguana hoffstetteri Augé, 1987

Figure 11 View Fig

Material. Two incomplete left dentaries ( MHNT.PAL. 2023.0.31.119a and MHNT.PAL. 2023.0.31.119b).

Description. Te dentary preserves 13 tooth positions, with four teeth ( Fig. 11a, b View Fig ). Te dentition is pleurodont and heterodont ( Fig. 11a, b View Fig ). Teeth are straight and slen- der ( Fig. 11a, b View Fig ). Te anteriormost tooth has a pointed apex, while the other three are tricuspid with their lateral cuspids small ( Fig. 11a View Fig ). In labial view, a third of the teeth are visible above the parapet ( Fig. 11c, d View Fig ). Te labial surface is pierced by two foramina ( Fig. 11c, d View Fig ). In lingual view, the sulcus Meckeli is fully closed by the expansion of the ventral wall ( Fig. 11a, b View Fig ). A thin groove / suture is visible medially between the subdental shelf and the ventral wall of the dentary ( Fig. 11a, b View Fig ).

Attribution and remarks. Tese small dentaries are referred to Cadurciguana hoffstetteri (the type and only known species of the genus Cadurciguana , originally typified from the MP 19 locality of Escamps C, Quercy; Augé, 1987, 2005) based on the following characters (see Augé, 2005): (1) heterodont dentition with anterior teeth monocuspid and posterior teeth tricuspid with small lateral cusps; (2) a sulcus Meckeli fully closed and fused ventromedially by the expansion of the ventral wall; and (3) presence of a small groove extending anteriorly from the posterior end of the closed and fused sulcus Meckeli. Nevertheless, it has to be emphasized that the particularly the former two characters are not really diagnostic, as they represent widespread features, shared also with numerous (perhaps even hundreds of) extant pleurodontan taxa. However, still, as far as it regards the European fossil record, this combination of characters appears to be unique to Cadurciguana .