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Herpetofaunas from the “overburden” (Quaternary) of western Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2013

Christopher N. Jass  and
James D. Gardner
Christopher N. Jass
Affiliation:
Royal Alberta Museum, 12845 102 Ave., Edmonton, AB, T5N 0M6, Canada. Email: chris.jass@gov.ab.ca
James D. Gardner
Affiliation:
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Box 7500, Drumheller, AB, T0J 0Y0, Canada
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Abstract

Quaternary herpetofaunas from eight palaeontological localities in western Canada (British Columbia: Bear Flat; Alberta: Eagle Cave, January Cave, Rat's Nest Cave, Hand/Wintering Hills, Fletcher Site, Stampede Site and Little Fish Lake) are described in detail for the first time. Identifications of taxa from these localities include frogs (Rana sp., Bufo sp., and Anura indet.), salamanders (cf. Ambystoma sp.), and snakes (cf. Thamnophis sp. and cf. Pituophis sp.). Preglacial and postglacial herpetofaunas are distinctly separated by a boundary resulting from the advance and retreat of glacial ice across northern North America. The taxonomic records presented here represent a conservative, morphology-based approach to identification that resulted in less taxonomic resolution than is commonly found in literature on Quaternary herpetofaunas. Nonetheless, the resultant data set was useful for establishing a framework that is indicative of biogeographic stability in Quaternary reptiles and amphibians of western Canada. We hypothesise that the observed stability may be related to evolutionary adaptations (e.g. cold-tolerance) in specific lineages.

Keywords

AlbertaAmphibiabiogeographyBritish ColumbiacavesReptilia
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Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 103 , Issue 3-4: The Full Profession: A Celebration of the Life and Career of Wann Langston, Jr., Quintessential Vertebrate Palaeontologist , September 2012 , pp. 583 - 595
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Copyright © The Royal Society of Edinburgh 2013 

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