DESCRIPTIONS OF FOSSIL LIZARDS — GILMORE 



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RHINEURA STERNBERGU Walker 

 FiGITBE 2 



Rhineura sternbergil Walker, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., vol. 35, p. 223, 1932. 



This species was established by M. V. Walker on a beautifully 

 preserved skull and lower jaws, with the sutures plainly discernible; 

 thus most of the skull elements 

 can be fully differentiated. A 



Walker gave a most complete 

 and thorough description of the 

 type specimen, but without illus- 

 trations. Through the courtesy 

 of George F. Sternberg, in whose 

 private collection the specimen 

 belongs, I am now enabled to 

 present for the first time two 

 views (fig. 2) of this interesting 

 specimen. 



This species was distinguished 

 from R. hatcheHi as follows : 

 "Viewed from the side, the skull 

 of Rhineura stemhergii differs 

 from R. hatcherii in being pro- 

 portionately longer in the facial 

 angle, and proportionately 

 shorter in the occipital angle. 

 In other words, the slightly 

 rounded ascending facial angle 

 of R. stemhergii continues to a 

 point considerably posterior of 



the point at which it turns and descends in R. hatcherii. The skull 

 thus appears more highly arched, proportionately, than in R. hatch- 

 Q^l * * *^ 'pj^g nasals are proportionately much longer in Rhi- 



FiGDRE 2. — Skull and lower jaws of RM- 

 neura sternbergii Walker, type : A, Lateral 

 view ; B, dorsal view, an, angular ; ar, 

 articular ; c, coronoid ; d, dentary ; f, 

 frontal ; mx, maxillary ; na, nasal ; oCj oc- 

 cipital condyle ; p, parietal ; pf, prefrontal ; 

 pmx, premaxillary ; pj-o, prootic ; qu, quad- 

 rate ; s.oc, supraoccipital. Five times nat- 

 ural size. 



ec 



pmx- 



ar 



FiGDRB 3. — Skull of Rhineura hatcherii Baur (Carnegie Museum no. 423A) viewed from the 

 left side, alsp, alisphenoid ; ar, articular ; c, coronoid ; d, dentary ; ec, extra columella ; 

 f, frontal ; mx, maxillary ; n, nasal ; oc, occipital condyle ; p, parietal ; pf, prefrontal ; 

 pmx, premaxillary ; pro, prootic ; q, quadrate ; sa, surangular ; sq, squamosal ; st, stapes. 

 Four times natural size. After Gilmore. 



