Fossil lizards from the Early Pliocene Bluff Downs Local Fauna

The lizard fauna of the Early Pliocene Bluff Downs Local Fauna consists of members of the families Scincidae, Gekkonidae, Agamidae and Varanidae. At l east three living scincid taxa, Egernia hosmeri, Tiliqua scincoides and a m ember of the Eulamprus quoyii complex, have been identified from dentary, m axillary and skull roof elements. The gekkonids are represented by a nearly complete dentary, which is tentatively referred to the living genus Hetero notia. Agamids are represented by unidentified dentary remains. A giant var anid, ?Megalania sp., was the only extinct lizard found; other smaller vara nid remains were also recovered. The gekkonid is the first published Plioce ne record of the family from Australia. The fauna, consisting largely of ta xa with close phyletic links to the modem lizard fauna of eastern Australia , is a further example of the evolutionary conservatism of Australian herpe tological assemblages since the Miocene.