title: First description of a fossil chamaeleonid from Greece and its relevance for the European biogeographic history of the group.
abstract: The fossil record of Chamaeleonidae is very scarce and any new specimen is therefore considered important for our understanding of the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the group. New specimens from the early Miocene of Aliveri (Evia Island), Greece constitute the only fossils of these lizards from southeastern Europe. Skull roofing material is tentatively attributed to the Czech species Chamaeleo cf. andrusovi, revealing a range extension for this taxon, whereas tooth-bearing elements are described as indeterminate chamaeleonids. The Aliveri fossils rank well among the oldest known reptiles from Greece, provide evidence for the dispersal routes of chameleons out of Africa towards the European continent and, additionally, imply strong affinities with coeval chamaeleonids from Central Europe.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg/Freiburg, Chemin du Musée 6, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland. dimetrodon82@gmail.com.|Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy. dimetrodon82@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Georgios L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Georgalis
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy.|Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delfino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005580:Fossils; D006115:Greece; D008116:Lizards / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology
keywords: Aliveri; Biogeography; Chamaeleonidae; Miocene; Squamata
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