Fossil agamid and scincid lizards (Reptilia, Squamata) from the Late Miocene deposits of Siwalik exposed in the Dunera region of Pathankot, Punjab, India

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The Neogene lizards are poorly documented in the Indian subcontinent so far, which hinders our understanding of their evolutionary and biogeographic history in the region. In this paper, we report a few fossil lizards from the Late Miocene deposits of the Dunera locality in Punjab. These fossils have been identified as cf. Uromastyx sp. Agamidae indet. and Scincidae indet. Notably, the skink discovered in this study represents the first fossil record of its kind in the Siwaliks. Also, fossil evidence of Uromastycinae in the Indian Subcontinent suggests that its diversification occurred during the Miocene. The co-occurrence of the agamid cf. Uromastyx sp. and the skink in this area indicate a cold and drier climatic condition at that time. Despite the limited materials, these findings significantly enhance our understanding of the past diversity and biogeography of lizards in India.