Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas

*Gerrhonotus mungerorum*, holotype, frontal, USSM V55674, dorsal view. Line represents one millimeter. Modified from Figure 9e of the original description (Wilson, 1968).

*Gerrhonotus mungerorurn* MSU-VP 788, frontal bone in dorsal view. (D') Same, left maxilla. From Holman (1975).

REPTILIA (Reptiles) SQUAMATA (PART) (Other Lizards) ANGUIDAE (Anguid Lizards)

Munger's Alligator Lizard
†Gerrhonotus mungerorum Wilson 1968

Conservation Status:
Extinct

Diagnosis:
A large gerrhonotine lizard with massive elongated frontal exhibiting four or possibly six scute areas which are divided generally as in other members of this group; interparietal scute area elevated above adjacent ones; scutellation areas deeply ornamented; frontoparietal scute areas not reaching midline and nearly divided laterally into two separate areas by a ridge or ornamentation; frontal septa separating nasals broad with very little anterior taper; olfactory canal embedded into the antero-ventral portion of frontal; crista cranii massive at base aad rounded to surround the olfactory canal.

Distribution:

(, Museum Voucher) (, Observation) (, Literature Record) (, iNat Record), ( Fossil)
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Occurrence Summary:
2
Records
2
Museum Vouchers
0
Other Observations

Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
Trego (2);

Natural History:

Remarks:
This species is named for Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Munger of Belleville, Kansas, who gave the describer space to screen and sort the fossiliferous material and allowed him to stay at their ranch.
Good (1988) corroborated that MSU 778 (from the type locality) was in fact a member of the Gerrhonotinae and noted that most of the other 166 fossil specimens he confirmed did not possess diagnostic characters. He questioned whether this species might be more closely related to Abronia than to Gerrhonotus .

Bibliography:

1928	Ortenburger, Arthur I. The whip snakes and racers: Genera Masticophis and Coluber. Memiors of the University of Michigan Museum (1):1-247
1968	Wilson, Richard L. Systematics and faunal analysis of a Lower Pliocene vertebrate assemblage from Trego County, Kansas. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 22():75-126
1975	Holman, J. Alan. Herpetofauna of the WaKeeney local fauna (Lower Pliocene: Clarendionian) of Trego County, Kansas. Pages 49-66 in Studies on Cenozoic Paleontology and Stratigraphy in honor of Claude W. Hibbard. Museum of Paleontology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. pp.
1976	Holman, J. Alan. The herpetofauna of the lower Valentine formation, north-central Nebraska. Herpetologica 32(3):262-268
1988	Good, David A. The phylogenetic position of fossils assigned to the Gerrhonotinae (Squamata: Anguidae). Journal of Paleontology 8(2):188-195

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