The First Fossil Record of Cadea (Amphisbaenia, Cadeidae) and other Amphisbaenian Remains from the Upper Pleistocene of Cuba.

The historical biogeography and origin of the modern vertebrate fauna of the Antillean islands, which is characterized by a high level of endemism, are subjects of great interest and numerous studies (e.g., Pregill, [38]; Hedges, [20], [21]). If the vertebrae belong to two different taxa, then considering the low number of amphisbaenian fossils (i.e., three remains) in El Abrón Cave, we can presume a relatively large taxonomic diversity of Amphisbaenia in the late Pleistocene of Cuba. I C. blanoides i to the specific level, the presence of fossil I Cadea i , which is close to the recent I C. blanoides i , in the late Pleistocene is especially interesting due to well-known extinctions of vertebrates in the late Pleistocene and Holocene of the West Indies. [Extracted from the article]