The last amphisbaenian (Squamata) from continental Eastern Europe

The fossil record of amphisbaenians in Europe has recently been augmented through the description of new finds across the continent. It has been suggested that the post-Miocene range of amphisbaenians followed a progressive southward constriction that ultimately lead to their extant disjunct distribution. We herein describe amphisbaenian vertebral material from the Pliocene of northern Greece, which demonstrates that these reptiles were still present in the late Neogene of the southern Balkans. The new find represents the youngest occurrence of amphisbaenians in continental Eastern Europe and further highlights the role of the Greek area as a biogeographic “refugium” for certain reptile groups during the late Neogene and Quaternary.