The first fossils of Timon (Squamata: Lacertinae) from Sardinia (Italy) and potential causes for its local extinction in the Pleistocene

Timon is a large-sized lacertid lizard genus with a peculiar current distribution around the Mediterranean. Six species form three distinct clades, which are geographically separated from each other. These clades inhabit the Iberian Peninsula, France and the north-western coast of Italy (Timon lepidus and T. nevadensis); the North-African part of the western Mediterranean Basin (T. pater and T. tangitanus); and the Middle East, without connection to the Mediterranean (Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran; T. kurdistanicus and T. princeps). Fossil occurrences are known, but are mostly restricted to the current geographical range, with some possible exceptions from Corsica, Sicily, Malta and south-eastern Italy, none of which has yet been assessed in detail. Herein, we describe fossils from the Pleistocene of Monte Tuttavista (Sardinia, Italy), which have previously been attributed to Lacerta sp. Inclusion of these fossils into a phylogenetic matrix of lacertid lizards shows that they are instead referable to Timon. It represents the first fossil occurrence of this genus from Sardinia and confirms earlier reports of a wider distribution of the genus until the late Pleistocene. The local extinction of the genus on Sardinia seems to coincide with the appearance of predators specialized to capture small prey and with strong climatic fluctuations.