Pleistocene amphibians and reptiles from the Leisey Shell Pits, Hillsborough County, Florida

Abstract

Amphibians and reptiles are common among the vertebrate remains recovered from the Leisey Shell Pit. This study was undertaken to document the diversity of these groups and is not a detailed account of all available Leisey specimens. For the sake of completeness, an effort was made to identify every element that could add to the taxonomic list. A total of 20 reptiles and 4 amphibians has been identified from the late early Irvingtonian Leisey 1A and 3A localities. The fossils from the adjacent Leisey 2, which is chronologically mixed (early and late Pleistocene), includes three additional taxa, and these are discussed in the systematic accounts. None of the Leisey sites possesses a diverse herpetofauna, especially compared to Inglis 1A. The Leisey 1A herpetofauna is dominated by three taxa-Alligator, Trachemys, and Hesperotestudo--while Leisey 3A is dominated by aquatic natricine snakes.