Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Science - Department of Geology

Moghra formation, qattara depression of northern Egypt, remains one of the main sites of the early miocene vertebrate fossils in Africa. Moghra Formation is best exposed along the Northern scarp of qattara depression. It consists mainly of sandstone and shale intercalations related to tide dominated estuary environment. The mammalian remains are the best known and diverse components of the vertebrate fauna and they include aquatic, semiaquatic, freshwater and terrestrial taxa. The vertebrate remains are concentrated within lag deposits in four stratigraphic horizons. The previous studies were focused on the mammalian remains with little attention to the reptiles from moghra. The present study focuses on the reptilian remains particularly crocodylian and testudines which are concentrated only on the first lower horizon. The identified and described specimens (more than 120) belong to crocodiles and turtles. Four crocodylian genera belonging to one family (crocodylidae) and three subfamilies (crocodylinae, tomistominae and euthecodontinae) are systematically described. Crocodylinae includes rimasuchus lloydi and crocodylus, while tomistominae includes tomistoma dowsoni and euthecodontinae includes euthecodon. Five testudines genera belonging to two families are systematically described. This are podocnemidodda including erymnochelys, mogharemys, latentemys and lemurchelys, and trionychidae including trionyx

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