Paramacellodidae

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Paramacellodidae
Temporal range: Middle JurassicLate Cretaceous, 170–66  Ma
Eoscincus.jpg
Skull of Eoscincus
Sciroseps.jpg
Lower jaw of Sciroseps
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Infraorder: Scincomorpha
Family: Paramacellodidae
Estes, 1983
Genera

Paramacellodidae is an extinct family of lizards that first appeared in the Middle Jurassic around 170 million years ago (Ma) and became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous around 66 Ma. It was one of the earliest groups of lizards to have undergone an evolutionary radiation, with members found across the supercontinent Laurasia. The phylogenetic relationships and constituent species of Paramacellodidae are uncertain. [1] [2] Many studies regard them to be scincomorphs, a large group that includes skinks and their closest extinct relatives, and possibly also to Cordyoidea, a group that includes spinytail lizards and relatives. Like modern skinks, paramacelloidids had rectangular bony plates called osteoderms covering most of their bodies, including their backs, undersides, and tails. They also had short and robust limbs. [3] Paramacellodids are distinguished from other lizards by the combination two traits in their dentition, the teeth are labiolingually expanded at their bases, and the tooth apices are lingually concave. [4]

The family was named in 1983 to include two well-known genera, Paramacellodus and Becklesius , from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of Europe. A third genus, Sharovisaurus , was named in 1984 from the Late Jurassic of Kazakhstan, and a fourth, Mimobecklesisaurus , in 1985 from the Late Jurassic of China. Remains of Paramacellodus were later described from the Morrison Formation in Utah. Possible paramacellodid remains have also been found in Late Cretaceous deposits in Mongolia, as well as the Late Jurassic Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania, which would indicate that the family was also present in Gondwana. In 2020, this was confirmed with the discovery of the first paramacellodid from Brazil, Neokotus sanfranciscanus, from the Early Cretaceous Sanfranciscana Basin. [5] Three other early scincomorphs— Pseudosaurillus , Saurillodon , and Saurillus —have also commonly been referred to Paramacellodidae, although some recent phylogenetic studies find them to be non-paramacellodid scincomorphs. Collectively, paramacellodids and taxa formerly referred to Paramacellodidae may represent a paraphyletic grade of basal scincomorphs closely related to Scincoidea. In 2002, the newly named genus Atokasaurus from the Early Cretaceous Antlers Formation in Oklahoma was described as a "paramacellodid-grade" scincomorph to reflect this phylogenetic ambiguity. [1] In the Late Cretaceous, paramacellodids are only known from the European Archipelago. [4]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scincomorpha</span> Infraorder of lizards

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Atokasaurus is an extinct genus of scincomorph lizard from the Early Cretaceous of Oklahoma. The type and only species is Atokasaurus metarsiodon, named in 2002 on the basis of a single isolated lower jaw bone found within the Antlers Formation in Atoka County. It is similar in appearance to extinct lizards in the family Paramacellodidae and may itself be a paramacellodid, although the phylogenetic relationships of the group are uncertain. Atokasaurus differs from other paramacellodids in having teeth in the lower jaw with enlarged bases and an S-shaped profile when viewed edge-on.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardeosauridae</span>

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<i>Sciroseps</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Sciroseps is an extinct genus of scincomorph squamates known from a partial left mandible, UA-2016-13-294, from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group in Arkansas, USA. The type and only species is Sciroseps pawhuskai. Its generic name is derived from Greek "σκυρος: skiros" (gypsum), and "σεπος: sepos" ; and its species name refers to historic Osage chief Pawhuska.

References

  1. 1 2 Nydam, R.; Cifelli, R. (2002). "Lizards from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) Antlers and Cloverly Formations". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (2): 286–298. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0286:lftlca]2.0.co;2. S2CID   130788410.
  2. Nydam, R. (2002). "Lizards of the Mussentuchit Local Fauna (Albian–Cenomanian boundary) and comments on the evolution of the Cretaceous lizard fauna of North America". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (3): 645–660. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0645:lotmlf]2.0.co;2. S2CID   131449530.
  3. Evans, S.E.; Chure, D.J. (1998). "Paramacellodid lizard skulls from the Jurassic Morrison Formation at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 18 (1): 99–114. Bibcode:1998JVPal..18...99E. doi:10.1080/02724634.1998.10011037.
  4. 1 2 Simões, Tiago R.; Pyron, R. Alexander (May 2021). "The Squamate Tree of Life". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 163 (2): 47–95. doi: 10.3099/0027-4100-163.2.47 . ISSN   0027-4100.
  5. Bittencourt, Jonathas Souza; Simões, Tiago Rodrigues; Caldwell, Michael Wayne; Langer, Max Cardoso (2020-04-29). "Discovery of the oldest South American fossil lizard illustrates the cosmopolitanism of early South American squamates". Communications Biology. 3 (1): 201. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-0926-0 . ISSN   2399-3642. PMC   7190622 . PMID   32350412.