Derasmosaurus

Summary

Derasmosaurus is an extinct species of rhynchocephalian known from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) aged Pietraroja Plattenkalk of Italy. It was originally considered to be a specimen of Lacerta brevicauda by Costa in 1866, it was later considered a specimen of the lizard Chometokadmon fitzingeri by D'Erasmo in 1915. It was described as a distinct rhynchocephalian genus in 1988.[1] It is distinct from other indeterminate rhychocephalians found in the Plattenkalk.[2] It is considered to be aquatically adapted, and possibly a member of the Pleurosauridae.[3]

Derasmosaurus
Temporal range: Albian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Rhynchocephalia
Suborder: Sphenodontia
Genus: Derasmosaurus
Barbera and Macuglia, 1988
Type species
Derasmosaurus pietrarojae
Barbera and Macuglia, 1988

References edit

  1. ^ C. Barbera and L. Macuglia. 1988. Revisione dei tetrapodi del Cretacico Inferiore di Pietraroia (Matese Orientale, Benevento) appartenenti alla collezione Costa del Museo di Paleontologia dell'Università di Napoli [Revision of the tetrapods from the Lower Cretaceous of Pietraroia (Eastern Matese, Benevento) belonging to the Costa collection of the Paleontological Museum of the University of Naples]. Memorie della Società Geologica Italiana 41(1):567-574
  2. ^ Cau, Andrea; Baiano, Mattia A.; Raia, Pasquale (May 2014). "A new sphenodontian (Reptilia, Lepidosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of Southern Italy and the phylogenetic affinities of the Pietraroia Plattenkalk rhynchocephalians". Cretaceous Research. 49: 172–180. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.02.001.
  3. ^ Simões, Tiago R.; Caldwell, Michael W.; Pierce, Stephanie E. (2020-12-07). "Sphenodontian phylogeny and the impact of model choice in Bayesian morphological clock estimates of divergence times and evolutionary rates". BMC Biology. 18 (1): 191. doi:10.1186/s12915-020-00901-5. ISSN 1741-7007. PMC 7720557. PMID 33287835.