Liushusaurus
Liushusaurus Temporal range: Early Cretaceous
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Clade: | Scincogekkonomorpha |
Genus: | †Liushusaurus Evans and Wang, 2010 |
Type species | |
†Liushusaurus acanthocaudata Evans and Wang, 2010
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Liushusaurus is an extinct
Etymology
Evans and Wang coined the generic name or Liushusaurus from the Chinese word liushu and the Greek language word sauros. Liushu which translates as "willow tree", is derived from Liutiao, willow leaf, and refers to Liutiaogou, willow leaf valley, where the fossils were found. The Greek word sauros (σαύρος) translates to "lizard".[1] Evans and Wang chose the specific name from a combination of the Latin words acanthus meaning "spine" and cauda meaning tail. This combination is in allusion to the scale structure found along the tail.[1]
Description
Liushusaurus was a medium-sized, stocky lizard with a wide body and short legs. Several fossils preserve the outline of individuals and show that they were robustly built, with a thick tail and legs. The body outline extends beyond the ribcage to show a wide midsection as well.[1]
Several fossil specimens show a high degree of preservation, with intact scales, pigmentation, claw sheaths, cartilage, and small bones. The orbitospenoids are present in one specimen as two small crescent-shaped bones. These bones support the cartilage and membrane that makes up the
The dorsal scales that cover the back are much smaller than the ventral scales that cover the underside, which are rhomboidal and overlap each other. The bases of the ventral scales are darker than their edges. They are darkest toward the middle of the belly and nearest the midline. The ventral scales decrease in size toward the neck and limbs, becoming rounder and less dark. Going down the tail, the scales get longer and narrower and start to taper. Their coloration gives them the appearance of small spines. The dorsal scales are round and granular, each less than half a millimetre in diameter. Scales on the head are also granular, unlike the platelike scales of
Liushusaurus is known from several well preserved fossils representing eight individuals. These individuals range in age from near-hatchling to adult. All specimens preserve the
Liushusaurus may have been
Classification
Based on a
Below is a cladogram modified from the phylogenetic analysis of Evans and Wang, 2010:[1]
Squamata |
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Paleobiology
Liushusaurus probably had a similar lifestyle to living Malagasy geckos of the genus Uroplatus or African cordylid lizards of the genus Platysaurus. Both types of lizards have flattened bodies. Like living lizards with this body shape, Liushusaurus had a relatively short scapula and short suprascapular cartilage above it. It also had long ribs toward its backside that did not curve greatly. Liushusaurus may have been more similar in appearance to the living Chuckwalla (Sauromalus) of North America, which has a broad rather than flat body.[1]
Liushusaurus likely climbed on rough surfaces such as rocks and vegetation, aided by long, sharp claws, relatively symmetrical feet, long forelimbs, and well-developed scales on the undersides of its digits called tubercular plantar digital scales. The flattened body may have been useful in thermoregulation, providing a greater surface area for heat from the sun to reach while basking. It may also have allowed Liushusaurus to fit into small crevices like the living Platysaurus. Alternatively, the depressed body shape could have helped Liushusaurus control falls like the living Leiolepis, or Butterfly lizard. It may also have helped disguise the outline of the body as in Uroplatus.[1]
The small, conical teeth of Liushusaurus suggest that it ate
and many other insects, and may have been part of the diet of Liushusaurus.Paleoecology
Liushusaurus lived alongside several other lizards, the most common of which from the Jehol Group are Yabeinosaurus and Dalinghosaurus. Several other genera have been described, mostly from juvenile specimens. These include Jeholacerta, Liaoningolacerta, and Xianglong. Jeholacerta is known only from a skin impression and several skull impressions, while Liaoningolacerta has been described from a single specimen belonging to a very young individual. Xianglong is known from better material, and elongate ribs indicate it was a gliding lizard.[1]
References
- ^ S2CID 56046960.
- doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1681.1.6. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- .
- doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1629.1.3. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- S2CID 4494968. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2010-08-03.