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Kuehneosaur
Kuehneosauridae is an extinct family of small, lizard-like gliding diapsids known from the Triassic period of Europe and North America. They are distinguished from other diapsids by their 'wings' formed by elongated ribs. These allowed the animal to glide and parachute similar to living gliding lizards. They were most likely insectivorous, judging from their pin-like teeth. They are often, but not always, placed in the group Lepidosauromorpha, though other studies have recovered them in other positions within Sauria, including Archosauromorpha. The oldest and most primitive known member is ''Pamelina'' from the Early Triassic (Olenekian stage) of Poland, which already has vertebrae with characteristics consistent with gliding or parachuting. ''Icarosaurus'' is known from a single specimen from the Carnian-aged Lockatong Formation of New Jersey. The Late Triassic (Norian stage) kuehneosaurids from England, ''Kuehneosaurus'' and ''Kuehneosuchus'', are very similar and can be disting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuehneosauridae Skull Comparison
Kuehneosauridae is an extinct family of small, lizard-like gliding diapsids known from the Triassic period of Europe and North America. They are distinguished from other diapsids by their 'wings' formed by elongated ribs. These allowed the animal to glide and parachute similar to living gliding lizards. They were most likely insectivorous, judging from their pin-like teeth. They are often, but not always, placed in the group Lepidosauromorpha, though other studies have recovered them in other positions within Sauria, including Archosauromorpha. The oldest and most primitive known member is '' Pamelina'' from the Early Triassic (Olenekian stage) of Poland, which already has vertebrae with characteristics consistent with gliding or parachuting. ''Icarosaurus'' is known from a single specimen from the Carnian-aged Lockatong Formation of New Jersey. The Late Triassic ( Norian stage) kuehneosaurids from England, '' Kuehneosaurus'' and '' Kuehneosuchus'', are very similar and can be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuehneosaurus
''Kuehneosaurus'' is an extinct genus of Late Triassic kuehneosaurid reptile known from the Late Triassic ( Norian stage) of the Penarth Group of southwest England and the Steinmergel Group of Luxembourg. Temperature at this stage and region would have ranged from 28 to 35 °C. It was named by P. L. Robinson in 1962 in honour of paleontologist Walther Kühn, and the type and only species is ''Kuehneosaurus latus''. Measuring 72 centimetres long (2.3 feet), it had "wings" formed from ribs which jutted out from its body by as much as 14.3 cm, connected by a membrane which allowed it to slow its descent when jumping from trees. It is a member of a family of extinct gliding reptiles, the Kuehneosauridae, within a larger living group the Lepidosauromorpha, which contain modern lizards and tuatara.Evans, S.C. (2003). "At the feet of the dinosaurs: the early history and radiation of lizards." ''Biological Reviews'', 78: 513–551. Unlike its longer "winged" relative '' Kuehneos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuehneosuchus
''Kuehneosuchus'' is an extinct genus of Late Triassic kuehneosaurid reptile known from the Late Triassic ( Norian stage) of southwest England. It was named by P. L. Robinson in 1967 and the type and only species is ''Kuehneosuchus latissimus''. It is known from the holotype NHMUK PV R 6111, a set of associated vertebrae and ribs. It is a derived kuehneosaurid, most closely related to ''Kuehneosaurus ''Kuehneosaurus'' is an extinct genus of Late Triassic kuehneosaurid reptile known from the Late Triassic ( Norian stage) of the Penarth Group of southwest England and the Steinmergel Group of Luxembourg. Temperature at this stage and region w ...''. The genera are very similar and can be distinguished from one another primarily on the length of their "wing" ribs, relatively short and massive in ''Kuehneosaurus'' but up to 4 times longer and more gracile in ''Kuehneosuchus''. However, the skull and major postcranial bones are identical in both taxa, as their age and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sauria
Sauria is the clade containing the most recent common ancestor of archosaurs (such as crocodilians, dinosaurs, etc.) and lepidosaurs ( lizards and kin), and all its descendants. Since most molecular phylogenies recover turtles as more closely related to archosaurs than to lepidosaurs as part of Archelosauria, Sauria can be considered the crown group of diapsids, or reptiles in general. Depending on the systematics, Sauria includes all modern reptiles or most of them (including birds, a type of archosaur) as well as various extinct groups. Sauria lies within the larger total group Sauropsida, which also contains various stem-reptiles which are more closely related to reptiles than to mammals. Prior to its modern usage, "Sauria" was used as a name for the suborder occupied by lizards, which before 1800 were considered crocodilians. Systematics Recent genomic studiesCrawford, Nicholas G., et al. "More than 1000 ultraconserved elements provide evidence that turtles are the sister g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pamelina
''Pamelina'' is an extinct genus of basal kuehneosaurid known from Early Triassic (Olenekian age) rocks of Czatkowice 1, Poland.. It was first named by Susan E. Evans in 2009 and the type species is ''Pamelina polonica''. It is the oldest known member of Kuehneosauridae. The vertebrae have characteristics consistent with gliding or parachuting. Phylogeny Cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ... after Evans (2009). References Triassic lepidosauromorphs Fossil taxa described in 2009 Early Triassic reptiles of Europe Prehistoric reptile genera {{triassic-reptile-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lepidosauromorpha
Lepidosauromorpha (in PhyloCode known as ''Pan-Lepidosauria'') is a group of reptiles comprising all diapsids closer to lizards than to archosaurs (which include crocodiles and birds). The only living sub-group is the Lepidosauria, which contains two subdivisions, Squamata, which contains lizards and snakes, and Rhynchocephalia, the only extant species of which is the tuatara. Lepidosauromorphs are distinguishable from archosauromorphs (reptiles closer to archosaurs) by their primitive sprawling gait (allowing for the same sinusoidal trunk and tail movement seen in fish), the sliding "joint" between the coracoids and the sternum (for a longer stride), and their pleurodont dentition. In contrast, Archosauromorphs possess a parasagittal gait, a reduction in their dermal girdle, a reduction and/or loss of the sternum, and a more thecodont dentition. Living lepidosauromorphs have retained an ectothermic (" cold blooded") metabolism, unlike the ancestral condition in archosauromorphs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coelurosauravus
''Coelurosauravus'' (meaning "hollow lizard grandfather") is a genus of basal diapsid reptiles, known from the Late Permian of Madagascar. Like other members of the family Weigeltisauridae, members of this genus possessed long, rod-like ossifications projecting outwards from the body. These bony rods were not extensions of the ribs but were instead newly developed bones derived from the skin of the animal, a feature unique to weigeltisaurids. It is believed that during life, these structures formed folding wings used for gliding flight, similar to living gliding ''Draco'' lizards. ''Coelurosauravus'' is solely known from the type species, ''C. elivensis'', which was named by Jean Piveteau in 1926 based on fossils from the Lower Sakamena Formation of Madagascar. The species ''Weigeltisaurus jaekeli'' from Europe was formerly considered a species of ''Coelurosauravus'', but is now considered distinct. History of discovery The only known specimens of ''Coelurosauravus'' were coll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Draco (lizard)
''Draco'' is a genus of agamid lizards that are also known as flying lizards, flying dragons or gliding lizards. These lizards are capable of gliding flight via membranes that may be extended to create wings (patagia), formed by an enlarged set of ribs. They are arboreal insectivores. While not capable of powered flight they often obtain lift in the course of their gliding flights. Glides as long as have been recorded, over which the animal loses only in height, which is quite some distance, considering that one lizard is only around in total length, tail included. Piper, Ross (2007). 'Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals'. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Press. They are found across Southeast Asia and southern India. and are fairly common in forests, areca gardens, teak plantations and shrub jungle. History of discovery Carl Linnaeus described the genus in 1758, with the type species being ''Draco volans.'' The name of the genus is from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neodiapsida
Neodiapsida is a clade, or major branch, of the reptilian family tree, typically defined as including all diapsids apart from some early primitive types known as the araeoscelidians. Modern reptiles and birds belong to the neodiapsid subclade Sauria. The oldest known neodiapsid is generally considered to be ''Orovenator'' from the Early Permian (Cisuralian) of North America. Basal-non saurian neodiaspids were ancestrally lizard-like, but basal Permian neodiapsids also include specialised swimming forms (''Hovasaurus'') the gliding lizard-like Weigeltisauridae, as well as the Triassic chameleon-like drepanosaurs. The position of the highly derived Mesozoic marine reptile groups Thalattosauria, Ichthyosauromorpha and Sauropterygia within Neodiapsida is uncertain, and they may lie within Sauria. Classification The clade Neodiapsida was given a phylogenetic definition by Laurin in 1991. He defined it as the branch-based clade containing all animals more closely related to "Youngin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archosauromorpha
Archosauromorpha (Greek for "ruling lizard forms") is a clade of diapsid reptiles containing all reptiles more closely related to archosaurs (such as crocodilians and dinosaurs, including birds) rather than lepidosaurs (such as tuataras, lizards, and snakes). Archosauromorphs first appeared during the late Middle Permian or Late Permian, though they became much more common and diverse during the Triassic period. Although Archosauromorpha was first named in 1946, its membership did not become well-established until the 1980s. Currently Archosauromorpha encompasses four main groups of reptiles: the stocky, herbivorous allokotosaurs and rhynchosaurs, the hugely diverse Archosauriformes, and a polyphyletic grouping of various long-necked reptiles including ''Protorosaurus'', tanystropheids, and ''Prolacerta''. Other groups including pantestudines (turtles and their extinct relatives) and the semiaquatic choristoderes have also been placed in Archosauromorpha by some authors. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Icarosaurus
''Icarosaurus'' (meaning "Icarus lizard") is an extinct genus of kuehneosaurid reptile from the Late Triassic (Norian age) Lower Lockatong Formation of New Jersey.Berg, T.M., ''et al''. (1983). Stratigraphic Correlation Chart of Pennsylvania: G75, Pennsylvania Geologic Survey, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is closely related to lizards and the tuatara. Based on a partial skeleton missing part of the tail, some ribs, a hand, and parts of the legs, it was a small animal, about 10 centimeters (4 in) long from the skull to the hips. Like its relative ''Kuehneosaurus'', it was able to glide short distances using 'wings' consisting of highly elongated ribs covered with skin. These gliding membranes would have had a convex upper surface and a concave lower surface, thus creating a simple airfoil structure well-suited to gliding. This method of gliding is also seen in ''Coelurosauravus'' and the modern ''Draco'', neither of which are closely related to ''Icarosaurus''. Discovery ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diapsid
Diapsids ("two arches") are a clade of sauropsids, distinguished from more primitive eureptiles by the presence of two holes, known as temporal fenestrae, in each side of their skulls. The group first appeared about three hundred million years ago during the late Carboniferous period. All diapsids other than the most primitive ones in the clade Araeoscelidia are sometimes placed into the clade Neodiapsida. The diapsids are extremely diverse, and include birds and all modern reptile groups, including turtles, which were historically thought to lie outside the group. Although some diapsids have lost either one hole (lizards), or both holes (snakes and turtles), or have a heavily restructured skull (modern birds), they are still classified as diapsids based on their ancestry. At least 17,084 species of diapsid animals are extant: 9,159 birds, and 7,925 snakes, lizards, tuatara, turtles, and crocodiles. Characteristics The name Diapsida means "two arches", and diapsids are tradition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
