Araeoscelis

Araeoscelis
	Drawing life reconstruction of Araeoscelis
Temporal occurrence
	Unterperm
	298.9 million years
Locations
	North America ( USA );
Systematics
	Land vertebrates (Tetrapoda)
	Amniotes (Amniota)
	Sauropsida
	Diapsida
	Araeoscelidia
	Araeoscelis
Scientific name
	Araeoscelis
	Williston , 1910
species
	Araeoscelis gracilis (Williston, 1910) ; Araeoscelis casei ( Broom , 1913) ;

Araeoscelis is a genus of extinct reptiles . She lived during the Lower Permian and is therefore one of the first Diapsida . Fossils were found in North America ( USA ). Araeoscelis was first described by Samuel Wendell Williston . The type species is Araeoscelis gracilis ; a second species, Araeoscelis casei , wasdescribedby Robert Broom in 1913.

features

Araeoscelis was about two feet long. It looked like a modern lizard . The neck was elongated and slender compared to Petrolacosaurus . In contrast to more basal (more original) Araeoscelidia , such as B. Petrolacosaurus , the teeth were longer and blunt. The skull resembled those of the Euryapsida more than those of other Diapsida: for example, the lower temporal window, a skull window in the back of the skull, was secondarily closed in Araeoscelis . The skull was massive and powerfully built, presumably an adaptation to a powerful bite that might have been suitable for cracking insect armor .

Systematics

Araeoscelis is the eponymous representative of the Araeoscelidia . The Araeoscelidia are considered to be the most basal group of the Diapsids.

The relationship of this genus was long disputed. Williston (1913, 1914) initially described Araeoscelis as an ancestor of the lizards. Later authors classified him as a representative of the Sauropterygia due to the closed lower temporal window , and still others saw a close relationship to the Synapsida . Araeoscelis was later recognized as a relative of Petrolacosaurus , both genera are now classified within a monophyletic Araeoscelidia. Within the Araeoscelidia, Araeoscelis is often classified within the Araeoscelidae family .

Individual evidence

↑ Araeoscelis. In: The Paleobiology Database. Retrieved November 4, 2014 .
^ Douglas Palmer: The Marshall illustrated encyclopedia of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. A comprehensive, color guide to over 500 species. Marshall Publishing, London 1999, ISBN 1-84028-152-9 , p. 82.
^ ^A ^b ^c Robert R. Reisz, David S. Berman, Diane Scott: The anatomy and relationships of the Lower Permian reptile Araeoscelis. In: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Vol. 4, No. 1, 1984, ISSN 0272-4634 , pp. 57-67, doi : 10.1080 / 02724634.1984.10011986 .
^ Susan E. Evans: The early history and relationships of the Diapsida. In: Michael J. Benton (Ed.): The phylogeny and classification of the tetrapods. Volume 1: Michael J. Benton: Amphibians, reptiles, birds (= Systematics Association. Special Volume. 35, 1). Clarendon Press, Oxford 1988, ISBN 0-19-857705-2 , pp. 221-260.

[paleo-db-1] Araeoscelis. In: The Paleobiology Database. Retrieved November 4, 2014 .

[EoDP-2] Douglas Palmer: The Marshall illustrated encyclopedia of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. A comprehensive, color guide to over 500 species. Marshall Publishing, London 1999, ISBN 1-84028-152-9 , p. 82.

[reisz1984-3] A ^b ^c Robert R. Reisz, David S. Berman, Diane Scott: The anatomy and relationships of the Lower Permian reptile Araeoscelis. In: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Vol. 4, No. 1, 1984, ISSN 0272-4634 , pp. 57-67, doi : 10.1080 / 02724634.1984.10011986 .

[evans_88-4] Susan E. Evans: The early history and relationships of the Diapsida. In: Michael J. Benton (Ed.): The phylogeny and classification of the tetrapods. Volume 1: Michael J. Benton: Amphibians, reptiles, birds (= Systematics Association. Special Volume. 35, 1). Clarendon Press, Oxford 1988, ISBN 0-19-857705-2 , pp. 221-260.