Cryptolacerta

Cryptolacerta
Cryptolacerta
Temporal range: Eocene, 47 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Lacertibaenia
Genus: †Cryptolacerta
Müller et al., 2011
Species
  • †C. hassiaca Müller et al., 2011 (type)

Cryptolacerta ("Hidden lizard" from Greek) is an extinct genus of lacertibaenian lizard which lived during the Eocene epoch (Lutetian stage, about 47 million years ago) in what is now Germany. It is known from a nearly complete and articulated skeleton including the skull, which was found in the Messel locality of Germany. Cryptolacerta was named by Johannes Müller, Christy A. Hipsley, Jason J. Head, Nikolay Kardjilov, André Hilger, Michael Wuttke and Robert R. Reisz in 2011 and the type species is Cryptolacerta hassiaca. Cladistic analysis conducted by Müller et al. suggests that Cryptolacerta is a sister taxon to Amphisbaenia.[1]

References

  1. ^ Müller, Johannes; Christy A. Hipsley, Jason J. Head, Nikolay Kardjilov, André Hilger, Michael Wuttke and Robert R. Reisz (2011). "Eocene lizard from Germany reveals amphisbaenian origins". Nature 473 (7347): 364–367. doi:10.1038/nature09919. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v473/n7347/full/nature09919.html. 
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