Aerosaurus

Aerosaurus
Temporal range: Early Permian, 295 Ma
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Well-preserved partial skeleton of Aerosaurus wellesi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Family: †Varanopidae
Subfamily: †Varanopinae
Genus: †Aerosaurus
Romer, 1937
Species
  • †A. greenleeorum Romer, 1937 (type)
  • †A. wellesi Langston & Reisz, 1981

Aerosaurus (meaning "copper lizard") is an extinct genus within Varanopidae, a family of non-mammalian synapsids. It lived between 252-299 million years ago during the Early Permian in North America. The name comes from Latin aes (aeris) (combining stem: aer-) “copper” and Greek sauros “lizard,” for El Cobre Canyon (from Spanish cobre “copper”) in northern New Mexico, where the type fossil was found and the site of former copper mines. Aerosaurus was a small to medium-bodied carnivorous synapsid characterized by its recurved teeth, triangular lateral temporal fenestra, and extended teeth row. Two species are recognized: A. greenleeorum (1937) and A. wellesi (1981).[1]

  1. ^ Romer, A. S. (1937). "New Genera and Species of Pelycosaurian Reptiles" (PDF). Proceedings of the New England Zoölogical Club. 16: 90–96.