Prolacerta

Prolacerta
Temporal range: Early Triassic, Induan-Olenekian
~252–247 Ma
↓
The skull of Prolacerta broomi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Crocopoda
Family: †Prolacertidae
Genus: †Prolacerta
Parrington, 1935
Species:
†P. broomi
Binomial name
†Prolacerta broomi
Synonyms
  • Pricea longiceps Broom & Robinson, 1948

Prolacerta is a genus of archosauromorph from the lower Triassic of South Africa and Antarctica.[1] The only known species is Prolacerta broomi. Prolacerta was a small and slender reptile, with a rather long neck, low skull, and serrated teeth. It would have resembled a modern monitor lizard at a quick glance,[2] though this is an example of convergent evolution as opposed to close affinities.[3]

When first discovered, Prolacerta was considered to be ancestral to modern lizards ("lacertilians").[2] However, a study by Gow (1975) instead found that it shared more similarities with the lineage that would lead to archosaurs such as crocodilians and dinosaurs (including birds).[3] Prolacerta is now understood to be one of the most well-known early members of this lineage, formally known as Archosauromorpha. Some paleontologists have previously used the term "Prolacertiformes" in reference to superficially lizard-like early archosauromorphs, though the usage of Prolacertiformes as a valid group has lost support in recent decades. Many modern paleontologists consider Prolacerta to be among the closest relatives of the Archosauriformes, an advanced group of archosauromorphs including true archosaurs.[4][1]

  1. ^ a b Ezcurra, Martín D. (2016-04-28). "The phylogenetic relationships of basal archosauromorphs, with an emphasis on the systematics of proterosuchian archosauriforms". PeerJ. 4: e1778. doi:10.7717/peerj.1778. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4860341. PMID 27162705.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).