Fraxinisaura

Fraxinisaura
Temporal range: Middle Triassic, Ladinian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Lepidosauromorpha
Genus: Fraxinisaura
Schoch & Sues, 2018
Type species
Fraxinisaura rozynekae
Schoch & Sues, 2018

Fraxinisaura is an extinct genus of basal lepidosauromorph reptile known from the Middle Triassic of Germany. The only known species is Fraxinisaura rozynekae. It possessed an elongated snout, unique features of the teeth, and an ilium (upper hip bone) which was intermediate in orientation between sphenodontians (the branch of lepidosaurs including the tuatara) and squamates (the branch including lizards). Based on characteristics of the maxilla, it is considered a close relative of Marmoretta from the Middle Jurassic of the United Kingdom, resolving a ghost lineage between that genus and other Triassic basal lepidosauromorphs.[1]

  1. ^ Rainer R. Schoch; Hans-Dieter Sues (18 April 2018). "A new lepidosauromorph reptile from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Germany and its phylogenetic relationships". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 38 (2): e1444619. doi:10.1080/02724634.2018.1444619. S2CID 89753030.