Archaeovaranus

Archaeovaranus (meaning "ancient Varanus") is genus of varanid lizard from the early Eocene (Ypresian) Yuhuangding Formation of Hubei Province, China. The genus contains a single species, Archaeovaranus lii, known from a nearly complete skeleton. The holotype, which includes an intact skull, is associated but disarticulated. Archaeovaranus fills a gap in the varanid fossil record, as it represents a stem-varanid from the early Eocene of East Asia, closely related to Varanus.[1]

Archaeovaranus
Temporal range: Early Eocene, Ypresian,
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Varanidae
Genus: †Archaeovaranus
Dong et al., 2022
Species:
†A. lii
Binomial name
†Archaeovaranus lii
Dong et al., 2022

Discovery and naming

The holotype specimen of Archaeovaranus, IVPP V 22770, was discovered at the Dajian locality of the Yuhuangding Formation near Danjiangkou, Hubei Province, China.[1]

The generic name, "Archaeovaranus," combines the Greek "archaīos," meaning "ancient," with a reference to the closely related Varanus.[1] "Varanus" is derived from the Arabic "waral," meaning "lizard beast."[2] The specific name, "lii," honors the paleontologist Chuankui Li, whose research included studies of the Archaeovaranus type locality.[1]

Description

The holotype specimen represents an adult individual, around 16 years old at the time of death. However, a lack of fusion at the distal ends of the humerus and femur suggest that the individual was still growing. Archaeovaranus was closely related to Saniwa, the most completely known and widely accepted stem-varanid, from the early Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming, United States.[3]

Paleoecology

The mammals Rhombomylus, Advenimus, Asiocoryphodon and Danjiangia are also known from layers of the Yuhuangding Formation.[1]

References
  1. Dong, Liping; Wang, Yuan-Qing; Zhao, Qi; Vasilyan, Davit; Wang, Yuan; Evans, Susan E. (2022-03-28). "A new stem-varanid lizard (Reptilia, Squamata) from the early Eocene of China". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 377 (1847): 20210041. doi:10.1098/rstb.2021.0041. PMC 8819366. PMID 35125002.
  2. Robert George Sprackland (1992). Giant lizards. Neptune, NJ: T.F.H. Publications. p. 61. ISBN 0-86622-634-6.
  3. Rieppel, Olivier; Grande, Lance (2007). "The Anatomy of the Fossil Varanid Lizard Saniwa ensidens, Based on a Newly Discovered Complete Skeleton". Journal of Paleontology. 81 (4): 643–665. doi:10.1666/pleo0022-3360(2007)081[0643:TAOTFV]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0022-3360.
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