Retinosaurus

Retinosaurus (meaning "amber lizard") is genus of scincomorph lizard from the Early Cretaceous of Myanmar. The genus contains a single species, Retinosaurus hkamtiensis, known from a specimen preserved in amber. The holotype, which represents a juvenile individual, includes a well-preserved articulated skull, partial postcrania, skin impressions.[1]

Life restoration of the holotype individual before being trapped in amber

Retinosaurus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, (early Albian),
(a) Photograph of the specimen in amber and (b-e) HRCT rendering of the integument
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Superfamily: Scincoidea
Genus: †Retinosaurus
Čerňanský et al., 2022
Species:
†R. hkamtiensis
Binomial name
†Retinosaurus hkamtiensis
Čerňanský et al., 2022

Discovery and naming

The fossil was discovered in the Hkamti amber site of Myanmar, which dates to the early Albian, approximately 110 million years ago. In addition to the lizard fossil material, the amber also contains several coleopterans.[1]

The holotype, GRS 29689, was legally obtained from a Myanmar gem dealer in 2019. It was subsequently announced in a preprint in October 2021,[2] and validly described by Čerňanský, A., Stanley, E.L., Daza, J.D. et al in January 2022.[1]

The generic name, "Retinosaurus", is derived from the Greek words, "retine", referring to liquid resins created by trees, and "saurus", meaning "lizard". The specific name, "khamtiensis", references Hkamti, the type locality.[1]

Classification

In all but one of the phylogenetic analyses performed by the describing authors, the holotype specimen of Retinosaurus was recovered as a Pan-xantusiid. Most phylogenies resulted with Retinosaurus as a sister taxon to a clade formed by Tepexisaurus + Xantusiidae. Because the holotype represents an immature individual, the authors explain that any phylogenetic results should be treated with caution.

References
  1. Čerňanský, Andrej; Stanley, Edward L.; Daza, Juan D.; Bolet, Arnau; Arias, J. Salvador; Bauer, Aaron M.; Vidal-García, Marta; Bevitt, Joseph J.; Peretti, Adolf M.; Aung, Nyi Nyi; Evans, Susan E. (2022-01-31). "A new Early Cretaceous lizard in Myanmar amber with exceptionally preserved integument". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 1660. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-05735-5. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 8803969. PMID 35102237.
  2. Čerňanský, Andrej; Stanley, Edward L.; Daza, Juan D.; Bolet, Arnau; Arias, J. Salvador; Bauer, Aaron M.; Vidal-García, Marta; Bevitt, Joseph J.; Peretti, Adolf M.; Aung, Nyi Nyi; Evans, Susan E. (2021-10-11). "A New Early Cretaceous lizard in Myanmar Amber with Exceptionally Preserved Integument". doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-952564/v1. S2CID 242507446. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.