Atokasaurus

Atokasaurus is an extinct genus of scincomorph lizard from the Early Cretaceous of Oklahoma. The type and only species is Atokasaurus metarsiodon, named in 2002 on the basis of a single isolated lower jaw bone found within the Antlers Formation in Atoka County. It is similar in appearance to extinct lizards in the family Paramacellodidae and may itself be a paramacellodid, although the phylogenetic relationships of the group are uncertain. Atokasaurus differs from other paramacellodids in having teeth in the lower jaw with enlarged bases and an S-shaped profile when viewed edge-on.[1]

Atokasaurus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Infraorder: Scincomorpha
Family: Paramacellodidae (?)
Genus: Atokasaurus
Nydam and Cifelli, 2002
Type species
Atokasaurus metarsiodon
Nydam and Cifelli, 2002

References

  1. Nydam, R.; Cifelli, R. (2002). "Lizards from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) Antlers and Cloverly Formations". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (2): 286–298. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0286:lftlca]2.0.co;2.


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