Eomurruna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eomurruna Temporal range: Early Triassic, ~ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reconstructed skeletal diagram of Eomurruna yurrgensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | †Parareptilia |
| Order: | †Procolophonomorpha |
| Family: | †Procolophonidae |
| Subfamily: | †Theledectinae |
| Genus: | †Eomurruna Hamley, Cisneros & Damiani, 2020 |
| Species: | †E. yurrgensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Eomurruna yurrgensis Hamley, Cisneros & Damiani, 2020 | |
Eomurruna is a genus of procolophonid reptile that existed in what is now Queensland, Australia during the Early Triassic period (247-251 Mya). The genus is made up of a single species, E. yurrgensis, originally uncovered within the Arcadia Formation in 1985. Since then over 40 specimens have been referred to the genus, making Eomurruna one of the most complete organisms so far found from the Mesozoic of Australia.[1]
Eomurruna was originally discovered on the basis of an articulated skeleton (QMF 59501), only missing various digits of each foot, gastralia as well as half of the tail. QMF 59501 was originally collected by Ruth Lane in 1985 within the Arcadia Formation. From here on more specimens would be referred to the genus; today there are over 40 specimens that have been referred to the genus, making Eomurruna one of the most complete and well understood animals from Mesozoic of Australia. It wasn't until 35 years later that the genus would receive a proper scientific description and a name.
The generic name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ἠώς, eos, dawn, and murruna, the name of the extant shingleback skink in the Bidyara language of Queensland. The specific name is derived from the Bidyara yurrga, a hole within the Earth and the Latin suffix ensis meaning "of" or "belonging to" which is a reference to where the majority of specimens have been found.
