Sulcatidens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sulcatidens Temporal range: Early Miocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Genus: | †Sulcatidens Covacevich et al., 1990 |
| Species: | †S. quadratus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Sulcatidens quadratus Covacevich et al., 1990 | |
Sulcatidens is an extinct genus of agamid lizard from the Early Miocene of Australia. Fossils are known exclusively from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland. It contains only one species, S. quadratus.
The holotype specimen, QM F18010, of Sulcatidens was discovered from the 'Wayne's Wok' site at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, in the Boodjamulla National Park of north-western Queensland. It consists of a partial maxilla retaining teeth. In addition, an incomplete maxilla was also referred to the species. It was described alongside other agamid material from Riversleigh by Covacevich et al. in 1990.[1]
The generic name is derived from the Latin word sulcare ("to furrow"), in reference to the notches in the middle of the posterior maxillary teeth. The specific name comes from the Latin quadratus ("to make square"), which refers to the square-like shape of the posterior maxillary teeth.[1]
