Tepexisaurus
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| Tepexisaurus Temporal range: Late Albian, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Scinciformata |
| Infraorder: | Scincomorpha |
| Genus: | †Tepexisaurus Reynoso & Callison, 2000 |
| Type species | |
| †Tepexisaurus tepexii Reynoso & Callison, 2000 | |
Tepexisaurus is a genus of extinct scincomorph lizard from the Early Cretaceous (late Albian) Tlayúa Formation, a Lagerstätte near Tepexi de Rodríguez, Central Mexico. One species, T. tepexii, is known. It was likely related to Scincidae (skinks), Cordylidae (girdled lizards), and Paramacellodus.
Discovery and formal description
The holotype of Tepexisaurus (IGM 7466), a well-preserved skeleton with a disarticulated head/neck and part of the tail missing, was recovered from the Tlayúa Quarry, near Tepexi de Rodríguez in Central Mexico. The specific locality in which it was discovered, represent the Middle Member of the Tlayúa Formation,[1] a Lagerstätte rich in vertebrate fossils. The depositional environment of the Middle Member was a shallow lagoon fringed by a peneplain.[2] On collection, the specimen was transported to the Geological Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In 2000, it was formally described by Victor-Hugo Reynoso and George Callison. The generic name derives from Tepexi de Rodríguez and the Latin saurus ("reptile").[1]
Classification
In their paper describing Tepexisaurus, Reynoso and Callison performed several phylogenetic analyses. The strict consensus tree they recovered nested Tepexisaurus within Scincomorpha, as the sister taxon of a clade including Cordylidae, Paramacellodus, and Scincidae.[1]