Xenodontolacerta
| Xenodontolacerta Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
| |
|---|---|
| Holotype skull, CVEB20180206 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Clade: | †Polyglyphanodontia |
| Genus: | †Xenodontolacerta Jiang et al., 2026 |
| Species: | †X. fangi
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Xenodontolacerta fangi Jiang et al., 2026
| |
Xenodontolacerta (meaning "lizard with strange teeth") is an extinct genus of polyglyphanodontian lizard from the Late Cretaceous (Coniacian–Campanian ages) Hekou Formation of China. The genus contains a single species, Xenodontolacerta fangi, known from a partial skull and mandible. Its teeth are uniquely heterodont, more similar to polyglyphanodontians from North America than those in Asia. This unique tooth morphology suggests Xenodontolacerta was likely omnivorous, contrasting with its herbivorous contemporaries.[2]
Discovery and naming
The Xenodontolacerta fossil material was discovered in outcrops of the Hekou Formation (Guifeng Group, Ganzhou Basin). It was collected from the Huadong Cheng Construction site in Zhanggong District (Ganzhou City) in Jiangxi Province, China. The specimen is housed in the Centre for Evolution of Vertebrate Biology, associated with Yunnan University, where it is permanently accessioned as specimen CVEB20180206. The specimen consists of a partial skull occluded with both lower jaws. The right side of the skull is nearly complete, though cracked in places, while the left side is much more damaged. the entire specimen exhibits some taphonomic compression.[2]
In 2026, Juan Jiang and colleagues described Xenodontolacerta fangi as a new genus and species of polyglyphanodontian lizard based on these fossil remains, establishing CVEB20180206 as the holotype specimen. The generic name, Xenodontolacerta, combines the Greek words ξένος (xénos), meaning 'strange' and ὀδών (odṓn), meaning 'tooth', with 'lacerta', the Latin word for 'lizard'. The intended meaning of the full genus name is 'lizard with strange teeth'. The specific name, fangi, honors the research contributions of Jing-Yun Fang in biodiversity, forest ecology, and carbon cycling.[2]
References
- ^ Xi, Dangpeng; Wan, Xiaoqiao; Li, Guobiao; Li, Gang (2019). "Cretaceous integrative stratigraphy and timescale of China". Science China Earth Sciences. 62 (1): 256–286. Bibcode:2019ScChD..62..256X. doi:10.1007/s11430-017-9262-y. ISSN 1674-7313.
- ^ a b c Jiang, Juan; Dong, Li-Ping; Xu, Xing; Bi, Alexander; Evans, Susan (2026-02-04). "A new polyglyphanodontian lizard from the Upper Cretaceous of southern China implies a complex evolutionary history of the clade". Royal Society Open Science. 13 (2). doi:10.1098/rsos.252253. ISSN 2054-5703.