An armoured marine reptile from the Early Triassic of South China
An armoured marine reptile from the Early Triassic of South China
A Polish-Chinese research team described a new saurosphargid marine reptile from the Early Triassic of China (Hubei Province) – Prosaurosphargis yingzishanensis. A phylogenetic hypothesis on relationships between the major groups of reptiles presented in the article proposes that saurosphargids are nested within Sauropterygia, a group of Mesozoic marine reptiles, which also includes the famous plesiosaurs. Sauropterygians themselves were recovered as members of Archelosauria, a large group of reptiles that also includes turtles and archosauromorphs (crocodiles, dinosaurs, birds, and their relatives).
Reconstruction by Zhixin Han.
PUBLICATION: Wolniewicz, A. S., Shen, Y., Li, Q., Sun, Y., Qiao, Y., Chen, Y., Hu, Y., and Liu, J. (2023). An armoured marine reptile from the Early Triassic of South China and its phylogenetic and evolutionary implications. eLife, 83163, doi: 10.7554/eLife.83163