Araeoscelis Temporal range: Artinskian
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Life restoration | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | †Araeoscelidia |
Family: | †Araeoscelidae |
Genus: | †Araeoscelis Williston 1910 |
Type species | |
Araeoscelis gracilis Williston 1910
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Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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Araeoscelis (from Greek: αραιά araiá, 'thin' and Greek: σκελίς skelís, 'ribs of beef')[1] is an extinct genus of reptile, and potentially one of the earliest diapsids (a study from 2022 argued for a placement as a stem-amniote).[2] Fossils have been found in the Nocona, Arroyo and Waggoner Ranch Formations in Texas, dating to the Early Permian. Two species have been described, A. casei and A. gracilis.[3]
Araeoscelis was around 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) long, and superficially resembled a modern lizard. It differed from earlier forms, such as Petrolacosaurus, in that its teeth were larger and blunter; possibly they were used for cracking insect carapaces.[4]
Unlike its close relatives, which exhibit the two pairs of skull openings characteristic of diapsids, in Araeoscelis the lower pair of temporal fenestrae were closed with bone, resulting in a euryapsid condition. This would have made the skull more solid, presumably allowing a more powerful bite.[4]
Footprints found in Nova Scotia have been attributed to Araeoscelis or a close relative.[3]