Derasmosaurus
Extinct genus of reptiles
Derasmosaurus is an extinct monotypic genus of rhynchocephalian known from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) aged Pietraroja Plattenkalk of Italy. The only species in the genus is Derasmosaurus pietrarojae. It was originally considered to be a specimen of Lacerta brevicauda by Costa in 1866, it was later considered a specimen of the lizard Chometokadmon fitzingeri by D'Erasmo in 1915. It was described as a distinct rhynchocephalian genus in 1988. It is distinct from other indeterminate rhynchocephalians found in the Plattenkalk. It is considered to be aquatically adapted, and possibly a member of the Pleurosauridae.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Derasmosaurus”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- 9182 - Milano - Museo storia naturale - Derasmosaurus pietraroiae - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 22-Apr-2007 (cropped).jpg by Giovanni Dall'Orto, CC BY-SA 2.5 it
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