Acutodon

Acutodon
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (early Campanian), 83.5–79.5 Ma[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Anguimorpha
Clade: Shinisauria
Genus: †Acutodon
Jansen et al., 2026
Species:
†A. villeveyracensis
Binomial name
†Acutodon villeveyracensis
Jansen et al., 2026

Acutodon (lit. 'sharp, pointed teeth') is an extinct genus of shinisaurian lizard that lived in France during the Late Cretaceous (lower Campanian age). The genus contains a single species, Acutodon villeveyracensis, known from a partial maxilla (upper tooth-bearing bone). Acutodon lived in freshwater subtropical environments.[2]

Description

It is characterized by its long, tapering teeth, which suggest a diet of small fish and amphibians. This is comparable to the modern Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus).[2]

Phylogeny

Acutodon is a Pan-Shinisauria, a clade of Anguimorph lizards that contains genera such as Merkurosaurus from the Czech Republic.[3] The closest living relative to Acutodon is the Chinese crocodile lizard. The evolutionary history of this clade is poorly known with few fossils being found. This genus fills in a gap in the fossil record of Pan-Shinisaurids.[2]

References

  1. ^ Jansen, Olivier; Garcia, Géraldine; Otero, Olga; Augé, Marc; Gomez, Bernard; Valentin, Xavier (2026-01-27). "Freshwater amphibians and squamates from Villeveyrac (lower Campanian; Hérault, France): palaeodiversity, palaeoenvironment and implications for the Late Cretaceous palaeobiogeography of the European herpetofauna". Papers in Palaeontology. 12 (1). doi:10.1002/spp2.70055. ISSN 2056-2799.
  2. ^ a b c Jansen, Olivier; Augé, Marc; Garcia, Geraldine; Otero, Olga; Valentin, Xavier (2026-05-20). "A new pan-shinisaur lizard (Anguimorpha) from the lower Campanian of Villeveyrac (Hérault, France)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2636649. doi:10.1080/02724634.2026.2636649. ISSN 0272-4634.
  3. ^ Klembara, Jozef. (2008). A new anguimorph lizard from the Lower Miocene of North-West Bohemia, Czech Republic. Palaeontology. 51. 81 - 94. 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00732.x.

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