Huehuecuetzpalli
Encyclopedia
Huehuecuetzpalli mixtecus is a basal squamate, possibly a basal iguanian from the Early Cretaceous
(Albian
) of the Tlayúa Formation
, Tepexi de Rodríguez
, Central Mexico.
Autapomorphies of Huehuecuetzpalli include an anteroposteriorly elongated premaxilla that results in the elongation of the snout and the apparent retraction of the external nares. A small rounded postfrontal and a parietal foramen on the frontoparietal suture suggest affinities with iguanians, but the retention of divided premaxillae, amphicoelous vertebrae, thoracolumbar intercentra, entepicondylar foramen, and a second distal tarsal supports the hypothesis that Huehuecuetzpalli is a basal squamate.
David Peters (2007) found it to be the most basal member of a squamate clade between Iguania and Scleroglossa
composed of various members of Prolacertiformes
, Drepanosaurs, Longisquama
, Sharovipteryx
, and Pterosaurs
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
(Albian
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
) of the Tlayúa Formation
Tlayúa Formation
The Tlayúa Formation is an Early Cretaceous geological formation near Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla, Central Mexico.-Lepidosaurs:Cyanobacteria, foraminifera, algae, gymnosperms, sponges,...
, Tepexi de Rodríguez
Tepexi de Rodríguez (municipality)
Tepexi de Rodríguez is a town and municipality in Puebla in south-eastern Mexico.-References:...
, Central Mexico.
Autapomorphies of Huehuecuetzpalli include an anteroposteriorly elongated premaxilla that results in the elongation of the snout and the apparent retraction of the external nares. A small rounded postfrontal and a parietal foramen on the frontoparietal suture suggest affinities with iguanians, but the retention of divided premaxillae, amphicoelous vertebrae, thoracolumbar intercentra, entepicondylar foramen, and a second distal tarsal supports the hypothesis that Huehuecuetzpalli is a basal squamate.
David Peters (2007) found it to be the most basal member of a squamate clade between Iguania and Scleroglossa
Scleroglossa
Scleroglossa is the previously recognized suborder of Squamata that contains the geckos, anguids, worm lizards, monitor lizards, such as helodermatids, skinks and snakes. The name is derived from the Greek, skleros, meaning hard and glossa, meaning tongue.Traditionally, Squamata has been divided...
composed of various members of Prolacertiformes
Prolacertiformes
Prolacertiformes were an order of archosauromorph reptiles that lived during the Permian and Triassic Periods...
, Drepanosaurs, Longisquama
Longisquama
Longisquama insignis is an extinct lizard-like reptile known only from one poorly preserved and incomplete fossil. It lived during the middle or late Triassic Period, 230-225 million years ago, in what is now Kyrgyzstan...
, Sharovipteryx
Sharovipteryx
Sharovipteryx , was an early gliding reptile, from the middle-late Triassic period . Fossils have been found from the Madygen Formation of Kyrgyzstan along with the unusual reptile Longisquama...
, and Pterosaurs