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Prolacertiformes
 
 
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Prolacertiformes (sometimes called protorosaurs) were an order of archosauromorph
Archosauromorpha

Archosauromorpha is an Infraclass of diapsid reptiles that first appeared during the late Permian and became more common during the Triassic. Included in this infraclass are the orders Rhynchosauria, Trilophosauridae, Prolacertiformes, Archosauriformes, and, tentatively, the Choristodera....
 reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
s that lived during the Permian
Permian

The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian system" after the ancient kingdom...
 and Triassic
Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 to 199 annum . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic....
 Periods. Many species seem to have been adapted for an arboreal lifestyle, including the "delta-winged glider" Sharovipteryx
Sharovipteryx

Sharovipteryx , was among the earliest gliding reptiles, from the early Triassic period. It was approximately eight inches long, with an extremely long tail, and weighed about 7.5 grams....
, while others, such as Tanystropheus
Tanystropheus

Tanystropheus , was a 6 metre long reptile that dated from the Middle Triassic period. It is recognizable by its extremely elongated neck, which measured 3 meters long, longer than its body and tail combined....
, had extremely long, stiffened necks (possibly used to catch fish), and may have been at least partly aquatic.

Other enigmatic reptile groups have sometimes been assigned by some resarches to the Prolacertiformes, including the drepanosaurids
Drepanosauridae

Drepanosauridae is a Family of strange reptiles that lived during the late Triassic Period, 220 million years ago. The various species of drepanosaurid were characterized by odd specialized grasping limbs and often prehensile tails, adaptions for arboreal , and/or possibly aquatic lifestyles....
, Longisquama
Longisquama

Longisquama insignis is an extinct lizard-like reptile known from a poorly preserved and incomplete fossil. It lived during the early Triassic Period, 240 million years ago, in what is now Kyrgyzstan....
, and the pterosaur
Pterosaur

Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or Order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight....
s.






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Prolacertiformes (sometimes called protorosaurs) were an order of archosauromorph
Archosauromorpha

Archosauromorpha is an Infraclass of diapsid reptiles that first appeared during the late Permian and became more common during the Triassic. Included in this infraclass are the orders Rhynchosauria, Trilophosauridae, Prolacertiformes, Archosauriformes, and, tentatively, the Choristodera....
 reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
s that lived during the Permian
Permian

The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian system" after the ancient kingdom...
 and Triassic
Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 to 199 annum . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic....
 Periods. Many species seem to have been adapted for an arboreal lifestyle, including the "delta-winged glider" Sharovipteryx
Sharovipteryx

Sharovipteryx , was among the earliest gliding reptiles, from the early Triassic period. It was approximately eight inches long, with an extremely long tail, and weighed about 7.5 grams....
, while others, such as Tanystropheus
Tanystropheus

Tanystropheus , was a 6 metre long reptile that dated from the Middle Triassic period. It is recognizable by its extremely elongated neck, which measured 3 meters long, longer than its body and tail combined....
, had extremely long, stiffened necks (possibly used to catch fish), and may have been at least partly aquatic.

Other enigmatic reptile groups have sometimes been assigned by some resarches to the Prolacertiformes, including the drepanosaurids
Drepanosauridae

Drepanosauridae is a Family of strange reptiles that lived during the late Triassic Period, 220 million years ago. The various species of drepanosaurid were characterized by odd specialized grasping limbs and often prehensile tails, adaptions for arboreal , and/or possibly aquatic lifestyles....
, Longisquama
Longisquama

Longisquama insignis is an extinct lizard-like reptile known from a poorly preserved and incomplete fossil. It lived during the early Triassic Period, 240 million years ago, in what is now Kyrgyzstan....
, and the pterosaur
Pterosaur

Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or Order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight....
s. Senter (2004) re-assigned the bizarre, arboreal drepanosaurids and Longisquama
Longisquama

Longisquama insignis is an extinct lizard-like reptile known from a poorly preserved and incomplete fossil. It lived during the early Triassic Period, 240 million years ago, in what is now Kyrgyzstan....
 to a group of more primitive diapsid
Diapsid

Diapsids are a group of reptiles that developed two holes in each side of their skulls, about 300 million years ago during the late Carboniferous period....
s called Avicephala
Avicephala

Avicephala is an extinct clade of bizarre diapsid reptiles that lived during the Late Permian and Triassic periods. Many species had odd specialized grasping limbs and prehensile tails, adapted to arboreal lifestyles....
, though some researchers still place these forms among the prolacertiformes.

Classification

  • Order Prolacertiformes
    • Gwyneddosaurus
      Gwyneddosaurus

      Gwyneddosaurus is an extinct genus of aquatic Tanystropheus. The type species, G. erici was described in 1945 by Bock, who identified it as a coelurosaurian dinosaur....
    • Family Protorosauridae
      Protorosaurus

      Protorosaurus , a lizard-like reptile of the order Prolacertiformes, is the earliest known archosauromorph. It lived during the Late Permian period in Germany, and grew up to 2 meters in length....
      • Malerisaurus
        Malerisaurus

        Malerisaurus is an extinct genus of prolacertiformes from the Late Triassic of India belonging to the family Protorosauridae....
      • Protorosaurus
        Protorosaurus

        Protorosaurus , a lizard-like reptile of the order Prolacertiformes, is the earliest known archosauromorph. It lived during the Late Permian period in Germany, and grew up to 2 meters in length....
    • Family Prolacertidae
      • Kadimakara
      • Pamelaria
      • Prolacerta


    • Jesairosaurus
    • Macrocnemus
      Macrocnemus

      Macrocnemus is an extinct genus of Prolacertiformes reptile from the Middle Triassic of Europe....
    • Langobardisaurus
      Langobardisaurus

      Langobardisaurus is an extinct genus of Prolacertiformes reptile....
    • Boreopricea
    • Cosesaurus Ellenberger & Villalta, 1974


    • Family Sharovipterygidae
      Sharovipteryx

      Sharovipteryx , was among the earliest gliding reptiles, from the early Triassic period. It was approximately eight inches long, with an extremely long tail, and weighed about 7.5 grams....
      • Sharovipteryx
        Sharovipteryx

        Sharovipteryx , was among the earliest gliding reptiles, from the early Triassic period. It was approximately eight inches long, with an extremely long tail, and weighed about 7.5 grams....
    • Family Tanystropheidae
      • Tanytrachelos
      • Tanystropheus
        Tanystropheus

        Tanystropheus , was a 6 metre long reptile that dated from the Middle Triassic period. It is recognizable by its extremely elongated neck, which measured 3 meters long, longer than its body and tail combined....
      • Dinocephalosaurus