Atokasaurus Temporal range: Early Cretaceous |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Infraorder: | Scincomorpha |
Family: | †Paramacellodidae (?) |
Genus: |
†Atokasaurus Nydam and Cifelli, 2002 |
Type species | |
†Atokasaurus metarsiodon Nydam and Cifelli, 2002 |
Atokasaurus is an extinct genus of scincomorph lizard from the Early Cretaceous of Oklahoma. The type and only species is Atokasaurus metarsiodon, named in 2002 on the basis of a single isolated lower jaw bone found within the Antlers Formation in Atoka County. It is similar in appearance to extinct lizards in the family Paramacellodidae and may itself be a paramacellodid, although the phylogenetic relationships of the group are uncertain. Atokasaurus differs from other paramacellodids in having teeth in the lower jaw with enlarged bases and an S-shaped profile when viewed edge-on.