Sauria

From Palaeos.org

Eureptilia
`--Diapsida
   |--Araeoscelidans
   `--Neodiapsida
      |--Younginiformes
      `--+--Ichthyosauria
         `--Sauria
            |--Lepidosauromorpha
            |  |--Sauropterygia
            |  `--Lepidosauriformes
            |     |--Rhynchocephalia
            |     `--Squamata 
            `--Archosauromorpha
               `--+--Rhynchosauria 
                  `--+--Prolacertiformes
                     `--Archosauriformes
                        `--Archosauria

Sauria is a clade of the reptilian family tree, that includes all living diapsids, as well as their common ancestor and all its extinct descendants, which date back to Permian times. The ancestral saurian was probably a small lizard-like creature.

The clade is defined by a number of details in skull and skeleton, and include the two important clades Lepidosauromorpha and Archosauromorpha.

The term "Sauria" has previously been used in a generic sense to refer to a suborder of Squamata, including the lizards (Lacertilia) as opposed to the snakes (Ophidia), but this classification is no longer used, as Sauria so-defined is a paraphyletic group.

References

• Callaway, J.M. (1997), Ichthyosauria: Introduction, in JM Callaway & EL Nicholls (eds.), Ancient Marine Reptiles. Academic Press, pp. 3-16.

External links

• Sauria cladogram

Credits

Credits: Wikipedia (GNU Free Documentation License) MAK050513, copied to Palaeos org and menu addedd MAK061002