A new lizard from the Early Cretaceous of Catalonia (Spain), and the Mesozoic lizards of the Iberian Peninsula

摘要

The Early Cretaceous (late Berriasian-early Valanginan) locality of La Pedrera de Meià (Montsec, Catalonia, Spain) has yielded remains of at least two genera of lizards: Meyasaurus (including its synonym Ilerdaesaurus and possibly Rubiessaurus) and Eichstaettisaurus. A new lizard specimen is described and named here as Pedrerasaurus latifrontalis gen. et sp. nov., being sufficiently distinct from other known genera to warrant the erection of a new taxon. The results of phylogenetic analysis are equivocal but support the placement of the new genus within Scincogekkonomorpha. The new taxon resembles Meyasaurus, a genus widely distributed in the Lower Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula, in having bicuspid teeth but differs in lacking the characteristic fusion and constriction of the frontals. Pedrerasaurus and Meyasaurus may be related, but the support for this is not strong. Recognition of a clearly distinct form with bicuspid teeth is significant in terms of attribution of fragmentary material recovered from other Jurassic-Cretaceous localities.