A Morrison stem gekkotan reveals gecko evolution and Jurassic biogeography

Geckos are a speciose and globally distributed clade of Squamata (lizards, including snakes and amphisbaenians) that are characterized by a host of modifications for nocturnal, scansorial and insectivorous ecologies. They are among the oldest divergences in the lizard crown, so understanding the origin of geckoes (Gekkota) is essential to understanding the origin of Squamata, the most species-rich extant tetrapod clade. However, the poor fossil record of gekkotans has obscured the sequence and timing of the assembly of their distinctive morphology. Here, we describe the first North American stem gekkotan based on a three-dimensionally preserved skull from the Morrison Formation of western North America. Despite its Late Jurassic age, the new species already possesses several key characteristics of the gekkotan skull along with retained ancestral features. We show that this new stem gekkotan, and several previously named species of uncertain phylogenetic relationships, comprise a widespread clade of early crown lizards, substantiating faunal homogeneity in Laurasia during the Late Jurassic that extended across disparate ecological, body-size and physiological classes.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2023

Erschienen:

2023

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:290

Enthalten in:

Proceedings. Biological sciences - 290(2023), 2011 vom: 29. Nov., Seite 20232284

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Meyer, Dalton [VerfasserIn]
Brownstein, Chase D [VerfasserIn]
Jenkins, Kelsey M [VerfasserIn]
Gauthier, Jacques A [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Biogeography
Gekkota
Journal Article
Macroevolution
Phylogenetics
Squamata

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 30.11.2023

Date Revised 05.12.2023

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1098/rspb.2023.2284

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM36509269X