| Aiolosaurus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Genus: | †Aiolosaurus Gao and Norell,2000 |
| Species: | †A. oriens |
| Binomial name | |
| †Aiolosaurus oriens Gao and Norell,2000 | |
Aiolosaurus is an extinctgenus ofmonitor lizard from theLate Cretaceous ofMongolia. Thetype and only species,Aiolosaurus oriens, was named in 2000 fromUkhaa Tolgod, a rich fossil site in theCampanian-ageDjadochta Formation.
Aiolosaurus was named in 2000 on the basis of a singleholotype specimen cataloged asIGM 3/171. This specimen includes a partial skull and parts of the postcranial skeleton.Aiolosaurus is named afterAeolus, theGreek god of wind, while the specific name ofA. oriens means "east."[1] Diagnostic features ofAiolosaurus are found mainly in the skull. They include:
Aiolosaurus was initially classified as a basal member ofVaranoidea, the superfamily that includes monitor lizards,helodermatids, andmosasaurs.Cherminotus, another Late Cretaceous varanoid from Mongolia, was also classified in this way. In a 2008 phylogenetic analysis,Aiolosaurus was classified as a member ofVaranidae. It was placed in the subfamilyLanthanotinae along withCherminotus and the livingEarless monitor lizard.[2] Another 2008 analysis supported the placement ofAiolosaurus in Varanidae but did not find it to be a member of Lanthanotinae. Instead, it was found to be a morebasal varanid. As some of the earliest monitor lizards,Aiolosaurus,Cherminotus, and the relatedOvoo are representative of the firstevolutionary radiation of varanids.[3]
