Fraxinisaura
species of reptile
Fraxinisaura is an extinct genus of basal lepidosauromorph reptile known from the Middle Triassic of Germany. The only known species is Fraxinisaura rozynekae. It possessed an elongated snout, unique features of the teeth, and an ilium (upper hip bone) which was intermediate in orientation between sphenodontians (the branch of lepidosaurs including the tuatara) and squamates (the branch including lizards). Based on characteristics of the maxilla, it is considered a close relative of Marmoretta from the Middle Jurassic of the United Kingdom, resolving a ghost lineage between that genus and other Triassic basal lepidosauromorphs.
Discovery
Remains of Fraxinisaura have only been recovered from the Schumann limestone quarry near Vellberg, Germany. Stratigraphically, it hails from the Untere Graue Mergel Layer of the Erfurt Formation, also known as the Lower Keuper. The Lower Keuper preserved a lakeshore environment of Ladinian (late Middle Triassic) age. The holotype of Fraxinisaura is SMNS 91547, a disarticulated partial skeleton encompassing portions of the skull, vertebrae, hip and limbs. Numerous other isolated bones have also been referred to the taxon. Fraxinisaura combines the Latin words for lizard (saurus) and ash tree (fraxinus).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Fraxinisaura” is species of reptile. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Fraxinisaura, species and reptile, not as a finished interpretation.
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Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 6, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q56254434. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Fraxinisaura” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.