Liushusaurus

Liushusaurus, is an extinct genus of lizard described by Susan E. Evans and Yuan Wang in 2010. The genus has a single species Liushusaurus acanthocaudata, and is known from eight fossils, several of which preserve soft tissue detail. The specimens were found in the Lower Cretaceous aged Yixian Formation of Northeast China.[1] Liushusaurus is one of eight named lizards known from the that have been named from the Yixian Formation, part of the diverse Jehol Biota ecosystem.

Etymology
Evans and Wang coined the generic name or Liushusaurus from the Chinese word liushu and the Greek language word sauros. Liushu which translates as "willow tree", is derived from Liutiao, willow leaf, and refers to Liutiaogou, willow leaf valley, where the fossils were found. The Greek word sauros (σαύρος) translates to "lizard".[1] Evans and Wang chose the specific name from a combination of the Latin words acanthus meaning "spine" and cauda meaning tail. This combination is in allusion to the scale structure found along the tail.

Description
Liushusaurus was a medium-sized, stocky lizard with a wide body and short legs. Several fossils preserve the outline of individuals and show that they were robustly built, with a thick tail and legs. The body outline extends beyond the ribcage to show a wide midsection as well.[1]

Several fossil specimens show a high degree of preservation, with intact scales, pigmentation, claw sheaths, cartilage, and small bones. The orbitospenoids are present in one specimen as two small crescent-shaped bones. These bones support the cartilage and membrane that makes up the braincase, and are rarely preserved in fossil lizards. Postcloacal or hemipenial bones are also known, which are part of the hemipenis in male individuals.[1]

The dorsal scales that cover the back are much smaller than the ventral scales that cover the underside, which are rhomboidal and overlap each other. The bases of the ventral scales are darker than their edges. They are darkest toward the middle of the belly and nearest the midline. The ventral scales decrease in size toward the neck and limbs, becoming rounder and less dark. Going down the tail, the scales get longer and narrower and start to taper. Their coloration gives them the appearance of small spines. The dorsal scales are round and granular, each less than half a millimetre in diameter. Scales on the head are also granular, unlike the platelike scales of scincomorph and anguimorph lizards. An area of the skull not covered by scales indicates the presence of the tympanum, the external hearing structure of lizards.[1]

Liushusaurus is known from several well preserved fossils representing eight individuals. These individuals range in age from near-hatchling to adult. All specimens preserve the tibia and fibula of the lower leg, and the length of these bones ranges from 3.62 millimetres (0.143 in) to 11.85 millimetres (0.467 in). This indicates a wide range of ontogenetic variation. Large individuals have smaller feet in relation to their hindlimbs than small individuals, while small individuals have proportionally shorter forelimbs relative to their hindlimbs.[1]

Liushusaurus may have been sexually dimorphic, as specimens have been found with possible post-cloacal bones that would indicate they are males. These bones are seen in some living lizards such as gekkotans. Specimens with these bones tend to be the largest individuals, suggesting that males may have been larger than females.