Sauria

Saurians Fossil range: Permian - Recent
Megachirella an early saurian.
Scientific classification
Class	Sauropsida/Reptilia *
Subclass	Diapsida
Order (Unranked)	Sauria Gauthier, 1984
Subgroups	Lepidosauria Archosauria Testudines

Sauria is a clade of reptiles that includes all living diapsids, as well as their common ancestor and all its extinct descendants. The ancestral saurian was probably a small lizard-like creature living in the Permian Period. This crown group is diagnosed by a number of details in skull and skeleton, and comprises the two important clades Lepidosauromorpha and Archosauromorpha.

The term "Sauria" has previously been used as a synonym of Lacertilia, a suborder of Squamata that includes all lizards but excludes snakes. This classification is rarely used today because, Sauria so-defined is a paraphyletic group.

References

• Callaway, J.M. (1997), Ichthyosauria: Introduction, in JM Callaway & EL Nicholls (eds.), Ancient Marine Reptiles. Academic Press, pp. 3-16.

External links

• Sauria cladogram