May 2026: publication Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
A new pan-shinisaur lizard (Anguimorpha) from the lower Campanian of Villeveyrac (Hérault, France)
The Chinese crocodile lizard (Anguimorpha, Pan-Shinisaurus Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is an endangered species inhabiting the lowland rainforests of southeastern China and northern Vietnam. The evolutionary history of this clade remains poorly understood, as only five fossil species and a few fossil specimens are described from the Lower Cretaceous of China and the Cenozoic of Europe and North America, revealing a considerable gap in the fossil record. A new anguimorph, Acutodon villeveyracensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the lower Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) locality of Villeveyrac (Hérault, France), corresponding to a freshwater subtropical paleoenvironment. The species is attributed to a pan-shinisaur anguimorph based on a toothed maxilla sharing multiple characters with the extant Sh. crocodilurus and its fossil relatives, notably tall, tapered, and recurved teeth, with mesiodistally constricted tooth bases lacking basal infoldings but possessing medial resorption pits, and a posteromedially shifted anterior superior alveolar foramen. This Cretaceous record is the oldest in Europe for pan-shinisaur lizards. It pre-dates the occurrence of this clade in Europe by around 30 Myr, raising questions about the paleobiogeographic history of pan-shinisaur lizards.
Illustration : Olivier Jansen
References
Jansen, O., Augé, M., Garcia, G., Otero, O., & Valentin, X. (2026). A new pan-shinisaur lizard (Anguimorpha) from the lower Campanian of Villeveyrac (Hérault, France). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, e2636649. – https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2026.2636649