First Record of Protorosaurid Reptile （Order Protorosauria） from the Middle Triassic of China
摘要
A new genus and species of the family Tanystropheidae, Dinocephalosaurus orientalis gen. et sp. nov., isdescribed based on a nearly complete skull. This is the first record of the order Protorosauria from China. It also representsthe only known occurrence of Tanystropheidae outside Europe, the Middle East and North America. Dinocephalosaurus isquite similar to Tanystropheus from Monte San Giorgio, Switzerland. Primarily it is distinguished from Tanystropheus inthe shape of the premaxilla, maxilla, jugal and parietal. Although the family Tanystropheidae is now referred to the orderProtorosauria, the new material from China indicates that the archosauromorph affinities of tanystropheids need furtherinvestigation. The discovery of Dinocephalosaurus provides new clues for the study of the evolution and radiation ofProtorosauria and Tanystropheidae. It is also important for the study of the eastern Tethyan Fauna and thepaleobiogeographical relationship between Europe and southern China in the Triassic.