Prolacerta

Name: Prolacerta.
Phonetic: Pro-lah-ser-tah.
Named By: F.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Parrington‭ ‬-‭ ‬1935.
Synonyms: Pricea longiceps
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Archosauromorpha,‭ ‬Prolacertiformes,‭ ‬Prolacertidae.
Species: P.‭ ‬broomi‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Insectivore‭?
Size: About‭ ‬50-55‭ ‬centiemtres long.
Known locations: Antartica‭ ‬-‭ ‬Fremouw Formation.‭ ‬South Africa‭ ‬-‭ ‬Katberg Formation,‭ ‬Normandien Formation.
Time period: Early Triassic.
Fossil representation: Several individuals.

       Once considered a transitional form between archosaurs and lizards,‭ ‬palaeontologists are no longer as certain as they once were as to exactly how Prolacerta were related to these groups.‭ ‬One key observation is that the teeth are rooted deep and fused to the bones,‭ ‬and not loosely implanted like the teeth of known archosaurs.‭ ‬It’s probable that Prolacerta is closer to lizards,‭ ‬though at the time of writing it remains the only genus of the Prolacertidae.‭ ‬Prolacerta does have a small notch between the maxilla and premaxilla like some archosauriforms and rhynchosaurs,‭ ‬though it’s not certain if this is due to a familial relation or convergent evolution.

Further reading
- Prolacerta and the protorosaurian reptiles; Part I. - American Journal of Science. 243 (1): 17–32. - Charles L. Camp - 1945.
- Prolacerta and the protosaurian reptiles; Part II. - American Journal of Science. 243 (2): 84–101. - Charles L. Camp - 1945.
- The morphology and relationships of Youngina capensis Broom and Prolacerta broomi Parrington. - Palaeontologia Africana : Annals of the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research - Chris E. Gow - 1965.
- The braincase of Prolacerta broomi (Reptilia: Triassic). - Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 173: 181–200. Retrieved 2018-11-22. - S. E. Evans - 1986.
-‭ ‬The skull of the Early Triassic archosauromorph reptile Prolacerta broomi and its phylogenetic significance.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society‭ ‬140‭ (‬3‭)‬:‭ ‬335.‭ ‬-‭ ‬S.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Modesto‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Sues‭ ‬-‭ ‬2004.
-‭ ‬The skeletal anatomy of the triassic protorosaur Dinocephalosaurus orientalis Li,‭ ‬from the Middle Triassic of Guizhou Province,‭ ‬southern China.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬28:‭ ‬95‭–‬110.‭ ‬-‭ ‬O.‭ ‬Rieppel,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Li,‭ ‬N.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Fraser‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.

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