A snake with legs from the marine Cretaceous of the Middle East
A snake with legs from the marine Cretaceous of the Middle East
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DOI：
10.1038/386705a0
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发表时间：
1997-04-17
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Lee, MSY
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Caldwell, MW;Lee, MSY
尽管蛇是有肢有鳞动物（“蜥蜴”）的后代，但所有已知的蛇都缺乏发育良好的腿，而且它们最近的蜥蜴亲戚尚未确定(1-4)。在这里，我们提供了令人信服的证据，证明白垩纪有鳞动物 Pachyrhachis Problemus（以前被解释为巨蜥蜥蜴 (5-7)）实际上是一种具有发达骨盆和后肢的原始蛇。厚腹蛇是所有其他蛇类的姐妹分类群。头骨展现了现代蛇类的大部分特征，身体细长。但与其他蛇不同的是，厚实蛇保留了发育良好的骶骨、骨盆和后肢（股骨、胫骨、腓骨、跗骨）。厚腹龙是海洋生物，为沧龙类与蛇类的亲缘关系提供了额外的支持。
Although snakes are descended from limbed squamates ('lizards'), all known snakes lack well developed legs and their nearest lizard relatives have yet to be identified(1-4). Here we provide compelling evidence that the Cretaceous squamate Pachyrhachis problematicus, previously interpreted as a varanoid lizard(5-7), is actually a primitive snake with a well developed pelvis and hindlimbs. Pachyrhachis is the sister-taxon of all other snakes. The skull exhibits most derived features of modern snakes, and the body is slender and elongated. But unlike other snakes, Pachyrhachis retains a well developed sacrum, pelvis and hindlimb (femur, tibia, fibula, tarsals). Pachyrhachis was marine, and provides additional support for mosasauroid-snake affinities.