Taxonomic revision of lizards from the Paleocene deposits of the Qianshan Basin, Anhui, China

摘要: Although the Late Cretaceous lizard fauna of China and Mongolia is relatively well-known, information on Paleocene lizards from the same region is currently limited. Several species of lizards have been reported from the Paleocene Wanghudun and Doumu formations of Qianshan Basin on the basis of fragmentary specimens, namely Agama sinensis Hou, 1974, Anhuisaurus huainanensis Hou, 1974, Anqingosaurus brevicephalus Hou, 1976, Changjiangosaurus huananensis Hou, 1976, Qianshanosaurus huangpuensis Hou, 1974, and Tinosaurus doumuensis Hou, 1974. In this paper, we review all the reported material of these taxa with the aid of new technology, including CT scanning, and according to current views of squamate relationships and classification. Revised descriptions and classifications are given for each taxon, leading to changes in our understanding of faunal composition. This, in turn, reveals greater morphological and ecological diversity among the Paleocene lizards of the Qianshan Basin, including the occurrence of a varaniform (IVPP V 22767), and the reinterpretation of Anqingosaurus as a possible burrower. Further work on the Paleocene Qianshan lizards is ongoing and the discovery of new specimens may help to solve the puzzles these strange lizards have posed.