Liushusaurus

Liushusaurus Temporal range: Early Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Clade:	Scincogekkonomorpha
Genus:	†Liushusaurus Evans and Wang, 2010
Type species
†Liushusaurus acanthocaudata Evans and Wang, 2010

Liushusaurus is an extinct genus of lizard described by Susan E. Evans and Yuan Wang in 2010. The genus has a single species, Liushusaurus acanthocaudata, and is known from eight fossils, several of which preserve soft tissue detail. The specimens were found in the Lower Cretaceous aged Yixian Formation of Northeast China.Liushusaurus is one of eight lizards that are known and have been named from the Yixian Formation, part of the diverse Jehol Biota ecosystem.

Evans and Wang coined the generic name or Liushusaurus from the Chinese word liushu and the Greek language word sauros. Liushu which translates as "willow tree", is derived from Liutiao, willow leaf, and refers to Liutiaogou, willow leaf valley, where the fossils were found. The Greek word sauros (σαύρος) translates to "lizard". Evans and Wang chose the specific name from a combination of the Latin words acanthus meaning "spine" and cauda meaning tail. This combination is in allusion to the scale structure found along the tail.

Liushusaurus was a medium-sized, stocky lizard with a wide body and short legs. Several fossils preserve the outline of individuals and show that they were robustly built, with a thick tail and legs. The body outline extends beyond the ribcage to show a wide midsection as well.

Several fossil specimens show a high degree of preservation, with intact scales, pigmentation, claw sheaths, cartilage, and small bones. The orbitospenoids are present in one specimen as two small crescent-shaped bones. These bones support the cartilage and membrane that makes up the braincase, and are rarely preserved in fossil lizards. Postcloacal or hemipenial bones are also known, which are part of the hemipenis in male individuals.

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