Dictionary Definition
saurian adj : of or relating to lizards [syn:
lacertilian] n : any
of various reptiles of the suborder Sauria which includes lizards;
in former classifications included also the crocodiles and
dinosaurs
User Contributed Dictionary
Adjective
saurian- Pertaining to the Sauria.
- Resembling a lizard.
Synonyms
Extensive Definition
Sauria is a clade of reptiles that includes
all living diapsids, as
well as their common
ancestor and all its extinct descendants. The ancestral saurian
was probably a small lizard-like creature living in the Permian Period.
This crown group
is diagnosed by a number of details in skull and skeleton, and
comprises the two important clades Lepidosauromorpha
and Archosauromorpha.
The term "Sauria" has previously been used as a
synonym of Lacertilia, a
suborder of Squamata that
includes all lizards but excludes snakes. This classification is
rarely used today because as Sauria so-defined is a paraphyletic group.
References
- Callaway, J.M. (1997), Ichthyosauria: Introduction, in JM Callaway & EL Nicholls (eds.), Ancient Marine Reptiles. Academic Press, pp. 3-16.
External links
- Sauria cladogram
saurian in Catalan: Saure
saurian in Modern Greek (1453-): Σαύρα
saurian in French: Sauria