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Owenetta

Reptilia - Owenettidae

Taxonomy

Owenetta was named by Broom (1939). It is not extant. Its type is Owenetta rubidgei. It is the type genus of Owenettidae. It was considered paraphyletic by Modesto and Damiani (2007).

It was assigned to Nyctiphruretidae by Carroll (1988); and to Owenettidae by Broom (1939), Lee (1995), deBraga and Reisz (1996), Lee (1997), Reisz and Scott (2002), Modesto and Damiani (2007) and Säilä (2008).

Species

Colubrifer campi, O. rubidgei (type species)

Synonyms

Colubrifer campi was named by Carroll (1982). Its type specimen is UCMP 42773, a partial skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Locality V4744, which is in a Changhsingian/Olenekian terrestrial siliciclastic in South Africa. It is the type species of Colubrifer.

It was considered an invalid subgroup of Owenetta by Evans (2001).
Colubrifer was named by Carroll (1982). It is not extant. Its type is Colubrifer campi.

It was synonymized subjectively with Owenetta by Evans (2001).

It was assigned to Lacertilia by Carroll (1982); to Lepidosauromorpha by Benton (1985); and to Eolacertilia by Carroll (1988).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1939	Owenetta Broom pp. 319, 321 figs. 1, 2
1982	Colubrifer Carroll p. 183
1982	Colubrifer campi Carroll p. 184 figs. 1-3, 4C
1985	Colubrifer Benton p. 154
1988	Colubrifer Carroll
1988	Owenetta Carroll
1995	Owenetta Lee pp. 508, 512 fig. 22
1996	Owenetta deBraga and Reisz p. 308
1997	Owenetta Lee pp. 256, 260 fig. 22
2002	Owenetta Reisz and Scott p. 244
2007	Owenetta Modesto and Damiani p. 347 fig. 8
2008	Owenetta Säilä p. 1202

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda

Rank	Name	Author
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Parareptilia	Lawrence 1868
superfamily	Procolophonoidea
family	Owenettidae
genus	Owenetta

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. †Owenetta Broom 1939

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†Owenetta rubidgei Broom 1939

Invalid names: Colubrifer Carroll 1982 [synonym], Colubrifer campi Carroll 1982 [invalid subgroup]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
R. L. Carroll 1982 (Colubrifer)	Primitive lizard differing from contemporary genera assigned to the family Paliguanidae in having approximately 27 rather than 23 or 24 vertebrae. Humerus and femur are approximately 65% the length of those bones in comparable sized specimens of Palaeagama and Saurosternon. In contrast with Paliguana, the paroccipital processes of the otic capsules (which are closely integrated with the supraoccipital) extend laterally to the quadrates, and the tabular and postparietal are lost. Quadratojugal reduced to a splint of bone, closely integrated with the quadrate. Scapula and coracoid slow to coossify, in contrast with their complete coossification in a smaller individual of Saurosternon. Entepicondylar foramen lost, in contrast with Saurosternon and Palaeagama. Astragalus and calcaneum fused, in contrast with Saurosternon. The absence of teeth on the transverse flange of the pterygoid distinguishes this genus from Lacertulus.