Indrasaurus

Indrasaurus
A Microraptor swallowing an Indrasaurus.
Class	Reptilia
Order	Squamata
Suborder	Scleroglossa
Type Species	Indrasaurus wangi

Indrasaurus is an extinct genus of lizard that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous period. The type and only species so far is Indrasaurus wangi.

Discovery and Naming

A Photograph of the Microraptor specimen STM5-32. The Indrasaurus remains are highlighted by a white square outline.

The Indrasaurus holotype had largely gone unnoticed when the Microraptor fossil containing it was discovered in 2003. However in 2019 it was finally described after further examination on the dromaeosaur specimen's stomach contents. Its teeth were also found to be unique though the specialization for it is unknown.

A diagram of the Indrasaurus bones in the abodominal cavity of STM5-32(Highlighted in blue).

It was named after the mythological diety, Indra, who was swallowed by the dragon Vritra, alluding to how the holotype of Indrasaurus was found in the Microraptor fossil specimen. Indrasaurus also uses a derived version of the Greek word sauros, which means "reptile" or "lizard". The species name honors Professor Wang Yuan of IVPP. He was also the director of the Paleozoological Museum of China when the species' was first identified, and was a paleoherpetofaunal expert.

Classification

In the phylogenetic analysis made by O'Connor et al., Indrasaurus was recovered as a basal scleroglossan closely related to Liushusaurus. The results of the phylogenetic analysis are shown below:

	Rhynchocephalia Squamata Iguania Scleroglossa Polyglyphanodontia Meyasaurus Dalinghosaurus Indrasaurus Liushusaurus Jucaraseps Sakurasaurus Yabeinosaurus Hoyalacerta Scandensia Chometokadmon Mosasauria Gekkota Anguimorpha Lacertoidea "Scincoidea" Cordylidae Gerrhosauridae "Scincidae" Dibamidae Krypteia Amphisbaenia Serpentes

Paleoecology

A food web of the Yanliao and Jehol Biotas based on direct fossil evidence, including Indrasaurus(center, in yellow)

The fossil hails from the Aptian sediments of the Jiufotang Formation. As its holotype specimen suggests, it lived alongside and was the prey of Microraptor, but also likely other related non-avian theropods including Wulong, Confuciusornis, and Jeholornis. It shared an environment with two species of Psittacosaurus along with two basal ankylosaurids, Liaoningosaurus and Chuanqilong. The formation is well known for its rich pterosaur and bird diversity, which may have also preyed on the lizard.