# Parvosaurus

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Extinct species of reptile

This article is about the German rhynchocephalian. For the Brazilian [gracilisuchid](/source/Gracilisuchid), see [Parvosuchus](/source/Parvosuchus). For the Arizonan [phytosaur](/source/Phytosaur), see [Pravusuchus](/source/Pravusuchus). For the South African [therocephalian](/source/Therocephalian), see [Pardosuchus](/source/Pardosuchus).

Parvosaurus Temporal range: Late Triassic Norian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Rhynchocephalia Genus: †Parvosaurus Freisem et al., 2024 Species: †P. harudensis Binomial name †Parvosaurus harudensis Freisem et al., 2024

***Parvosaurus*** is an extinct species of [rhynchocephalian](/source/Rhynchocephalia) reptile known from the Late Triassic of Germany.

## Discovery

The specimen was discovered in the rock surrounding a specimen of *[Plateosaurus](/source/Plateosaurus)* that had been collected from a brick pit located in [Saxony-Anhalt](/source/Saxony-Anhalt) between [Halberstadt](/source/Halberstadt) and [Quedlinburg](/source/Quedlinburg) on the Bundesstraße 79 highway in sediments belonging to the Late Triassic ([Norian](/source/Norian)) [Arnstadt Formation](/source/Arnstadt_Formation) by [Werner Janensch](/source/Werner_Janensch) in 1928. The specimen was not discovered until the block was CT scanned as part of the redescription of the small reptile *[Elachistosuchus](/source/Elachistosuchus)* in 2015.[1]

## Description

The species is only known from a skull and partial lower jaws. The skull has been compressed during fossilization. The specimen is thought to be a juvenile, as it has relatively large eyes and is small in size, with the skull only being around 1.6 centimetres (0.63 in) in length, comparable to that of *[Diphydontosaurus](/source/Diphydontosaurus)*. The dentition is very similar to that of *Diphydontosaurus.[1]*

## Taxonomy

*Parvosaurus* was placed as a basal sphenodontian by its describers, more derived than *[Diphydontosaurus](/source/Diphydontosaurus)* but less derived than *[Planocephalosaurus](/source/Planocephalosaurus)[1]*:

Rhynchocephalia Gephyrosaurus Sphenodontia Diphydontosaurus Parvosaurus Planocephalosaurus Clevosaurus Neosphenodontia

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) Freisem, Lisa S.; Müller, Johannes; Sues, Hans-Dieter; Sobral, Gabriela (2024-03-16). ["A new sphenodontian (Diapsida: Lepidosauria) from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of Germany and its implications for the mode of sphenodontian evolution"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10944618). *BMC Ecology and Evolution*. **24** (1): 35. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2024BMCEE..24...35F](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024BMCEE..24...35F). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1186/s12862-024-02218-1](https://doi.org/10.1186%2Fs12862-024-02218-1). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2730-7182](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2730-7182). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [10944618](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10944618). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [38493125](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38493125).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Parvosaurus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvosaurus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvosaurus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.