Pronunciation:
Meaning: Flocking lizard
Author/s: Andrzejewski et al. (2019)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Texas, USA
Discovery Chart Position: #1001
Convolosaurus marri
(Marr's Flocking Lizard)Etymology
Convolosaurus is derived from the Latin "convolare" (to flock) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard), referring to clusters of juvenile specimens found together at the dig site.
The species epithet, marri, honours of Dr. Ray H. Marr who produced the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology videos "We are SVP" and "About the SVP Logo" posted on the SVP website (vertpaleo.org), and who is a strong proponent of students at Southern Methodist University (SMU).
ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:468990B8-F35E-4165-8065-9FE0DA581D8A.
Discovery
The first remains of Convolosaurus were discovered in the Twin Mountains Formation (Trinity Group) at Proctor Lake, Comanche County, Texas, USA, by James "Rusty" Branch in May 1985.
The holotype (SMU 72834) is a skull and partial articulated skeleton with 9 neck vertebrae, 15 back vertebrae, 6 hip vertebrae, 23 tail vertebrae, partial shoulder girdles, a left arm and partial left hand, partial right upper arm, pelvic girdle, parts of both thighs and shins, and a partial left calf.
As of 2019, at least 29 individuals from "Camp Quarry" and "North Quarry" along the southeast shores of Proctor Lake (totalling 488 specimens) have been referred to Convolosaurus. While the holotype is the largest among them, measuring approximately 2.5-3 m in length, it does not represent a full grown adult.
Preparators
R. Beauford, W.D. Downs, A. Konnerth, D. Muldunado, K.D. Newman, V. Yarborough, et al.
