''Hoyalacerta'' is an extinct

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

known from the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

''Hoyalacerta sanzi'', which is from the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...

Las Hoyas fossil site in Spain. ''Hoyalacerta'' was named in 1999 and is considered either a member of the group

Iguania Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed ...

or a

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

squamate Squamata (, Latin ''squamatus'', 'scaly, having scales') is the largest Order (biology), order of reptiles; most members of which are commonly known as Lizard, lizards, with the group also including Snake, snakes. With over 11,991 species, it i ...

, meaning that it lies outside the squamate

crown group In phylogenetics, the crown group or crown assemblage is a collection of species composed of the living representatives of the collection, the most recent common ancestor of the collection, and all descendants of the most recent common ancestor ...

that includes all living lizards and snakes. ''Hoyalacerta'' is a small lizard with an elongated body and short limbs. It is thought to have spent most of its time on the ground. Several other lizards are also known from Las Hoyas, including ''

Meyasaurus ''Meyasaurus'' is an extinct genus of Teiid lizard known from the Barremian of Spain and the Isle of Wight, UK. Four species are known from Spain, from the La Huérguina, Camarillas, and La Pedrera de Rúbies Formations while an indeterminate ...

'' (thought to have lived near the water), '' Scandensia'' (thought to be a climber), and ''

Jucaraseps ''Jucaraseps'' is an extinct genus of small squamate lizard known from the Early Cretaceous of Las Hoyas, Spain. It contains a single species, ''Jucaraseps grandipes''. It belonged to the clade Scincogekkonomorpha (containing scleroglossan squam ...

'' (which, like ''Hoyalacerta'', probably lived on the ground away from water). Features of ''Hoyalacerta'' that distinguish it from other Las Hoyas lizards include smooth skull bones, simple cone-shaped teeth, and short limbs relative to body length.

References

Cretaceous lizards Fossils of Spain La Huérguina Formation Fossil taxa described in 1999 {{paleo-lizard-stub