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''Uatchitodon'' is an extinct genus of Late Triassic reptile known only from isolated teeth. Based on the structure of the teeth, ''Uatchitodon'' was probably a carnivorous archosauromorph. Folded grooves on the teeth indicate that the animal was likely venomous, with the grooves being channels for salivary venom. The teeth are similar to those of living venomous squamates such as ''Heloderma'' and venomous snakes. ''Uatchitodon'' is the earliest known venomous reptile. ==Description and species== The genus was first named with the description of the type species ''U. kroehleri'' by Hans-Dieter Sues in the journal ''Nature'' in 1991.〔 ''U. kroehleri'' is known from several teeth found from the early middle Carnian Turkey Branch Formation of the Newark Supergroup in Virginia, uncovered from the Tomahawk locality. The teeth average around 10 mm in length. The tooth crown is strongly labiolingually compressed, recurved, and serrated along both the anterior and posterior edges. The serrations are formed from individual denticles, each of which is further denticulated. On both the labial (outer) and lingual (inner) surfaces of the tooth, there is a deep central groove running longitudinally. The grooves form deep invaginations that constrict the inner pulp cavity of the tooth. The grooves do not reach the tip of the tooth.〔 A single tooth from the Petrified Forest Formation of the Late Triassic Chinle Group, found at the Placerias Quarry at St. Johns, Arizona, has been identified as one of ''Uatchitodon''.〔 It is slightly younger than the teeth of ''U. kroehleri'' found in Virginia. Venom-conducting teeth were first noted from the ''Placerias'' Quarry in the 1980s, but they were not interpreted as belonging to ''Uatchitodon'' until 1992. The tooth, known as MNA V3680, differs from those of ''U. kroehleri'' in that the grooves are fully enclosed and form tubes within the teeth. There are faint furrows at the sutures that enclose these tubes. The tubes, which are presumably venom canals, end at discharge orifices near the tip of the crown. MNA V3680 is the earliest example of a tetrapod with completely enclosed tooth canals for the delivery of oral toxins, which are seen today in elapid snakes. MNA V3680, along with several other teeth from the Cumnock Formation near Raleigh, North Carolina, represent a second species of ''Uatchitodon'', ''U. schneideri''. This species, although recognized since 1996, remained unnamed until 2010.〔 ''U. schneideri'' was named in honor of Vince Schneider of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The holotype tooth, known as NCSM 24753, was found from a locality referred to as NCPALEO 1906, along with many other teeth and uncatalogued fragments. NCPALEO 1906, better known as the Moncure microvertebrate locality, was discovered and excavated by Schneider.〔 The teeth from the Moncure locality are similar to MNA V3680 in that they all have enclosed venom canals that open at the ends of the teeth. The teeth of ''U. schneideri'' can be distinguished from those of ''U. kroehleri'' by enclosure of the canals as well as a lesser degree of labiolingual compression.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Uatchitodon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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