Araeoscelis
| Araeoscelis Temporal range: Artinskian | |
|---|---|
| Fossil at Yale Peabody Museum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Araeoscelidia |
| Family: | †Araeoscelidae |
| Genus: | †Araeoscelis Williston 1910 |
| Type species | |
| Araeoscelis gracilis Williston 1910 | |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Araeoscelis (from Greek: αραιά araiá, 'thin' and Greek: σκελίς skelís, 'ribs of beef') is an extinct genus of tetrapods from the Early Permian of what is now Texas. Fossils have been found in the Nocona, Arroyo and Waggoner Ranch Formations. Two species have been described, A. casei and A. gracilis.
Araeoscelis belonged to the clade Araeoscelidia together with close relatives such as Petrolacosaurus. Araeoscelidia is often considered the most basal group of diapsid reptiles, but some analyses have recovered them as stem-amniotes instead.