Parasaniwa is an extinct genus of necrosauridae lizard from the Late Cretaceous of the western United States.
Description
It was named in 1928 by Charles W. Gilmore for jaw and skull bones found in the
Lance Formation and Hell Creek Formation of
Wyoming and
Montana. Gilmore also named the species
P. obtusa in 1928, but it is now considered a junior synonym, separated by features caused by erosion. Additional specimens were referred to
Parasaniwa from the
Lower Eocene Bridger Formation, but additional material from the Wasatch Formation instead suggests that this belongs to a separate genus
Parasaniwa is considered closely related to
Necrosaurus as a member of Necrosauridae, though it has at times been kept in a separate family Parasaniwidae.
