Macrorhineura Temporal range: Early Miocene
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Rhineuridae
Genus:	†Macrorhineura MacDonald, 1970
Type species
†Macrorhineura skinneri MacDonald, 1970

Macrorhineura is an extinct genus of rhineurid amphisbaenian or worm lizard, including the type and only species Macrorhineura skinneri, named in 1970 on the basis of the front half of a skull from the Early Miocene Sharps Formation in Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Although the skull is incomplete, features such as a pointed, shovel-shaped snout indicate that it belongs to the family Rhineuridae. Within Rhineuridae, Macrorhineura is most closely related to Ototriton and Hyporhina, two genera from the Eocene and Oligocene of Colorado and Wyoming, based on the shared feature of equally sized dentary teeth in the lower jaw. Together they form a clade or evolutionary grouping of mid-continental rhineurids, which became isolated from a more western clade of rhineurids that includes Dyticonastis and Spathorhynchus. Rhineurids were relatively common across much of North America during the Paleogene, but their range contracted in the Neogene as the climate became colder, leaving only one living species in Florida, Rhineura floridana. The presence of Macrorhineura in the Miocene shows that mid-continental rhineurids persisted into the Neogene, although by this time their distribution range was already shrinking.^[1]

v t e Extinct squamate genera
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Superorder: Lepidosauria
Iguania Acrodonta Anqingosaurus Barbaturex Bharatagama Gueragama Xianglong Agamidae Indiagama Suratagama Pleurodonta / Iguanoidea Anolbanolis Suzanniwana Uquiasaurus Xihaina Corytophanidae Aciprion? Babibasiliscus Geiseltaliellus †Gobiguania Anchaurosaurus Ctenomastax Igua Isodontosaurus Polrussia Saichangurvel Temujinia Zapsosaurus Iguanidae Afairiguana Polychrotidae Armandisaurus Lapitiguana Pariguana Pristiguana Pumilia Phrynosomatidae Desertiguana Other extinct iguanians Brasiliguana Hoyalacerta? Huehuecuetzpalli? Swainiguanoides †Arretosauridae Arretosaurus Dornosaurus Ergiliinsaurus Khaichinguana †Priscagamidae Heterodontagama Mimeosaurus Phrynosomimus Pleurodontagama? Priscagama
†Polyglyphanodontia / Borioteiioidea Chamopsiidae Chamops Gerontoseps Glyptogenys Harmodontosaurus Haptosphenus Leptochamops Meniscognathus Pelsochamops Socognathus Stypodontosaurus Trippenaculus Gilmoreteiidae / "macrocephalosaurines" Gilmoreteius Kuwajimalla Yechilacerta "Polyglyphanodontines" Bicuspidon Cherminsaurus Darchansaurus Distortodon Erdenetesaurus Polyglyphanodon Sineoamphisbaena? Other polyglyphanodontians Adamisaurus Funiusaurus Gobinatus Obamadon Olindalacerta? Paleochelco? Peneteius Tchingisaurus Tianyusaurus Tijubina? Tripennaculus
Stem Scincogekkonomorpha Scincogekkonomorpha Ardeosaurus? Bavarisaurus? Eichstaettisaurus? Jucaraseps Liushusaurus? Pedrerasaurus Scandensia? Yabeinosaurus? Scleroglossa Gekkonomorpha Norellius Gekkota Cadurcogekko Cretaceogekko Gobekko Hoburogekko Yanatarogecko Stem Autarchoglossa (Evansauria) Parmeosaurus Tepexisaurus Tijubina? †Bainguidae? Bainguis? Eoxanta Globaura Myrmecodaptria
Scincomorpha Cordyloidea Eocordyla Ornatocephalus Sakurasaurus Lacertoidea Cnodontosaurus Paracontogenys Purbicella †Polyglyphanodontia? Amphisbaenia Oligodontosaurus Todrasaurus Amphisbaenidae Listromycter Lophocranion Bipedidae Anniealexandria Blanidae Blanosaurus Cuvieribaena Louisamphisbaena †Chthonophidae Chthonophis Rhineuridae Archaerhineura Dyticonastis Hadrorhineura Hyporhina Jepsibaena Macrorhineura Ototriton Plesiorhineura Protorhineura Spathorhynchus †Polyodontobaenidae Polyodontobaena †Contogeniidae Contogenys Palaeoscincosaurus Utahgenys Lacertidae Amblyolacerta Camptognathosaurus? Dormaalisaurus Dracaenosaurus Escampcerta Gracilicerta Ligerosaurus Maioricalacerta Mediolacerta Plesiolacerta Pseudeumeces Pseudolacerta Quercycerta Teiidae Brevisaurus? Meyasaurus? Ptilotodon †Barbatteiidae Barbatteius Oardasaurus Xantusiidae Catactegenys Palepidophyma Palaeoxantusia Scincoidea Retinosaurus Scincoideus Slavoia Scincidae Axonoscincus Orthoscincus Pyrenasaurus? Other scincomorphs Apsgnathus Calanguban Chromatogenys Dakotaseps Kleskunsaurus Lonchisaurus Monocnemodon Pachygenys Saurillodon Saurillus Sciroseps Webbsaurus †Paramacellodidae Atokasaurus? Becklesius Mimobecklesisaurus Paramacellodus Parasaurillus? Pseudosaurillus? Sharovisaurus
Anguimorpha Basal anguimorphs Chometokadmon Eolacerta Paramacellodus Paravaranus? Yabeinosaurus? †Mosasauroidea? †Aigialosauridae †Mosasauridae Neoanguimorpha Carusioidea Carusia Xenosauridae Entomophontes Exostinus Restes Anguidae Odaxosaurus Anguinae Headonhillia Helvetisaurus Ophisauriscus Ragesaurus Diploglossinae Apodosauriscus Eodiploglossus Gerrhonotinae Paragerrhonotus Parophisaurus †Glyptosaurinae Arpadosaurus Melanosaurus Gaultia Glyptosaurus Helodermoides Odaxosaurus Paraglyptosaurus Paraplacosauriops Peltosaurus Placosaurus Proglyptosaurus Proxestops Xestops Paleoanguimorpha Basal varanoids / platynotans Aiolosaurus Colpodontosaurus Dorsetisaurus Eosaniwa Palaeovaranus Parasaniwa Parviderma Proplatynotia Saniwides Telmasaurus Shinisauria? Bahndwivici Dalinghosaurus Merkurosaurus Provaranosaurus Goannasauria Basal Goannasaurians Asprosaurus Chianghsia Estesia Eurheloderma Gobiderma Lowesaurus Morohasaurus Palaeosaniwa Paraderma Primaderma Varanoidea Lanthanotidae Cherminotus Varanidae Ovoo Saniwa Archaeovaranus Other platynotans / varanoids Arcanosaurus? Cemeterius Dryadissector
Ophidia Coniophis Diablophis Dinilysia? Eophis Lapparentophis Najash? Parviraptor Portugalophis Tetrapodophis See Serpentes (snakes)
Indeterminate squamates Costasaurus Lamiasaura Oculudentavis? Schillerosaurus