Mirasaura

Mirasaura (meaning "wonderful reptile") is an extinct genus of drepanosauromorph reptiles known from the Middle Triassic (Anisian age) Grès à Voltzia Formation of France. The genus contains a single species, Mirasaura grauvogeli, known from two partial skeletons preserving the skull, most of the body, and the soft tissue crest, in addition to 80 incomplete specimens preserving isolated parts of this crest. Like the closely related Longisquama, Mirasaura bears an unusual crest of elongated appendages over its back, likely serving a display purpose.

== Discovery and naming == The Mirasaura fossil material was primarily discovered by Louis Grauvogel while excavating fossils in the Vosges mountains. This fossiliferous locality, which represents outcrops of the lower part of the Grès à Voltzia Formation, is found in the Lorraine region of eastern France, spanning around 100 km from north to south and 40 km from east to west. In May 1939, Grauvogel collected two partial skeletons, identified as reptilian in nature. While the skeletal material was recognized as belonging to an indeterminate reptile genus, Grauvogel noted the presence of a preserved soft tissue structure rising above the animal's dorsum (back), which he first identified as a fish fin. Later researchers proposed that it instead represented the wing of an insect or parts of a plant. It was not until 2019, when Grauvogel's fossil collection was acquired by the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, that this structure was recognized as part of the reptile's anatomy. The two specimens preserving skeletal material are accessioned as SMNS 97278—a articulated nearly complete skull along with the poorly preserved postcranium, in addition to most of the soft tissue crest—and SMNS 97279—a partial skull, much of the postcranium, and part of the crest. 80 additional specimens representing the soft tissue crest, ranging from nearly complete to isolated appendages, are also referable to this animal.