Acutodon () is an extinct genus of shinisaurian lizard that lived in France during the Late Cretaceous (lower Campanian age). The genus contains a single species, Acutodon villeveyracensis, known from a partial maxilla (upper tooth-bearing bone). Acutodon lived in freshwater subtropical environments.
Description It is characterized by its long, tapering teeth, which suggest a diet of small fish and amphibians. This is comparable to the modern Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus).
Phylogeny Acutodon is a Pan-Shinisauria, a clade of Anguimorph lizards that contains genera such as Merkurosaurus from the Czech Republic.Klembara, Jozef. (2008). A new anguimorph lizard from the Lower Miocene of North-West Bohemia, Czech Republic. Palaeontology. 51. 81 - 94. 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00732.x. The closest living relative to Acutodon is the Chinese crocodile lizard. The evolutionary history of this clade is poorly known with few fossils being found. This genus fills in a gap in the fossil record of Pan-Shinisaurids.
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