A new prolacertiform diapsid from the Triassic of North Africa and the interrelationships of the Prolacertiformes
1997; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 17; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/02724634.1997.10010998
ISSN1937-2809
Autores Tópico(s)Ichthyology and Marine Biology
ResumoABSTRACT A new diapsid reptile, Jesairosaurus lehmani, gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of cranial and postcranial remains from the base of the Zarzaitine Series (Triassic) of Algeria. Jesairosaurus is a small prolacertiform with a low skull and an elongated neck; the snout is narrow and elongated and the post-orbital region short and narrow; the quadratojugal is lost; the posterior process of the jugal is reduced and spur-shaped; the hind-limb is large in comparison with the forelimb and the rest of the postcranial skeleton. The relationships of basal archosauromorphs and the interrelationships of the prolacertiforms are examined. The analysis of 71 binary characters leads to the identification of Jesairosaurus lehmani as a prolacertiform and suggests that Prolacertiformes forms a monophyletic group within the Archosauromorpha. The analysis indicates that the Rhynchosauria is the sister group of a clade comprising Trilophosaurus, Prolacertiformes, and Proterosuchus. The Choristodera is the most plesiomorphic taxon within the archosauromorphs. Jesairosaurus is most closely related to Malerisaurus langstoni while Boreopricea is closely related to the (Cosesaurus(Tanystropheus longobardicus, Tany trachelos)) clade, and Langobardisaurus and Macrocnemus are the successive out-groups of this clade. Protorosaurus is the most plesiomorphic of the best known Prolacertiformes. The relationships of the poorly known prolacertiforms Kadimakara, Prolacertoides, Malutinisuchus, and probably Trachelosaurus remain unresolved.
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