New dinosauromorph specimens from Petrified Forest National Park and a global biostratigraphic review of Triassic dinosauromorph body fossils
Author
Marsh, Adam D.
Author
Parker, William G.
text
PaleoBios
2022
37
1
56
journal article
10.5070/P9371050859
0031-0298
SAURISCHIA SEELEY, 1887
SENSU
GAUTHIER, 1986
(=EUSAU- RISCHIA PADIAN ET AL., 1999)
FIG. 6I–T
Referred specimens and localities
—
PEFO
21660/
UCMP
126751 (
Fig. 6I, J
), distal end of right femur,
PFV
071: Flattops W,
UCMP
V
82259,
PFM
;
PEFO
33956 (
Fig. 6K–L
), distal end of right femur,
PFV
231: The Giving Site,
PFM
;
PEFO
44469 (
Fig. 6M, N
), distal end of right femur,
PFV
451: Black Knoll E,
PFM
;
PEFO
34562 (
Fig. 6O, P
), distal end of left femur,
PFV
184: Clambake Amphitheater,
PFM
;
PEFO
44474 (
Fig. 6Q, R
), distal end of left femur,
PFV
492: Dead Wash NW2,
PFM
;
PEFO
42987/
UWBM
117640 (
Fig. 6S, T
), distal end of left femur,
PFV
410: Kaye Quarry,
UWBM
C2226, Jim Camp Wash beds,
SM
.
Description and rationale for assignment
—These distal ends of femora are all broken distal to the fourth trochanter, but they all preserve the distal medial and lateral condyles and
crista tibiofibularis
, except PEFO 33956 (
Fig. 6K
), which is lacking most of the
crista tibiofibularis
. In all of the specimens, a groove divides the lateral condyle and
crista tibiofibularis
in distal view (Nesbitt 2011:322-1) (
Fig. 6I
), which is a synapomor- phy of
Saurischia
, e.g.,
Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis
(PVSJ 373, Novas 1993: fig. 7f),
Saturnalia tupiniquim
(MCP PV 3844, Langer 2003: fig. 4d), and ‘
Syntarsus
’
kayentakatae
(MNA
V2623
). Furthermore, this groove opens posterolaterally in an obtuse angle in distal view in all these specimens. Shuvosaurid pseudosuchians have a similar morphology in the distal end of the femur but can be differentiated as their groove opens at a 90° angle (Parker and Irmis 2005). A similar groove is also
A C E
G
B F H
mc ctf g ctf g K mc
lc
N
ctf
lc mc lc
mc
Figure 6
.
A–D
. Proximal ends of right and left dinosaur femora, PEFO 44475 in proximal (
A
,
C
) and anterior view (
B
,
D
).
E
,
F
. Proximal end of left dinosaur femur, PEFO 34583 in proximal (
E
) and anterior (
F
) view.
G
,
H
. Proximal end of left dinosaur femur, PEFO 34863 in proximal (
G
) and anterior (
H
) view.
I
,
J
. Distal end of right saurischian femur, PEFO 21660/UCMP 126751 in distal (
I
) and posterior (
J
) view.
K
,
L
. Distal end of right saurischian femur, PEFO 33956 in distal (
K
) and posterior (
L
) view.
M
,
N
. Distal end of right saurischian femur, PEFO 44469 in distal (
M
) and posterior (
N
) view.
O
,
P
. Distal end of left saurischian femur, PEFO 34562 in distal (
O
) and posterior (
P
) view.
Q
,
R
. Distal end of left saurischian femur, PEFO 44474 in distal (
Q
) and posterior (
R
) view.
S
,
T
. Distal end of left saurischian femur, PEFO 42987/UWBM 117640 in distal (
S
) and posterior (
T
) view. Abbreviations:
at
, anterior trochanter;
ctf
,
crista tibiofibularis
;
g
, groove;
lc
, lateral condyle;
mc
, medial condyle;
ve
, ventral emargination. Scale bars=1 cm, arrows point in anterior direction.
present convergently in lagerpetids (Garcia et al. 2019: fig. 7a–h), but in that group the
crista tibiofibularis
is greatly enlarged and is larger than the medial condyle in distal view (Nesbitt 2011:326-1), e.g.,
Dromomeron romeri
(GR 218, Nesbitt et al. 2009b: fig. 1d).
In distal view, the posterior margin of the medial condyle is rounded in PEFO 21660/UCMP 126751 (
Fig. 6I
), PEFO 44469 (
Fig. 6M
), and PEFO 44474 (
Fig. 6Q
), and pointed in PEFO 33956 (
Fig. 6K
), PEFO 34562 (
Fig. 6O
), and PEFO 42987/UWBM 117640 (
Fig. 6S
). A round medial condyle is present in most early dinosaur groups, including ornithischians, e.g.,
Eocursor parvus
(SAM-PK-K8025, Butler 2009: fig. 15f), and
Scutellosaurus lawleri
(MNA V175), early sauropodomorphs, e.g.,
Buriolestes schultzi
(ULBRA-PVT280, Cabriera et al. 2016: fig. s2e), and
Sa. tupiniquim
(MCP PV 3844, Langer 2003: fig. 4d), early theropods, e.g.,
Tawa
hallae
(GR 244, Nesbitt 2011: fig. 39b), and
H. ischigualastensis
(PVSJ 373, Novas 1993: fig. 7f), and stem-averostrans, e.g.,
Dilophosaurus wetherilli
(UCMP 37302, Marsh and Rowe 2020: fig. 20.6), and
Cryolophosaurus ellioti
Hammer and Hickerson
(1994, FMNH
PR
4923). A pointed medial condyle is present in the large-bodied coelophysid specimens from PEFO (PEFO 21373/UCMP 129618 and PEFO 33981). In distal view, the
crista tibiofibularis
and lateral condyle are not well separated from one another in PEFO 44474 (
Fig. 6Q
), much like the condition found in
Chindesaurus bryansmalli
(PEFO 10395,
Marsh et al. 2019a
: fig. 7f) and
T. hallae
(GR 244, Nesbit 2011: fig. 39b). In the other specimens (
Fig. 6O
), the
crista tibiofibularis
and lateral condyle are distinctly separate structures and resemble the distal outline of theropods such as coelophysids and stem-averostran (Ezcurra 2017: figs. 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 4.6, 4.7). We assign these distal femora to
Saurischia
owing to the presence of a groove between the lateral condyle and
crista tibiofibularis
that opens at an obtuse angle in distal view.