Arcusaurus

Name: Arcusaurus ‭(‬Rainbow lizard‭).
Phonetic: Ar-ku-sore-us.
Named By: Adam Yates,‭ ‬Matthew Bonnan‭ & ‬Johann Neveling‭ ‬-‭ ‬2011.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropodomorpha.
Species: A.‭ ‬pereirabdalorum‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Uncertain.
Known locations: South Africa‭ ‬-‭ ‬Elliot Formation.
Time period: Hettangian to Sinemurian of the Jurassic.
Fossil representation: Partial skull and post cranial remains from two juvenile individuals.

       It is hard to currently‭ ‬establish‭ ‬a size estimate for Arcusaurus because at the time of writing the genus is only represented by the partial remains of two juveniles.‭ ‬Not only does this make it impossible to run a tape measure along a known complete specimen,‭ ‬but as juvenile they would have grown larger still,‭ ‬to what extent we can’t currently say.‭
       There is also some confusion about how Arcusaurus is related to other sauropodomorphs.‭ ‬A phylogenetic analysis done at the time of the original description found Arcusaurus to be closely related to the genus Efraasia,‭ ‬yet Arcusaurus also possesses certain features that are more common to the later and more advanced sauropodomorphs.‭ ‬It may be that Arcusaurus represents a transitional form of sauropodomorph that links the sauropodomorphs of the late Triassic and early/mid Jurassic.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A new basal sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of South Africa‭ ‬-‭ ‬Adam Yates,‭ ‬Matthew Bonnan‭ & ‬Johann Neveling‭ ‬-‭ ‬2011.



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