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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