Pseudolagosuchus majori Arcucci, 1987

Nesbitt, Sterling J., 2011, The Early Evolution Of Archosaurs: Relationships And The Origin Of Major Clades, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (352), pp. 1-292 : 46-47

Pseudolagosuchus majori Arcucci, 1987

AGE: Ladinian, Middle Triassic ( Rogers et al., 2001).

OCCURRENCE: Chañares Formation, near the town of Rio Los Chañares, Departamento Lavalle, Provincia de La Rioja, Argentina.

HOLOTYPE: PVL 4629, complete articulat- ed left femur, tibia, fibula, more poorly preserved astragalus and calcaneum, complete pubis, fragments of presacral vertebrae, and ribs.

REFERRED MATERIAL: PVL 3454, fragment of the distal portion of the femur, distal two-thirds of tibia and fibula articulated with the astragalus, proximal portion of fibula, incomplete metatarsal, two poorly preserved sacral vertebrae connected to both ilia; MACN 18954, three disarticulated vertebrae (probably dorsals), five articulated caudal vertebrae, distal portion of femur, distal portions of articulated tibia and fibula, articulated astragalus and calcaneum; UNLR 53, distal fragments of tibia and fibula, proximal tarsals, and various articulated caudal vertebrae.

REMARKS: Pseudolagosuchus was named for a partial articulated pelvic girdle and much of a hind limb by Arcucci (1987). Only the pelvic girdle, hind limb, sacrals, a few dorsal vertebrae, and proximal caudal vertebrae are known from this taxon. Arcucci (1987) recognized that the proximal tarsals were similar to that of Marasuchus and dinosaurs, and this was later supported by synapomorphies listed by Novas (1996). Nesbitt et al. (2007) suggested that Pseudolagosuchus shares femoral synapomorphies with Silesaurus to the exclusion of other avian-line archosaurs.

KEY REFERENCES: Arcucci, 1987; Novas, 1996; Nesbitt et al., 2007.