Lewisuchus
Encyclopedia
Lewisuchus is a genus
of archosaur
that lived during the Middle Triassic
(Ladinian
); it was a silesaurid dinosauriform, a member of the group of reptiles which lead to the dinosaurs. Lewisuchus was about three feet long. Fossils have been found in Argentina
. Some of the fossils originally assigned to Lewisuchus have since been moved to other genera, and the remaining portions closely resemble those of Pseudolagosuchus
. A 2010 study in the Journal Nature indicated that the two may be synonymous. They were approximately the same size and came from the same locality and strata, but the fossil material is fragmentary and there is very little overlapping material. Since Lewisuchus was described 15 years before Pseudolagosuchus, if it is shown the two are synonymous (through the discovery of additional fossils) the name Lewisuchus would have priority.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of archosaur
Archosaur
Archosaurs are a group of diapsid amniotes whose living representatives consist of modern birds and crocodilians. This group also includes all extinct non-avian dinosaurs, many extinct crocodilian relatives, and pterosaurs. Archosauria, the archosaur clade, is a crown group that includes the most...
that lived during the Middle Triassic
Middle Triassic
In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided. It spans the time between 245 ± 1.5 Ma and 228 ± 2 Ma...
(Ladinian
Ladinian
The Ladinian is a stage and age in the Middle Triassic series or epoch. It spans the time between 237 ± 2 Ma and 228 ± 2 Ma...
); it was a silesaurid dinosauriform, a member of the group of reptiles which lead to the dinosaurs. Lewisuchus was about three feet long. Fossils have been found in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Some of the fossils originally assigned to Lewisuchus have since been moved to other genera, and the remaining portions closely resemble those of Pseudolagosuchus
Pseudolagosuchus
Pseudolagosuchus is a genus of dinosauromorph from the Middle Triassic Chañares Formation of Argentina. It may be a junior synonym of Lewisuchus, but there is very little overlapping material...
. A 2010 study in the Journal Nature indicated that the two may be synonymous. They were approximately the same size and came from the same locality and strata, but the fossil material is fragmentary and there is very little overlapping material. Since Lewisuchus was described 15 years before Pseudolagosuchus, if it is shown the two are synonymous (through the discovery of additional fossils) the name Lewisuchus would have priority.
External links
- Lewisuchus in the Dinosaur Encyclopaedia