Volume 43 April 2008

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Start date: 2008Subject: search.filters.subject.Triassic

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    A second specimen of Blikanasaurus (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) and the biostratigraphy of the lower Elliot Formation
    (Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, university of the Witwatersrand, 2008-04) Yates, Adam M.
    A second specimen of the rare basal sauropod Blikanasaurus cromptoni, is recorded from a site in the Ladybrand district of the Eastern Free State, South Africa. The specimen consists of a right metatarsal 1 that originated from the upper 20mof the lower Elliot Formation. It can be referred to B. cromptoni on the basis of its small size and highly robust proportions, which distinguish this taxon from all other sauropodomorphs. This record extends the geographic distribution of B. cromptoni north into the region of the main Karoo Basin where the Elliot Formation is dramatically thinner. It also extends the known stratigraphic range of B. cromptoni up from the base of the Elliot Formation into a position near the top of the lower member. This new record, combined with other new discoveries, supports the hypothesis that the thin northern part of the lower Elliot Formation is a condensed section that is largely, if not entirely, coeval with the thicker southern sections.
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    Re-evaluation of the postcranial skeleton of the Triassic dicynodont Kannemeyria simocephalus from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone (Subzone B) of South Africa
    (Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, University of the Witwatersrand, 2008-04) Govender, Romala; Hancox, Phillip John; Yates, Adam M.
    Kannemeyeria simocephalus is probably the best known Middle Triassic dicynodont from South Africa and has been the standard against which other Triassic dicynodonts are compared. In the past studies have concentrated on the cranial morphology of K. simocephalus and its implications for Triassic dicynodont taxonomy and phylogeny. There has been little work on the postcranial anatomy of K. simocephalus, which remains poorly understood. An analysis of the postcranial skeleton of K. simocephalus has identified characters that diagnose the postcranial skeleton. These include a tubercle on the proximo-posterior corner of the medial surface of the acromion; almost straight lateral border of the femur. Material previously described as K. simocephalus by Pearson (1924) and Cruickshank (1975) was also included in this study. Some of the material was found to be significantly different from what is understood to be K. simocephalus and as a result has been included a separate study. It was therefore concluded that the referred specimen BP/1/5624 is currently the most complete and positively identified as K. simocephalus.
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    Taxonomic status of the reptile genus Procolophon from the Gondwanan Triassic
    (Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, University of the Witwatersrand, 2008-04) Cisneros, Juan Carlos
    The specific composition of the genus Procolophon in Brazil, South Africa and Antarctica is discussed in the light of new data. It is found that P. pricei and P. brasiliensis, two species described from Brazil, fit within the pattern of ontogenetic variation of the type species P. trigoniceps, and they are here considered junior synonyms. The South African species P. laticeps, characterized by the presence of a temporal fenestra, is no longer considered valid. The peculiar temporal openings of this species are regarded here as an anomalous condition without taxonomic significance. The only complete skull known from Antarctica shows a unique feature consisting of an elliptical depression in the palate. The interpretation of this structure is ambiguous because it may also be attributable to individual variation, and this specimen is provisionally kept within P. trigoniceps. Therefore, only the type species, P. trigoniceps, is recognized in Gondwana. This species occupies a wide geographic range, from the Paraná Basin to the Transantarctic Mountains.