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| CAPPA/UFSM 0373, left ilium in Garcia, Cabreira, da Silva, Pretto & Müller, 2023. |
Abstract
The Carnian (Upper Triassic) rocks of the Candelária Sequence present a rich record of dinosaurs, including some of the oldest known dinosaurs worldwide. In this contribution we describe the first unequivocal dinosaur from the Pivetta site, located in the Restinga Sêca municipality, Southern Brazil. The specimen CAPPA/UFSM 0373 is an isolated but well-preserved left ilium. A thorough examination of the specimen's anatomy and a phylogenetic analysis provides evidence that CAPPA/UFSM 0373 belongs to the Herrerasauria. We were able to identify several similarities with potential non-herrerasaurid herrerasaurians (e.g., Tawa hallae, “Caseosaurus crosbyensis”), which were previously only known from North American deposits. In contrast, herrerasaurids (e.g., Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis) are almost exclusively known from South America. Our results support the nesting of CAPPA/UFSM 0373 as an early-diverging herrerasaurian. Furthermore, this is potentially the first record of a non-herrerasaurid herrerasaurian in unambiguous Carnian beds, suggesting a hidden diversity of dinosaurs in the Carnian rocks of the Candelária Sequence, which can be revealed even by fragmentary specimens.
Mauricio Silva Garcia, Sérgio Furtado Cabreira, Lúcio Roberto da Silva, Flávio Augusto Pretto and Rodrigo Temp Müller. 2023. A saurischian (Archosauria, Dinosauria) ilium from the Upper Triassic of southern Brazil and the Rise of Herrerasauria. The Anatomical Record. DOI: 10.1002/ar.25342
