Saturnalia tupiniquim Langer et al., 1999

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 : 53-54

Saturnalia tupiniquim Langer et al., 1999

AGE: Late Carnian–early Norian, Late Triassic ( Langer, 2005b).

OCCURRENCE: Alemoa Member, Santa Maria Formation, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

HOLOTYPE: MCP 3844-PV, a well-preserved, semiarticulated skeleton including most of the presacral vertebral series, both sides of the pectoral girdle, right humerus, partial right ulna, right radius, both sides of the pelvic girdle with the sacral series, left femur, and most of the right hind limb.

REFERRED MATERIAL: MCP 3845-PV, skeleton including the posterior part of the skull with braincase, the natural cast of a mandibular ramus–bearing teeth, presacral series including posterior cervical and anteri- or trunk vertebrae, both halves of the pectoral girdle, right humerus, right side of

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the pelvic girdle and most of the right hind limb; MCP 3846-PV, an incompletely prepared skeleton, from which a partial tibia and foot, as well as some trunk vertebrae, are known.

REMARKS: Saturnalia is one of the oldest and most completely known sauropodomorphs. Although well described in a series of papers ( Langer et al., 1999; Langer, 2003; Langer et al., 2007), much of the material, including the skull, has yet to be fully prepared. Saturnalia was found as the basalmost sauropodomorph in all phylogenetic analyses that included the taxon. Thus, it is very important to studies of basal dinosaurs.

KEY REFERENCES: Langer et al., 1999, 2003, 2007; Langer, 2005a; Langer and Benton, 2006.