Describer

Meyer von, 1837

Time

Triassic Late Norian

Classification

Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Prosauropoda Plateosauridae

Diet

Herbivore

Fossilsite

Keuper Formation; Knollenmergel, Baden Wurttemberg, Niedersachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Feuerletten, Bavaria, Thuringen, Germany; Knollenmergel, Baselland Obere Bunte Mergel, Aargau, Switzerland; Marnes irisees superieures, Jura, unnamed unit, Doubs, France

Fall Under

Plateosaurus

Length

9 meter

Info

Typespecies - Skull

Plateosaurus (Meyer von, 1837) = Dimodosaurus (Pidancet & Chopard, 1862), Dinosaurus (Rutimeyer, 1856), Gresslyosaurus (Rutimeyer, 1856), Pachysauriscus (Kuhn, 1959), Pachysaurops (Huene, 1961), Pachysaurus (Huene, 1907-1908)

Plateosaurus > Plateosaurus engelhardti (Meyer von, 1837) >> Plateosaurus erlenbergiensis (Huene, 1905), Plateosaurus fraasianus (Huene, 1932), Plateosaurus integer (Fraas vide Huene, 1915), Plateosaurus longiceps (Jaekel, 1914), Plateosaurus plieningeri (Huene, 1907-1908), Plateosaurus reinigeri (Huene, 1907-1908), Plateosaurus trossingensis (Fraas, 1914), Plateosaurus poligniensis (Pidancet & Chopard, 1862), Dimodosaurus poligniensis (Pidancet & Chopard, 1862) Dinosaurus gresslyi (Rutimeyer, 1856) Gresslyosaurus ingens (Rutimeyer, 1856) Plateosaurus robustus (Huene, 1907–1908) Huene, 1932, Gresslyosaurus robustus (Huene, 1907-1908) Gresslyosaurus torgeri (Jaekel, 1911) [= Plateosaurus torgeri, (Jaekel, 1911] Pachysaurus ajax (Huene, 1907-1908) Pachysaurus giganteus (Huene, 1932) Pachysaurus magnus (Huene, 1907-1908) Pachysaurus wetzelianus (Huene, 1932) Zanclodon laevis (Plieninger, 1846) Zanclodon plieningeri (Fraas, 1896) Plateosaurus quenstedti (Huene, 1905) > Zanclodon quenstedti (Koken, 1900)

More than 100 fragmentary to complete skeletons, isolated elements, at least 10 skulls, juvenile to adult.

Diagnosis

First and second sacral ribs originating from complete length of first centrum abd from caudal 75 percent of second centrum; third to seventh caudal centra having ventrally converging articular surfaces (forming 12 - to 20- degree angle); pelvic girdle and hindlimb massive; pubis having open obtutrator foramen; distal portion of femur straight in craniocaudal views (Galton, 2001).

Several specimens (MCZ collection) including a nearly complete skeleton, skull, and two aprtial juvenile skeletons, from the Flemming Fjord Formation (Upper Triassic, Norian) of Jameson Land, East Greenland refered by Jenkins et al., 1994 to P. engelhardti are considered by Galton, 2001 as belonging to Plateosaurus longiceps.