[D] Procompsognathus triassicus [Su] [dG] [T]
Describer
Fraas, 1914
Time
Triassic Late Norian
Classification
Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae Coelurosauria Nomina Dubia
Diet
Carnivore
Fossilsite
Keuper Formation, Stubensandstein, Pfaffenhoffen (now Heilbron) area, Wurttemberg. Germany
Length
1,2 meter
Info
Genus - Typespecies - Skull
SMNS 12591, partial skeleton, the very poor preservation makes interpretation of this material verry difficult. The material was reviewed as far as possible by Ostrom, 1981. The skull is very crushed but gives the impression of a long, narrow-snouted form, with a large antorbital fossa, a large orbit, slender jaws with recurved teeth a large infratemporal fenestra, and a narrower elliptical supratemporal fenestra. No mandibular seems to have been present. The preservation of this material is not sufficiently good to allow firm taxonomic assessment.
Rauhut and Hungerbühler (2000) reconsidered an articulated pelvic girdle (BMNH PV RU P77/1) including parts of the sacrum, the caudalmost dorsal vertebrae, and an associated left femur lacking its distal end, collected from the Upper Triassic (?Norian) Pant-y-ffunnon locailty in southern Wales, and referred by Wagner (1983) to ?: Syntarsus [= cf. Megapnosaurus sp.].
As observed the characters of this specimen are verry similar to the African and North American coelophysid Megapnosaurus, however in all of the characters that are comparable, the Welsh specimen is also verry similar to Procompsognathus, further discoveries of additional materials may demonstrate that the taxon from Wales may be referable to Procompsognathus.
Fraas, 1914
Time
Triassic Late Norian
Classification
Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae Coelurosauria Nomina Dubia
Diet
Carnivore
Fossilsite
Keuper Formation, Stubensandstein, Pfaffenhoffen (now Heilbron) area, Wurttemberg. Germany
Length
1,2 meter
Info
Genus - Typespecies - Skull
SMNS 12591, partial skeleton, the very poor preservation makes interpretation of this material verry difficult. The material was reviewed as far as possible by Ostrom, 1981. The skull is very crushed but gives the impression of a long, narrow-snouted form, with a large antorbital fossa, a large orbit, slender jaws with recurved teeth a large infratemporal fenestra, and a narrower elliptical supratemporal fenestra. No mandibular seems to have been present. The preservation of this material is not sufficiently good to allow firm taxonomic assessment.
Rauhut and Hungerbühler (2000) reconsidered an articulated pelvic girdle (BMNH PV RU P77/1) including parts of the sacrum, the caudalmost dorsal vertebrae, and an associated left femur lacking its distal end, collected from the Upper Triassic (?Norian) Pant-y-ffunnon locailty in southern Wales, and referred by Wagner (1983) to ?: Syntarsus [= cf. Megapnosaurus sp.].
As observed the characters of this specimen are verry similar to the African and North American coelophysid Megapnosaurus, however in all of the characters that are comparable, the Welsh specimen is also verry similar to Procompsognathus, further discoveries of additional materials may demonstrate that the taxon from Wales may be referable to Procompsognathus.