Alierasaurus

Alierasaurus
Temporal range: early Middle Permian[1] Roadian
Reconstruction of Alierasaurus by Emiliano Troco.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Clade: †Caseasauria
Family: †Caseidae
Genus: †Alierasaurus
Romano and Nicosia, 2014
Species:
†A. ronchii
Binomial name
†Alierasaurus ronchii
Romano and Nicosia, 2014

Alierasaurus is an extinct genus of caseid synapsid that lived during the early Middle Permian (Roadian)[1] in what is now Sardinia.[2] It is represented by a single species, the type species Alierasaurus ronchii. Known from a very large partial skeleton found within the Cala del Vino Formation, Alierasaurus is one of the largest known caseids. It closely resembles Cotylorhynchus, another giant caseid from the San Angelo Formation in Texas. The dimensions of the preserved foot elements and caudal vertebrae suggest an estimated total length of about 6 or 7 m (20 or 23 ft) for Alierasaurus.[3][4][5] In fact, the only anatomical features that differ between Alierasaurus and Cotylorhynchus are found in the bones of the feet; Alierasaurus has a longer and thinner fourth metatarsal and it has ungual bones at the tips of the toes that are pointed and claw-like rather than flattened as in other caseids. Alierasaurus and Cotylorhynchus both have very wide, barrel-shaped rib cages indicating that they were herbivores that fed primarily on high-fiber plant material.[3]

  1. ^ a b Citton, P.; Ronchi, A.; Maganuco, S.; Caratelli, M.; Nicosia, U.; Sacchi, E.; Romano, M. (2019). "First tetrapod footprints from the Permian of Sardinia and their palaeontological and stratigraphical significance". Geological Journal. 54 (4): 1–15. doi:10.1002/gj.3285. S2CID 135216684.
  2. ^ Ronchi, A.; Sacchi, E.; Romano, M.; Nicosia, U. (2011). "A huge caseid pelycosaur from north-western Sardinia and its bearing on European Permian stratigraphy and palaeobiogeography". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 56 (4): 723–738. doi:10.4202/app.2010.0087.
  3. ^ a b Romano, M.; Nicosia, U. (2014). "Alierasaurus ronchii, gen. et sp. nov., a caseid from the Permian of Sardinia, Italy". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (4): 900–913. Bibcode:2014JVPal..34..900R. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.837056. S2CID 85743001.
  4. ^ Romano, M.; Ronchi, A.; Maganuco, S.; Nicosia, U (2017). "New material of Alierasaurus ronchii (Synapsida, Caseidae) from the Permian of Sardinia (Italy), an dits phylogenetic affinities". Palaeontologia Electronica. 20.2.26A: 1–27. doi:10.26879/684. hdl:11573/1045550.
  5. ^ Romano, M.; Citton, P.; Maganuco, S.; Sacchi, E.; Caratelli, M.; Ronchi, A.; Nicosia, U. (2018). "New basal synapsid discovery at the Permian outcrop of Torre del Porticciolo (Alghero, Italy)". Geological Journal. 54 (3): 1–13. doi:10.1002/gj.3250. S2CID 133755506.