Azendohsauridae

Azendohsauridae
Temporal range: Anisian to Norian
Life restoration of Shringasaurus indicus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: †Allokotosauria
Family: †Azendohsauridae
Nesbitt et al., 2015
Subgroups

Azendohsauridae is a family of allokotosaurian archosauromorphs that lived during the Middle to Late Triassic period, around 242-216 million years ago. The family was originally named solely for the eponymous Azendohsaurus, marking out its distinctiveness from other allokotosaurs,[1] but as of 2022 the family now includes four other genera: the basal genus Pamelaria, the large horned herbivore Shringasaurus,[2] and two carnivorous genera grouped into the subfamily-level subclade Malerisaurinae, Malerisaurus and Puercosuchus, and potentially also the dubious genus Otischalkia.[3][4] Most fossils of azendohsaurids have a Gondwanan distribution, with multiple species known across Morocco and Madagascar in Africa as well as India, although fossils of malerisaurine azendohsaurids have also been found in the southwestern United States of North America.

Azendohsaurids are notable for the various dinosaur-like traits found in some species, including the sauropodomorph-like neck, jaws and teeth of Azendohsaurus, the ceratopsid-like horns of Shringasaurus, and theropod-like teeth of Puercosuchus.[1][2][4] These traits are all convergently evolved with later dinosaurs, and some similarities are so striking that it is difficult to distinguish isolated azendohsaurid teeth and jaw bones from those of dinosaurs. Indeed, Azendohsaurus itself was initially described as a herbivorous dinosaur until better remains of its skull and skeleton were found.[5]

  1. ^ a b Nesbitt, S.J.; Flynn, J.J.; Pritchard, A.C.; Parrish, M.J.; Ranivoharimanana, L.; Wyss, A.R. (2015). "Postcranial osteology of Azendohsaurus madagaskarensis (?Middle to Upper Triassic, Isalo Group, Madagascar) and its systematic position among stem archosaur reptiles" (PDF). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (398): 1–126. doi:10.5531/sd.sp.15. hdl:2246/6624. ISSN 0003-0090.
  2. ^ a b Sengupta, Saradee; Ezcurra, Martín D.; Bandyopadhyay, Saswati (21 August 2017). "A new horned and long-necked herbivorous stem-archosaur from the Middle Triassic of India". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 8366. Bibcode:2017NatSR...7.8366S. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-08658-8. PMC 5567049. PMID 28827583.
  3. ^ Nesbitt, S. J.; Stocker, M. R.; Ezcurra, M. D.; Fraser, M. C.; Heckert, A. B.; Parker, W. G.; Mueller, B.; Sengupta, S.; Bandyopadhyay, S.; Pritchard, A. C.; Marsh, A. D. (2021). "Widespread azendohsaurids (Archosauromorpha, Allokotosauria) from the Late Triassic of western USA and India". Papers in Palaeontology. 8. doi:10.1002/spp2.1413. S2CID 245049571.
  4. ^ a b Marsh, Adam D.; Parker, William G.; Nesbitt, Sterling J.; Kligman, Ben T.; Stocker, Michelle R. (2022). "Puercosuchus traverorum n. gen. n. sp.: a new malerisaurine azendohsaurid (Archosauromorpha: Allokotosauria) from two monodominant bonebeds in the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic, Norian) of Arizona". Journal of Paleontology. 96 (S90): 1–39. Bibcode:2022JPal...96S...1M. doi:10.1017/jpa.2022.49. ISSN 0022-3360.
  5. ^ Flynn, J.J.; Nesbitt, S.J.; Parrish, J.M.; Ranivoharimanana, L.; Wyss, A.R. (2010). "A new species of Azendohsaurus (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha) from the Triassic Isalo Group of southwestern Madagascar: cranium and mandible". Palaeontology. 53 (3): 669–688. Bibcode:2010Palgy..53..669F. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00954.x.