Protecovasaurus

Protecovasaurus
Temporal range: Late Triassic, 221.5–212 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Diapsida
Clade: incertae sedis
Genus: Protecovasaurus
Heckert, 2004
Species
  • P. lucasi Heckert, 2004 (type)

Protecovasaurus is a genus of archosaurian reptile from the Late Triassic Tecovas Formation of the southwestern United States. It was initially described as a basal ornithischian dinosaur, but was redescribed as a non-dinosaurian archosaur by Irmis et al. (2006). The type species, Protecovasaurus lucasi, was formally described by Andrew B. Heckert in 2004.

Its name, Protecovasaurus, means "before Tecovasaurus". Tecovas was the formation the holotype specimen was found in.