Lepidus

Name: Lepidus ‭(‬fascinating‭)‬.
Phonetic: Lep-e-dus.
Named By: Sterling J.‭ ‬Nesbitt‭ & ‬Martin D.‭ ‬Ezcurra‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Coelophysoidea.
Species: L.‭ ‬praecisio‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Unknown due to lack of remains.
Known locations: USA,‭ ‬Texas.
Time period: ‬Late Triassic.
Fossil representation: Partial leg bones and a partial maxilla.

       The full type species name for this dinosaur is Lepidus praecisio which means‭ ‘‬fascinating fragment‭’‬.‭ ‬This is because while not many fossils of this dinosaur are known,‭ ‬we can observe that the astragalus‭ (‬talos‭) ‬and calcaneum are fused into one,‭ ‬which is a trait of neotheropod dinosaurs.‭ ‬At the same time however,‭ ‬the tibia shows a similarity to more primitive theropod dinosaur forms such as Herrerasaurus.
       Living in what is now the USA during the Triassic,‭ ‬it is possible that Lepidus lived ina same ecosystems as dinosaurs such as Coelophysis and Tawa.‭

Further reading
-‭ ‬The early fossil record of dinosaurs in North America:‭ ‬A new neotheropod from the base of the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Texas.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Acta Palaeontologica Polonica‭ ‬60.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Sterling J.‭ ‬Nesbitt‭ & ‬Martin D.‭ ‬Ezcurra‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.



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