Lophostropheus
Name:
Lophostropheus
(Crested vertebrae).
Phonetic: Low-foe-stro-fee-us.
Named By: Martin Ezcurra & Gilles Cuny
- 2007.
Synonyms: Liliensternus airelensis.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Theropoda, Coelophysoidea.
Species: L. airelensis (type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Around 5-5.2 meters long.
Known locations: France, Normandy - Moon-Airel
Formation.
Time period: Rhaetian of the Triassic/Hettangian of
the Jurassic.
Fossil representation: Partial skeleton including,
parts of the hip, some vertebrae from different areas of the spinal
column (neck, back, sacrum, tail) and teeth.
Lophostropheus
was initially assigned as a specimen of Halticosaurus
until 1993 it
was re-classified as a second species of Liliensternus,
a genus that
was also previously established as a species of Halticosaurus.
A
new study in 2007 however concluded that while the fossils were
similar, they were different enough to be established as a new
genus, thus Lophostropheus was created.
The
identifying features of Lophostropheus which
inspired the name are the
low crests that are seen on the top and bottom of the cervical
(neck) vertebrae. Closer study has revealed even more differences
to the point where Lophostropheus is no longer
thought to be that
similar to Liliensternus at all but rather other
coelophysid theropods
like Coelophysis.
Another key difference between Lophostropheus and
Liliensternus is that the cervical vertebrae of Lophostropheus
have an
extra pair of cavities.
Lophostropheus
was probably one of the larger theropod dinosaurs of its time and
it’s this time that has been particular interest to
palaeontologists. Lophostropheus remains have
been dated to what has
been termed a boundary point between the end of the Triassic and start
of the Jurassic, a time that is not as well represented as the
periods just before and after it. Lophostropheus
allows us to get a
glimpse as to how dinosaurs, particularly theropods changed during
this time as so far there is still quite a gap between late Triassic
theropods like Coelophysis and early Jurassic
theropods like
Dilophosaurus.
Further reading
- The coelophysoid Lophostropheus airelensis, gen.
nov.: a review of
the systematics of "Liliensternus" airelensis
from the
Triassic-Jurassic outcrops of Normandy (France). - Journal of
Vertebrate Paleontology 27(1):73-86. - M. D. Ezcurra & G. Cuny
- 2007.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Random favourites
 |
 |
 |
 |