The genusNgwevu is known from only one specimen,BP/1/4779, which is stored in the Environmental Studies Institute of theUniversity of the Witwatersrand, inJohannesburg, South Africa. The holotype specimen was discovered in 1978 byJames William Kitching in the Tevrede Farm, located inFouriesburg district, South Africa. The strata which preserved the specimen was located in theClarens Formation,[2] which isPliensbachian-earlyToarcian in age.[3] The specimen was initially considered a specimen of the genusMassospondylus[4][5] but in 2019 was designated as a new genus and speciesNgwevu ntloko (Xhosa pronunciation:[ᵑɡ̊ʷe̤ːv̥ṳ]; directly fromXhosa 'ngwevu' and 'intloko' meaning "grey skull").[1]
Ngwevu can be distinguished from other sauropodomorphs based on a unique combination of 16 traits, including one unique feature: a ridge on the lateral surface of the backside of thejugal. Previously, the specimen was noted to share some different traits compared to otherMassospondylus specimens but the differences were considered a result of deformation.[4] In the description of the new genus, it was revealed that these differences cannot be attributed to deformation, and in fact the specimen is well intact. Another hypothesis presumed the differences found inNgwevu could be attributed to a less advanced ontogenetic stage, with some paleontologists considering it to be a younger specimen ofMassospondylus.[5] However,histological study of the holotype ofNgwevu suggests it was an adult (about 10 years old) when it fossilized, rejecting this hypothesis as well. The describing authors ofNgwevu also noted thatNgwevu was proportionately more robust than specimens ofMassospondylus.[1]
Despite the fact thatNgwevu could be distinguished fromMassospondylus, there are several shared features between the two genera. A phylogenetic analysis conducted in the describing paper corroborates this, placingNgwevu intloko in the Massospondylidae. A portion of the analysis is reproduced below.[1]
The snout ofNgwevu is wider than that ofMassospondylus carninatus, and the describing authors propose that it signifies a more generalist rather than selective diet. The holotype's robust jaw and skull features, including a broad palate and short snout, may have given it a stronger bite thanM. carinatus, suggestingniche partitioning between these two species.[1]
