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| Leyesaurus | |
|---|---|
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| Skull ofLeyesaurus marayensis in lateral view | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Family: | †Massospondylidae |
| Genus: | †Leyesaurus Apaldettiet al.2011 |
| Species: | †L. marayensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Leyesaurus marayensis Apaldettiet al. 2011 | |
Leyesaurus is anextinctgenus ofmassospondylidsauropodomorphdinosaur known from theSan Juan Province, northwesternArgentina.[1]
Leyesaurus is known from theholotypePVSJ 706, a nearly completeskull with articulatedmandible and somepostcranial remains (vertebral column,scapular andpelvic girdles andhindlimb). The skull has a length of 18centimeters, andLeyesaurus has been estimated to have been about 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in length. It was collected from the uppermost part of theQuebrada del Barro Formation of theMarayes-El Carrizal Basin, dating to theLower Jurassic (based on the similarities betweenLeyesaurus and Lower Jurassic sauropodomorphs, likeMassospondylus andAdeopapposaurus).Leyesaurus was found near the locality Balde de Leyes, in theCaucete Department of San Juan Province. WithinMassospondylidae,Leyesaurus was found to be most closely related toAdeopapposaurus.[1]
Leyesaurus was first named by Cecilia Apaldetti, Ricardo N. Martinez, Oscar A. Alcober and Diego Pol in2011 and thetype species isLeyesaurus marayensis. Thegeneric name honors the Leyes family, inhabitants of the small town Balde de Leyes, who discovered the holotype and notified the paleontologists of theSan Juan Museum, andsaurus,Greek for "lizard". Thespecific name refers to the Marayes-El Carrizal Basin, where the holotype was discovered.[1]
The following cladogram shows the position ofLeyesaurus within Massopoda, according to Oliver W. M. Rauhut and colleagues, 2020:[2]
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