| Perijasaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Speculative reconstruction based on relatives | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Eusauropoda |
| Genus: | †Perijasaurus Rincón et al.,2022 |
| Species: | †P. lapaz |
| Binomial name | |
| †Perijasaurus lapaz Rincón et al., 2022 | |
Perijasaurus (meaning "Perija lizard") is a genus of basaleusauropod sauropod dinosaur from the "Girón-type redbeds" of theLa Quinta Formation ofCesar Department, north-eastern Colombia. The type species isPerijasaurus lapaz. It lived during the Toarcian-Aalenian boundary around 175 million years ago (early to middleJurassic period).[1]
Theholotype, UCMP 37689, is a broken dorsal vertebra, around 55 cm (22 in) tall and 45 cm (18 in) centimeters long. It was discovered on 27 March 1943 at the western flank of theSerranía del Perijá mountain range by the Tropical Oil Company and was sent to the fossil collection at theUniversity of California, Berkeley. Starting in 1955, UCMP 37689 had been mentioned in the literature with no consensus developing over its affinities.[2][3][4] Eventually, the original site was rediscovered and the bone was prepared, allowing it to be named as a new genus and species,Perijasaurus lapaz, in 2022. The generic name, "Perijasaurus", honors the mountain range where the fossil was found. The specific name, "lapaz", honors the town ofLa Paz, Cesar, near where the discovery was made, as well as thepeace agreement that allowed the described to perform fieldwork in the area ("la paz" in Spanish means "the peace").[1]
Rincón et al. (2022) foundPerijasaurus to be a basal eusauropod. The results of theirphylogenetic analyses are shown in the cladogram below:[1]
Perijasaurus hails from the La Quinta Formation of northern South America, in what is nowColombia andVenezuela, making it the northernmost sauropod fromSouth America ever recorded as well as the first dinosaur found in the Colombian part of the La Quinta Formation. The La Quinta environment is interpreted as a tropical lowland forest. Its location and time suggestseusauropods reached a broad distribution before the breakup ofPangaea and theToarcian faunal turnover.[1] Other dinosaurs from this formation include the stem-averostran theropodTachiraptor and the ornithischianLaquintasaura, both from Venezuela and from older (Hettangian) layers.[1]
