| Sefapanosaurus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropodiformes |
| Genus: | †Sefapanosaurus Otero et al.,2015 |
| Type species | |
| †Sefapanosaurus zastronensis Otero et al., 2015 | |
Sefapanosaurus was an early, herbivoroussauropodomorph dinosaur occurring in the southern regions ofGondwana some 200 million years ago in theLate Triassic orEarly Jurassic.[1] The sauropodomorphs were the dominant terrestrial herbivores throughout much of theMesozoic Era, from their origins in the mid-Triassic (approximately 230 Ma) until their decline and fall at the end of theCretaceous (approximately 66 Ma).[2] A distinctive feature of this dinosaur is the cross-shaped astragalus ortalus bone in its ankle. The generic name is derived from theSesotho wordsefapano, meaning ‘cross’ and the Greek wordsaurus, meaning 'lizard'. The specific name refers to Zastron, the type locality, where the specimen was discovered.
This new genus was described in the 23 June 2015 issue of 'Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society' in an essay titled 'A new basal sauropodiform from South Africa and the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs'.[2] A portion of the left foot and four partial skeletons, including several pieces of spine and limbs, were excavated from theElliot Formation in the late 1930s in theZastron district in South Africa, some 30 kilometres (19 mi) from theLesotho border. Until a few years ago these formed part of the large fossil collection curated by the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) atWits University.When finally studied, the remains were thought to be those of the dinosaurAardonyx. Further study determined that the remains represented a new dinosaur genus which was intermediate between early bipedal sauropodomorphs and the later giant quadruped sauropods, adding to the list of transitional sauropodomorphs fromArgentina andSouth Africa, and further clarifying their diversification.[2]
The following cladogram shows the position ofSefapanosaurus within Massopoda, according to Oliver W. M. Rauhut and colleagues, 2020:[3]
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