Tecovasuchus

Tecovasuchus is an extinct genus of aetosaur. It is known primarily from osteoderms found from the Tecovas Formation in Texas, which is Late Triassic in age, dating back to the upper Carnian. Material is also known from several other localities of the Chinle Group in New Mexico and Arizona. Specimens of Tecovasuchus have been collected from the Tecovas Formation, the Bluewater Creek Formation, and the Los Esteros Member of the Santa Rosa Formation.[1][2]

Tecovasuchus
Temporal range: Late Carnian
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: †Aetosauria
Family: †Stagonolepididae
Tribe: †Paratypothoracisini
Genus: †Tecovasuchus
Martz and Small, 2006
Species
  • †T. chatterjeei Martz and Small, 2006 (type)

Tecovasuchus was first recognized as a new taxon in 1995, although it was not named until the description of the type species, T. chatterjeei, in 2006.[3][4] Before its description, specimens of Tecovasuchus were thought to belong to Paratypothorax or a Paratypothorax-like aetosaur.[2][5] Several features of the osteoderms distinguish Tecovasuchus from other aetosaur genera, including dorsal paramedian osteoderms with strongly thickened and beveled posterior edges and ornamentation consisting of deep pits and radiating grooves, as well as tongue-shaped dorsal and plate-like ventrolateral flanges.

Tecovasuchus is an index taxon for the St. Johnsian sub-LVF (land vertebrate faunachron) of the Adamanian LVF, and the presence of material belonging to the genus helps correlate different Late Triassic localities throughout the southwestern United States.[1]

References
  1. Heckert, A. B.; Spielmann, J. A.; Lucas, S. G.; Hunt, A. P. (2007). "Biostratigraphic utility of the Upper Triassic aetosaur Tecovasuchus (Archosauria:Stagonolepididae), an index taxon of St. Johnsian (Adamanian:Late Carnian) time". In Lucas, S.G.; Spielmann, J.A. (eds.). The Global Triassic. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 41. Albuquerque, New Mexico: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. pp. 51–57. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  2. Parker, W. G. (2005). "Faunal review of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of Arizona". In McCord, R. D. (ed.). Mesa Southwest Museum Bulletin 11. pp. 34–54. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  3. Lucas, S. G.; Heckert, A. B.; Hunt, A. P. (1995). "Unusual aetosaur armor from the Upper Triassic of West Texas, U.S.A.". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 69 (3–4): 467–473. doi:10.1007/bf02987807. S2CID 128897501.
  4. Martz, J. W.; Small, B. J. (2006). "Tecovasuchus chatterjeei, a new aetosaur (Archosauria: Stagonolepididae) from the Tecovas Formation (Carnian, Upper Triassic) of Texas". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 26 (2): 308–320. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[308:tcanaa]2.0.co;2.
  5. Heckert, A. B. (1997). "Litho- and biostratigraphy of the lower Chinle Group, east-central Arizona and west-central New Mexico, with a description of a new theropod (Dinosauria:Theropoda) from the Bluewater Creek Formation". University of New Mexico: 278p. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)


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