Lilienstemus liliensterni ( Huene, 1934 )

Rauhut, Oliver W. M., 2003, The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs, Special papers in palaeontology 69, pp. 1-213 : 15-16

Lilienstemus liliensterni ( Huene, 1934) ; metataxon

Age . Norian.

Occurrence. Knollenmergel, ThÜringen and WÜrttemberg, Germany;?Frick, Switzerland.

Diagnosis. Differs from all other theropods, with the exception of Lilienstemus airelensis , in the presence of a broad rounded ridge on the cervical vertebrae that extends from the posterior end of the diapophyses to the posteroventral end of the vertebral centrum (less well-developed than in Lilienstemus airelensis ).

Differs from Lilienstemus airelensis in the presence of only one pair of pleurocoels in the cervical vertebrae, the less-developed infradiapophyseal fossa, the absence of a horizontal ridge at the base of the cervical neural spines, and the absence of a lateral bulge on the ilium.

Remarks. Lilienstemus liliensterni ( Text-fig. 4g ) is the best represented Triassic theropod from Europe. The taxon was originally described as Halticosaurus liliensterni by Huene (1934) based on the associated, but disarticulated remains of two individuals from the Knollenmergel of ThÜringen (MB R. 2175). Later, Welles (1984) showed that Halticosaurus liliensterni cannot be referred to the genus Halticosaurus and assigned the species to the new genus Lilienstemus. Welles (1984, p. 166) also designated the larger individual as the lectotype. It must be noted, however, that the material may represent more than two individuals, and it seems almost impossible to separate the remains belonging to the larger and smaller individual (pers. obs. and Heinrich, pers. comm. 1996); therefore it seems, at present, best to retain the entire material as the syntypes for the species.

Figures

text-fig. 4. Skull reconstructions of representatives of riassic OTUs in left lateral view, a, Euparkeria capensis, Early Triassic (Scythian-Anisian), Beaufort Group, South Africa; redrawn from Ewer (1965). B, basal ornithischian Lesothosaurus diagnostics, Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian), Elliot Formation, Lesotho; redrawn from Sereno (1991b). c, prosauropod sauropodomorph Plateosaurus sp., Late riassic (Norian), Knollenmergel, Germany; based on MB R. 1937. D, Eoraptor lunensis, Late Triassic (Camian), Ischigualasto Formation, Argentina; based on PVSJ 512. E, Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, Late Triassic (Camian), Ischigualasto Formation, Argentina; redrawn from Sereno and Novas (1993). F, Coelophysis bauri, Late riassic (Norian), Chinle Formation, south-western USA; modified from Paul (1993). G, Lilienstemus lilienstemi, Late riassic (Norian), Knollenmergel, Germany; based on MB R. 2175, unpreserved elements shaded. H, Shuvosaurus inexpectatus, Late riassic (Norian), Dockum Group, Texas, USA; based on TU P 9280. Abbreviations: a, angular; aof, antorbital fenestra; d, dentary; emf, external mandibular fenestra; en, external nares; eo, exoccipital; f, frontal; itf, infratemporal fenestra; j, jugal; 1, lacrimal; m, maxilla; n, nasal; o, orbit; oc, occipital condyle; op, opisthotic; pa, parietal; pd, predentary; pm, premaxilla; pm-mf, premaxillary-maxillary fenestra; po, postorbital; pof, postfrontal; q, quadrate; qf, quadrate foramen; qj, quadratojugal; sa, surangular; saf, surangular foramen; snf, subnarial foramen; sob, supraorbital; soc, supraoccipital; sp, splenial; sq, squamosal; stf, supratemporal fenestra. Scale bars represent 10 mm (a-b) and 50 mm (c-H).