Macrocnemus (protorosaur), new species from Triassic of Switzerland

[Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com>]

From: Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com

A new non-dino paper that may be of interest.

Macrocnemus obristi

Nicholas Fraser & Heinz Furrer (2013)
A new species of Macrocnemus from the Middle Triassic of the eastern Swiss Alps.
Swiss Journal of Geosciences 106(2): 199-206
DOI: 10.1007/s00015-013-0137-5
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00015-013-0137-5

A new species of Macrocnemus is described on the basis of two
incomplete specimens from the Lower Ladinian Prosanto Formation of
southeastern Switzerland. The new form can be distinguished by its
gracile limb elements and having a noticeably longer tibia than either
Macrocnemus bassanii or Macrocnemus fuyuanensis. One of the new
specimens exhibits soft part preservation in the region of the pelvic
girdle. The hind part of this individual is preserved fully
articulated and allows a complete count of the caudal vertebrae to be
made for the first time with 52 caudals. It is postulated that this
specimen was predated upon and that the anterior part of the animal
was consumed by a large predator such as a nothosaurid reptile or the
actinopterygian fish Saurichthys.

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Artwork of critter being bitten in half by a Nothosaurus...

http://www.mediadesk.uzh.ch/articles/2013/ein-neuer-saurier-aus-den-buendner-alpen/Macrocnemus_Nothosaurus.jpg


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News articles in German:

http://www.mediadesk.uzh.ch/articles/2013/ein-neuer-saurier-aus-den-buendner-alpen.html


http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/wissen/natur/Ein-neuer-Saurier-aus-den-Buendner-Alpen/story/21182733

http://www.nzz.ch/wissenschaft/uebersicht/neue-saurier-art-aus-den-buendner-alpen-1.18192752