SIMONETTOIA TILAVENTINA, A NEW TANYSTROPHEID (DIAPSIDA ARCHOSAUROMORPHA) FROM THE UPPER TRIASSIC (NORIAN) OF NORTHEASTERN ITALY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54103/2039-4942/23286Keywords:
Diapsida; Tanystropheidae; Langobardisaurus; Carnic Prealps; Triassic.Abstract
A new small tanystropheid archosauromorph is described from the Norian Dolomia di Forni Formation of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region, northeastern Italy. Despite the incompleteness of the only known skeleton, its anatomical articulation and the presence of a hyperelongated cervical vertebra connected to a string of non hyperelongated cervicals permit referral to a new taxon. The rest of the skeleton resembles that of Langobardisaurus pandolfii, previously reported from the Dolomia di Forni as well as from the Norian of Lombardy (northwestern Italy) and Tyrol (Austria), differing in the presence of at least nine cervicals; stouter mid-posterior cervicals with proportionally higher neural arch; shorter and posteriorly placed neural spine and zygapophyses not extending beyond the centrum; presence of “plowshare-like” ribs in the last two cervicals; presence of 14 trunk vertebrae including only three 'lumbars'; shape of the 'lumbar' ribs; radius proportionally shorter than the humerus; femur comparatively longer; more slender metatarsus; and proportions of the metatarsals with metatarsal III the longest. The new taxon differs from the long-necked Tanystropheus for having at least four mid-posterior cervicals that are not hyperelongated and two dorsals and one 'lumbar' more. It differs from the coeval Sclerostropheus fossai from Lombardy for lacking its diagnostic features. Unlike Tanytrachelos, the new taxon has “plowshare”-shaped cervical ribs only in the last two cervical vertebrae; mid-distal cervical vertebrae that are comparatively more elongated; one dorsal vertebra more; stouter dorsal vertebrae; gracile ribs in the 'lumbar' vertebrae; humerus less than twice the length of the radius and comparatively shorter; radius longer than ulna; more slender femur; and subequally long metatarsals I and II that are shorter than metatarsals III and IV (metatarsal III>IV>I>II).
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Accepted 2026-10-07
Published 2026-10-15
