Meroktenos
From Ancient Greek 'meros' meaning 'thigh' and 'ktēnos' meaning 'beast'.
Late Triassic stages
Meroktenos is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic period of what is now Lesotho.
Under dispute
Meroktenos thabanensis is a derived sauropodiform near the boundary of Sauropoda; it has been associated with Lessemsauridae but is recovered in a polytomy of apical non-sauropodan sauropodiforms by Peyre de Fabrègues and Allain (2016).
Diagnosis
- Iliac blade depth 60% of total ilium height (vs <0.5 in other Southern African basal sauropodomorphs)
- Subtriangular postacetabular process
- Very stocky femur with robustness index of 2.09 (vs >2.18 in other Southern African basal sauropodomorphs)
- Femoral shaft straight in anterior and lateral views
- Femoral shaft significantly wider lateromedially than anteroposteriorly (eccentricity 1.58, vs <1.41 in others)
- Oblique fourth trochanter on femur
Species
Meroktenos thabanensis Peyre de Fabrègues & Allain, 2016
Type species
Named for the site Thabana-Morena in Lesotho, where the type specimen was discovered.
- Holotype
- MNHN.F.LES 16 , Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
- Material
- Right femur, incomplete right ilium, left pubis, right metatarsal II.
- Horizon
- lower Elliot Formation, Norian–Rhaetian, Late Triassic , 227.3–201.4 million years ago
- Locality
- Thabana Morena, Mafeteng, Lesotho
References
- Peyre de Fabrègues, C.; Allain, R. (2016). New material and revision of Melanorosaurus thabanensis, a basal sauropodomorph from the Upper Triassic of Lesotho. PeerJ 4: e1639. PeerJ. doi:10.7717/peerj.1639 peyredefabrègues2016a