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Sphodrosaurus

Sphodrosaurus is an extinct genus of basal archosauriform reptiles from the Late Triassic-aged New Oxford Formation of Pennsylvania. The type species is S. pennsylvanicus, described by Edwin Colbert in 1960. The holotype consists of a partial skeleton including the back of the skull, the vertebral column, all of the ribs, all of the hindlimbs and part of the upper forelimbs; Sphodrosaurus was originally believed to have been a member of the Procolophonidae while more recently Sphodrosaurus was believed to be a basal member of the Diapsida by most authors starting with Sues et al. (1993), or a member of the Rhynchosauria. In 2022, Ezcurra & Sues redescribed the holotype in detail and placed it in a phylogenetic analysis with other Triassic diapsid reptiles, where it was found as the basalmost doswellid.

Last revised
Jun 16, 2026
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Sphodrosaurus
Temporal range: Late Triassic,
~
Fossil
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: †Proterochampsia
Family: †Doswelliidae
Genus: †Sphodrosaurus
Colbert, 1960
Species:
†S. pennsylvanicus
Binomial name
†Sphodrosaurus pennsylvanicus
Colbert, 1960

Sphodrosaurus12 is an extinct genus of basal archosauriform reptiles from the Late Triassic-aged New Oxford Formation (not the Brunswick Formation as initially suggested) of Pennsylvania. The type species is S. pennsylvanicus, described by Edwin Colbert in 1960.3 The holotype (NMN, Franklin and Marshall College 2321; the cast is listed under AMNH 7601) consists of a partial skeleton including the back of the skull, the vertebral column, all of the ribs, all of the hindlimbs and part of the upper forelimbs; Sphodrosaurus was originally believed to have been a member of the Procolophonidae3 while more recently Sphodrosaurus was believed to be a basal member of the Diapsida by most authors starting with Sues et al. (1993),4 or a member of the Rhynchosauria (Baird, 19865). In 2022, Ezcurra & Sues redescribed the holotype in detail and placed it in a phylogenetic analysis with other Triassic diapsid reptiles, where it was found as the basalmost doswellid.6

References

References

  1. "Sphodrosaurus Colbert, 1960". www.gbif.org. GBIF. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  2. "Fossilworks: Sphodrosaurus". fossilworks.org. Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  3. Colbert, E. H. (1960). A New Triassic Procolophonid from Pennsylvania. American Museum Novitates 2022:1-19
  4. Sues, H-D., Baird, D., and Olsen, P.E. (1993). Redescription of Sphodrosaurus pennsylvanicus Colbert, 1960 (Reptilia) and a Reassessment of its Affinities. Annals of Carnegie Museum 62(3):245-253
  5. Baird, D. (1986). Some Upper Triassic reptiles, footprints and an amphibian from New Jersey. The Mosasaur 3:125-153
  6. Ezcurra, Martín D.; Sues, Hans-Dieter (2022-05-13). "A re-assessment of the osteology and phylogenetic relationships of the enigmatic, large-headed reptile Sphodrosaurus pennsylvanicus (Late Triassic, Pennsylvania, USA) indicates archosauriform affinities". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19 (24): 1643–1677. doi:10.1080/14772019.2022.2057820. ISSN 1477-2019. S2CID 248785154.