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''Ixalerpeton'' (meaning "leaping reptile") is a genus of Lagerpetidae, lagerpetid Avemetatarsalia, avemetatarsalian containing one species, ''I. polesinensis''. It lived in the Late Triassic of Brazil alongside the sauropodomorpha, sauropodomorph dinosaur ''Buriolestes''.
''Ixalerpeton'' was similar to other lagerpetids (namely ''Dromomeron'' and ''Lagerpeton'') in having long hindlimbs with well-developed muscle attachments on the femur; in particular, its fourth trochanter was quite large and formed a crest (which is unlike ''Dromomeron''). However, the last few vertebral column#regional vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae of ''Ixalerpeton'' do not have the forward-inclining vertebra#structure, neural spines of ''Lagerpeton'' (which were associated with the latter's hopping, or saltatory, lifestyle). In addition to the enlarged fourth trochanter, a suite of other traits differentiate ''Ixalerpeton'' from all previously-described lagerpetids; there is an antitrochanter on the ilium (bone), ilium; the end of the shaft of the ischium is tall; there is no ambiens process on the pubis (bone), pubis; the medial condyle of femur, medial condyle on the femur is relatively flat at the front end but sharply angled at the back end; and the back face of the top end of the tibia has a deep groove.
The head and forelimbs found with ''Ixalerpeton'' are the first of these elements that have been found among lagerpetids. Unlike dinosauriformes, dinosauriforms, the posttemporal fenestra at the back of the skull is large and unreduced; there is an extra bone, the postfrontal, bordering the eye socket; there is no supratemporal fossa, which is an indentation found on the frontal bone in dinosauriforms; and the glenoid cavity on the scapula, where the scapula-humerus joint is located, faces slightly sideways instead of backwards. On the other hand, there is an anterior tympanic recess on the neurocranium, braincase, and the deltopectoral crest on the humerus is long, both of which are common among basal dinosauromorphs.
Discovery and naming
The holotype specimen of ''Ixalerpeton'', numbered ULBRA-PVT059, consists of parts from the skull, vertebral column, and all four limbs. The specimen comes from the Carnian Santa Maria Formation of Brazil, and it was found alongside two individuals of ''Buriolestes'' as well as a set of femora belonging to second individual of ''Ixalerpeton''. The genus name of ''Ixalerpeton'' combines the Greek words ''ixalos'' ("leaping") and ''erpeton'' ("reptile"), and the species name ''polesinensis'' references the town of São João do Polêsine, where the dig site is located.Description
''Ixalerpeton'' was similar to other lagerpetids (namely ''Dromomeron'' and ''Lagerpeton'') in having long hindlimbs with well-developed muscle attachments on the femur; in particular, its fourth trochanter was quite large and formed a crest (which is unlike ''Dromomeron''). However, the last few vertebral column#regional vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae of ''Ixalerpeton'' do not have the forward-inclining vertebra#structure, neural spines of ''Lagerpeton'' (which were associated with the latter's hopping, or saltatory, lifestyle). In addition to the enlarged fourth trochanter, a suite of other traits differentiate ''Ixalerpeton'' from all previously-described lagerpetids; there is an antitrochanter on the ilium (bone), ilium; the end of the shaft of the ischium is tall; there is no ambiens process on the pubis (bone), pubis; the medial condyle of femur, medial condyle on the femur is relatively flat at the front end but sharply angled at the back end; and the back face of the top end of the tibia has a deep groove.
The head and forelimbs found with ''Ixalerpeton'' are the first of these elements that have been found among lagerpetids. Unlike dinosauriformes, dinosauriforms, the posttemporal fenestra at the back of the skull is large and unreduced; there is an extra bone, the postfrontal, bordering the eye socket; there is no supratemporal fossa, which is an indentation found on the frontal bone in dinosauriforms; and the glenoid cavity on the scapula, where the scapula-humerus joint is located, faces slightly sideways instead of backwards. On the other hand, there is an anterior tympanic recess on the neurocranium, braincase, and the deltopectoral crest on the humerus is long, both of which are common among basal dinosauromorphs.
Classification
A 2016 phylogenetic analysis found that ''Ixalerpeton'' was the closest relative of ''Dromomeron''. The phylogenetic tree recovered is partially reproduced below.Paleoecology
Similar to the Ischigualasto Provincial Park, Ischigualasto and Chinle Formation, Chinle Formations, the Santa Maria Formation preserves both ''Ixalerpeton'' (a non-dinosaur avemetatarsalian) and ''Buriolestes'' (a dinosaur). This indicates that dinosaurs did not rapidly replace related groups once they had evolved.References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q27844365 Lagerpetidae Late Triassic archosaurs Carnian genera Late Triassic reptiles of South America Triassic Brazil Fossils of Brazil Santa Maria Formation Fossil taxa described in 2016 Taxa named by Alexander Kellner