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''Saturnalia'' is an extinct genus of basal (phylogenetics), basal sauropodomorph dinosaur known from the Triassic, Late Triassic Santa Maria Formation of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil and possibly the Pebbly Arkose Formation, Zimbabwe.
''Saturnalia'' was originally named on the basis of three partial skeletons. The holotype, Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, MCP 3844-PV, a well-preserved semi-Articulation (anatomy), articulated postcranial skeleton, was discovered in mid-summer at Sanga da Alemoa, Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil, in the geopark of Paleorrota. The two paratypes are MCP 3845-PV, partial skeleton including natural cast of partial mandible with teeth and some postcranial remains, and MCP 3846-PV, partial skeleton including postcranial remains. All specimens were collected in the "Wald-Sanga" (also known as "Sanga do Mato") locality from the Alemoa Member of the Santa Maria Formation (Rosário do Sul Group), dating to the Carnian faunal stage of the early Late Triassic, about 228 million years ago. A partial femur from the Carnian Pebbly Arkose Formation of Zimbabwe has been speculated to belong to the genus. It is one of the oldest true dinosaurs yet found. It probably grew to about 1.5 meters (5 ft) long and . A U→Pb (Uranium decay) dating found that the Santa Maria Formation dated around 233.23 million years ago, putting it 1.5 million years older than the Ischigualasto Formation, and making the two formations approximately equal as the earliest dinosaur localities.
''Saturnalia'' was first named by Max C. Langer, Fernando Abdala, Martha Richter, Michael Benton, Michael J. Benton in 1999 in paleontology, 1999 and the type species is ''Saturnalia tupiniquim''. The name of a biological genus, generic name is derived from ''Saturnalia'', Latin for "Carnival", in reference to the discovery of the paratypes during the feasting period. The specific name (zoology), specific name is derived from Portuguese language, Portuguese and Guarani language, Guarani word meaning ''native''.
The primitive nature of ''Saturnalia'', combined with its mixture of sauropodomorph and theropod characteristics, has made it difficult to classify. Paleontologist Max Cardoso Langer and colleagues, in their 1999 description of the genus, assigned it to the Sauropodomorpha.Langer, M.C., Abdala, F., Richter, M., and Benton, M. (1999).
A sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) of southern Brazil.
''Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences'', 329: 511-;517. However, in a 2003 paper, Langer noted that features of its skull and hand were more similar to the theropods, and that ''Saturnalia'' could at best be considered a member of the sauropodomorph "stem-lineage", rather than a true member of that group.Langer, M.C. (2003)
"The pelvic and hind limb anatomy of the stem-sauropodomorph ''Saturnalia tupiniquim'' (Late Triassic, Brazil)"
''PaleoBios'', 23(2): September 15, 2003. José Bonaparte and colleagues, in a 2007 study, found ''Saturnalia'' to be very similar to the primitive saurischian ''Guaibasaurus''. Bonaparte placed the two in the same Family (biology), family, Guaibasauridae. Like Langer, Bonaparte found that these forms may have been primitive sauropodomorphs, or an assemblage of forms close to the common ancestor of the sauropodomorphs and theropods. Overall, Bonaparte found that both ''Saturnalia'' and ''Guaibasaurus'' were more theropod-like than prosauropod-like. However, all more recent cladistic analyses found it to be a very basal (phylogenetics), basal sauropodomorph, possibly guaibasaurid, as the family was found to nest in a basal position within Sauropodomorpha.
Dinosaurs of Rio grande do Sul
{{Taxonbar, from=Q878443 Sauropodomorphs Late Triassic dinosaurs of Africa Fossils of Zimbabwe Late Triassic dinosaurs of South America Late Triassic sauropodomorphs Sauropodomorphs of Africa Sauropodomorphs of South America Triassic Brazil Fossils of Brazil Paleontology in Rio Grande do Sul Fossil taxa described in 1999 Tupi–Guarani languages, tupiniquim
Discovery and naming
''Saturnalia'' was originally named on the basis of three partial skeletons. The holotype, Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, MCP 3844-PV, a well-preserved semi-Articulation (anatomy), articulated postcranial skeleton, was discovered in mid-summer at Sanga da Alemoa, Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil, in the geopark of Paleorrota. The two paratypes are MCP 3845-PV, partial skeleton including natural cast of partial mandible with teeth and some postcranial remains, and MCP 3846-PV, partial skeleton including postcranial remains. All specimens were collected in the "Wald-Sanga" (also known as "Sanga do Mato") locality from the Alemoa Member of the Santa Maria Formation (Rosário do Sul Group), dating to the Carnian faunal stage of the early Late Triassic, about 228 million years ago. A partial femur from the Carnian Pebbly Arkose Formation of Zimbabwe has been speculated to belong to the genus. It is one of the oldest true dinosaurs yet found. It probably grew to about 1.5 meters (5 ft) long and . A U→Pb (Uranium decay) dating found that the Santa Maria Formation dated around 233.23 million years ago, putting it 1.5 million years older than the Ischigualasto Formation, and making the two formations approximately equal as the earliest dinosaur localities.
''Saturnalia'' was first named by Max C. Langer, Fernando Abdala, Martha Richter, Michael Benton, Michael J. Benton in 1999 in paleontology, 1999 and the type species is ''Saturnalia tupiniquim''. The name of a biological genus, generic name is derived from ''Saturnalia'', Latin for "Carnival", in reference to the discovery of the paratypes during the feasting period. The specific name (zoology), specific name is derived from Portuguese language, Portuguese and Guarani language, Guarani word meaning ''native''.
Classification
The primitive nature of ''Saturnalia'', combined with its mixture of sauropodomorph and theropod characteristics, has made it difficult to classify. Paleontologist Max Cardoso Langer and colleagues, in their 1999 description of the genus, assigned it to the Sauropodomorpha.Langer, M.C., Abdala, F., Richter, M., and Benton, M. (1999).A sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) of southern Brazil.
''Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences'', 329: 511-;517. However, in a 2003 paper, Langer noted that features of its skull and hand were more similar to the theropods, and that ''Saturnalia'' could at best be considered a member of the sauropodomorph "stem-lineage", rather than a true member of that group.Langer, M.C. (2003)
"The pelvic and hind limb anatomy of the stem-sauropodomorph ''Saturnalia tupiniquim'' (Late Triassic, Brazil)"
''PaleoBios'', 23(2): September 15, 2003. José Bonaparte and colleagues, in a 2007 study, found ''Saturnalia'' to be very similar to the primitive saurischian ''Guaibasaurus''. Bonaparte placed the two in the same Family (biology), family, Guaibasauridae. Like Langer, Bonaparte found that these forms may have been primitive sauropodomorphs, or an assemblage of forms close to the common ancestor of the sauropodomorphs and theropods. Overall, Bonaparte found that both ''Saturnalia'' and ''Guaibasaurus'' were more theropod-like than prosauropod-like. However, all more recent cladistic analyses found it to be a very basal (phylogenetics), basal sauropodomorph, possibly guaibasaurid, as the family was found to nest in a basal position within Sauropodomorpha.
References
External links
* *Dinosaurs of Rio grande do Sul
{{Taxonbar, from=Q878443 Sauropodomorphs Late Triassic dinosaurs of Africa Fossils of Zimbabwe Late Triassic dinosaurs of South America Late Triassic sauropodomorphs Sauropodomorphs of Africa Sauropodomorphs of South America Triassic Brazil Fossils of Brazil Paleontology in Rio Grande do Sul Fossil taxa described in 1999 Tupi–Guarani languages, tupiniquim