Pendraig Milnerae

''Pendraig'' (meaning "chief dragon" in Middle Welsh) is a genus of coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from South Wales. It contains one species, ''Pendraig milnerae'', named after Angela Milner. The specimen was discovered in the Pant-y-Ffynnon quarry. In life it would have measured in length.

History

The holotype of ''Pendraig'' were found in the Pant-y-ffynnon Quarry in Wales in 1952 by Kermack and Robinson along with the holotypes of ''Pantydraco'' and ''Terrestrisuchus'', and were subsequently lost in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London. The fossils were originally thought to belong to a "coelurosaur" (in the outdated sense of the word) and even subsequently classified as a species of "''Syntarsus''" (now ''Megapnosaurus'' or ''Coelophysis''). Recently Angela Milner and Susannah Maidment rediscovered the fossils stored with some crocodile bones (likely ''Terrestrisuchus''). The fossils were named as representing a new genus of theropod in 2021.

Description

The holotype specimen consists of NHMUK PV R 37591, "An articulated vertebral series and pelvic girdle comprising the two posteriormost dorsal vertebrae missing most of the neural spines, the three anteriormost sacral vertebrae and a small fragment of the centrum of the fourth sacral, a complete left ilium, a largely complete left pubis missing the distal end, a left ischium missing most of the distal portion, a largely complete right pubis missing the distal end, and a right ischium missing most of the dorsal and distal portions" a left femur that is from the same individual was found disarticulated from the main block.

Classification

Spiekman ''et al.'' recover ''Pendraig'' as a coelophysoid theropod, in a polytomy with ''Powellvenator'', ''Lucianovenator'', and the clade comprising "''Syntarsus''" ''kayentakatae'' and Coelophysidae. Their analysis is shown below:

Paleoecology

During the Late Triassic, the areas of southwestern Britain ''Pendraig'' was found and lived in consisted of a series of islands made from Carboniferous Limestone that had been folded and pushed upwards. The environment would have been dry forests described as similar to the Cayman Islands. Other taxa known from the Pant-y-Ffynnon quarry that would have lived alongside ''Pendraig'' include the engimatic pseudosuchian ''Aenigmaspina,'' the basal crocodylomorph ''Terrestrisuchus,'' the sauropodomorphs ''Thecodontosaurus'' and ''Pantydraco'', the rhynchocephalians ''Clevosaurus'' and ''Diphydontosaurus,'' and the gliding reptile '' Kuehneosaurus.'' Based on similar patterns on island ecosystems like Cayman Islands and Aldabra, it is likely there were large densities of these species due to a lack of known large predators and competition from other animals.

Due to its island habitat, the small size of ''Pendraig'' may result from insular dwarfism, where animals on islands get smaller to conserve resources. However, due to the specimen being sub-adult, it may or may not be the case.

See Also

* Palaeontology of Wales

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q108810741

Coelophysoids
Late Triassic dinosaurs of Europe
Fossils of Wales
Fossil taxa described in 2021
Paleontology in Wales