| Coelurosauravus Fossil range: Late Permian | |
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 Coelurosauravus jaekeli | |
| Scientific classification
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Coelurosauravidae | |
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Coelurosauravus is an extinct genus of basal diapsid reptile, with specialized wing-like structures allowing it to glide. These were rod-like structures with skin stretched over them; this features is unique to this genus.
The average length of the specimens was 40 centimeters (16 in) and the body was long and flat, suitable for gliding. The skull was lizard-like with a pointed snout and contained a broad back with a serrated crest, superficially resembling the crests of ceratopsian dinosaurs.[1] It lived during the Permian period in what is now Germany and Madagascar.
History of discovery[]
The only known specimens of Coelurosauravus were collected in 1907-1908 by J.-M. Colcanap, a captain of the French colonial infantry, in southwest Madagascar. The precise location is not known, but it is likely from Mount Eliva near the upstream part of the Sakamena River, a tributary of the Onilahy River. In 1926, the specimens were described by Jean Piveteau as Coelurosauravus elivensis. In 1930 Weigeltisaurus jaekeli was described from specimens Germany. This European species is now known from numerous specimens found in Germany (and one in England), of which some were very well preserved. In 1987, Weigeltisaurus jaekeli was synonymized with Coelurosauravus as a second species, Coelurosauravus jaekeli. However, a 2015 study reinstated Weigeltisaurus as a separate genus for "Coelurosauravus" jaekeli, which has been retained by subsequent authors. In 1979 Robert L. Carroll placed one of the C. elivensis specimens into the new genus and species Daedalosaurus madigascariensis, based on supposed differences with the holotype specimen, but it has subsequently been regarded as not distinct from C. elivensis.
List of specimens[]
- IP 1908-11-21a: Holotype of C. elivensis (Piveteau, 1926). A poorly preserved skull and partial skeleton.
- IP 1908-11-22a: A part and counterpart (IP 1908-11-23a) containing skull fragments and the anterior half of a skeleton.
- IP 1908-5-2: Holotype of Daedalosaurus madagascariensis (Carroll, 1978). A part and counterpart (IP 1908-5-2b) of a partial skeleton including skull pieces and gliding structures.
Description[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ Palmer, D., ed (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 83. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- D.Lambert, D.Naish and E.Wyse 2001, Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life, p.77, Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. ISBN 0-7513-0955-9
- Eberhard Frey, Hans-Dieter Sues, Wolfgang Munk (1997). Gliding Mechanism in the Late Permian Reptile Coelurosauravus. Science Vol. 275. no. 5305, pp. 1450 - 1452 DOI: 10.1126/science.275.5305.1450
