Anatomy and systematics of the prosauropod dinosaurThecodontosaurus antiquusfrom the upper Triassic of southwest England

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Abstract
Re-examination of the surviving specimens of Thecodontosaurus antiquus indicates that this plesiomorphic sauropodomorph can be diagnosed on the basis of elongate basipterygoid processes, a relatively short dentary, and a squared posterior process of the ilium. Although much of the original topotype material found in the 1830s in Bristol, England, has now been lost, some 245 specimens remain. These indicate a small, gracile prosauropod, up to 2.5 m in length, distinguished primarily on the absence of derived characters seen in other prosauropods. Although attempts were formerly made to subdivide the Bristol specimens into several dinosaurian, and other, taxa, most appear to pertain to the prosauropod Thecodontosaurus antiquus. The specimens do indicate a clear separation into two morphs, a gracile and a robust form, presumably evidence of sexual dimorphism. A juvenile Thecodontosaurus sp. from South Wales may belong to the same species. A cladistic analysis indicates that Prosauropoda is probably ...

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