Abstract
The Late Triassic (Norian) outcrops of the Malmros Klint Formation, Jameson Land (Greenland) have yielded numerous specimens of non-sauropod sauropodomorphs. Relevant fossils were briefly reported in 1994 and were assigned to Plateosaurus trossingensis. However, continuous new findings of early non-sauropod sauropodomorphs around the globe facilitate comparisons and allow us to now revise this material. Here, the non-sauropod sauropodomorph Issi saaneq gen. et sp. nov. is described based on two almost complete and articulated skulls. The two skulls represent a middle-stage juvenile and a late-stage juvenile or subadult. Issi saaneq differs from all other sauropodomorphs by several unique traits: (1) a small foramen at the medial surface of the premaxilla; (2) an anteroposteriorly elongated dorsoposterior process of the squamosal; (3) a relatively high quadrate relative to rostrum height; (4) a well-developed posterodorsal process of the articular. These features cannot be explained by taphonomy, ontogeny, or intraspecific variation. Issi saaneq shows affinities to Brazilian plateosaurids and the European Plateosaurus, being recovered as the sister clade of the latter in our phylogenetic analysis. It is the northernmost record of a Late Triassic sauropodomorph, and a new dinosaur species erected for Greenland. Issi saaneq broadens our knowledge about the evolution of plateosaurid sauropodomorphs.
Highlights
The non-sauropod sauropodomorph Plateosaurus engelhardti [1], was the first dinosaur to be named outside the UK [2]
The Greenland sauropodomorphs were recovered from rocks of similar age to the central European Plateosaurus [28], age separation provides no additional argument for the validity of a separate taxon
Both described skulls suffered some degree of taphonomic deformation, but this degree is not sufficient to explain the differences observed between the Greenland specimens and other sauropodomorphs
Summary
The non-sauropod sauropodomorph Plateosaurus engelhardti [1], was the first dinosaur to be named outside the UK [2]. Numerous specimens were since assigned to the genus Plateosaurus, and new species proposed Such is the case of Plateosaurus ingens [3], formerly Gresslyosaurus ingens [4], Plateosaurus erlenbergiensis [5], Plateosaurus gracilis [2], formerly Sellosaurus gracilis [6], and Plateosaurus trossingensis [7]. The validity of these specimens has been debated over the last few decades, with one main alternative of Plateosaurus classification being the most accepted. Galton, [13] proposed that the specimen SMNS 13200, a complete skeleton including cranial and post-cranial material, assigned to Pl. trossingensis, should be the neotype of Plateosaurus, which was accepted by the decision of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature [14]
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