. Breviora. 1971 LUPEROSUCHUS SKULL proterosuchians in various regards, such as the large size and incised nature of the antorbital fenestra, probable absence of a parietal foramen, and the apparent beginning of the pseudosuchian development of an otic notch. More reasonable is assignment to the Rauisuchidae (or Prestosuchidae), a family of large but rela- tively primitive Middle Triassic thecodonts, first seriously studied by Reig (1961). Included here may be such forms as Ticinosii- chiis from the European Anisian (Krebs, 1965), Fenhosuchus and, doubtfully, Shansisiichus from China (Young, 1
. Breviora. 1971 LUPEROSUCHUS SKULL proterosuchians in various regards, such as the large size and incised nature of the antorbital fenestra, probable absence of a parietal foramen, and the apparent beginning of the pseudosuchian development of an otic notch. More reasonable is assignment to the Rauisuchidae (or Prestosuchidae), a family of large but rela- tively primitive Middle Triassic thecodonts, first seriously studied by Reig (1961). Included here may be such forms as Ticinosii- chiis from the European Anisian (Krebs, 1965), Fenhosuchus and, doubtfully, Shansisiichus from China (Young, 1964), Stcigo- nosuchus (Huene, 1938), and Mandasuchus from the Manda beds of East Africa. The presence of rauisuchids in the Middle Triassic of South America is well attested by the presence of Rauisiichiis and Prestosuclms from the Santa Maria of Brasil and Saiirosuchus of the Middle Triassic Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina. The material of Liiperosuchus is too fragmentary to warrant any extended discussion of rauisuchid relationships. Are they, as Reig believes (1970, fig. 10), a side branch from a somewhat advanced pseudosuchian stock, or could they have progressed in parallel fashion from the proterosuchian base of the Thecodontia? Are they a sterile group, without descendants, or could they be related to the ancestry of certain of the later saurischians, the Prosauropoda (Palaeopoda) or, more especially, ancestral Sauro- poda? It is possible that Dr. SilFs current studies of Saurosuchus will shed light on rauisuchid relationships. Dermal scutes. In two instances we found in the Chanares region large scutes not definitely associated with other identifiable skeletal remains (Fig. 4). They are too large to be attributed to any of the other (and much smaller) thecodonts present in our. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfect
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