Langobardisaurus
Name:
Langobardisaurus
(Lombardy lizard).
Phonetic: Lang-oh-bard-e-sore-us.
Named By: S. Renesto - 1994.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Archosauromorpha, Prolacertiformes, Prolacertidae.
Species: L. pandolfii
(type). L. rossii and L. tonelloi
are still sometimes mentioned though these might not be valid, refer
to main text for details.
Diet: Insectivore?
Size: Roughly around 40 centimetres long
including the tail, depending upon the species.
Known locations: Austria - Seefeld Formation,
Italy - Zorzino Limestone Formation.
Time period: Norian/Rhaetian of the Triassic.
Fossil representation: Few individuals, ranging
from partial to complete specimens.
Langobardisaurus
was a small prolacertid reptile that was very lightly built. The rear
legs can be clearly seen to be much longer than the fore legs, and
while a quadrupedal pose may have been more usual when resting, a
bipedal stance would have been easily possible when running or rearing
up searching for food. These rear legs and light build have led to
plausible suggestions that Langobardisaurus would
have been a very fast
runner, either pursuing small creatures, or evading predators.
The orbit of the skull is large, indicating that Langobardisaurus
had good eyesight and was visually orientated when searching for food.
The
dental arrangement of Langobardisaurus is very
interesting as there are
three arrangements of the teeth. The teeth of the premaxilla at the
front of the mouth are conical and actually point out forwards at a
slight downward curve. It’s perceivable that this tooth arrangement
may have been a form of ‘scraper’. The teeth immediately behind
them are also conical but in a more usual up/down arrangement and would
have been suitable for piercing the bodies of small animals like
insects. Finally the teeth behind these were lower and with multiple
cusps, and these were probably the main processing teeth before food
was swallowed.
A
2002 study by S. Renesto, F. M. Dalla Vecchia and D. Peter
looked at the varied dentition and bipedal stance and considered that
Langobardisaurus may have been herbivorous, using
its additional
reach and forward facing teeth to snip of vegetation. An alternative
proposition though would be that Langobardisaurus
was an insectivore.
In this scenario the forward face of the premaxilla could have been
used to root out insects and grubs from crevices in rocks, plants or
even the ground. Once found, prey could have been killed by the
larger conical teeth in the anterior portion of the mouth before the
hard shells were ground and broken up by the small teeth of the rear.
The long neck would have still been used for additional reach, but
this time into areas where the body could not pass through to pursue
prey. An insectivorous diet would also support the light weight build
and long legs additionally validating the need for speed and agility.
In
2013 a new specimen of Langobardisaurus was
found in Austria, the
first known occurrence of the genus outside of Italy. A subsequent
revision of this specimen (Saller, Renesto & Dalla
Vecchia, 2013) included a revision of other specimens which also
postulated that the species L. tonelloi is
actually the same as the
type species P. pandolfii, and therefore should
be a synonym of the
type species. A second species named L. rossii
was also considered
to actually be a different kind of reptile, probably a
rhynchocephalian.
If this is also correct then this would make the
type species P. pandolfii the only valid species
within the genus.
Further reading
- A new prolacertiform reptile from the Late Triassic of northern
Italy. - Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia
100(2):285-306 - S. Renesto - 1994.
- Un nuovo rettile (Reptilia, Prolacertiformes) dal Norico di
Preone (Udine, Italia Nordorientale). Nota preliminare [A new
reptile (Reptilia, Prolacertiformes) from the Norian of Preone
(Udine, N.E. Italy). Preliminary Note]. - Gortania -
Atti del Museo Friulano di Storia Naturale 16 (1994):67-76 -
F. Bizzarini and G. Muscio - 1995.
- Preliminary note on a specimen of Prolacertiformes (Reptilia)
from the Norian (Late Triassic) of Preone (Udine,
north-eastern Italy). - Gortania - Atti del Museo Friulano
di Storia Naturale 18:33-40 - G. Muscio - 1997.
- Morphological evidence for bipedalism in the Late Triassic
Prolacertiform reptile Langobardisaurus -
Senckembergiana Lethaea
82(1): 95-106 - S. Renesto, F. M. Dalla Vecchia
& D. Peters - 2002.
- A revision of Langobardisaurus rossii Bizzarini
and Muscio, 1995
from the Late Triassic of Friuli (Italy) - Rivista di
Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 113(2): 191-201 - S.
Renesto & F. M. Dalla Vecchia - 2007.
- First record of Langobardisaurus (Diapsida,
Protorosauria)
from theNorian (Late Triassic) of Austria, and a revision of the
genus - Neues Jahrbuch f�r Geologie end Pal�ontologie-Abhandlungen
268 (1): 89–95 - Franco Saller, Silvio Renesto
& Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia - 2013.
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