Melanorosauridae
Live reconstruction of Melanorosaurus, the eponymous genus
The Melanorosauridae is a group of sauropodomorphen dinosaurs, which was first proposed in 1929 by Friedrich von Huene. This group includes a study by Galton and Upchurch (2004) the genera Melanorosaurus, Riojasaurus, Camelotia and Lessemsaurus. According to this classification, the Melanorosauridae during the Upper Triassic ( Norian to Rhaetian ) would have been spread over the territories of present-day Argentina, England and South Africa. The validity of the group is controversial, as the relationships of the included genera are little known.
Definition, genres and validity
Galton and Upchurch (2004 ) define the Melanorosauridae as all taxa that are more closely related than Melanorosaurus with Anchisaurus. Galton and Upchurch write the group the genera Melanorosaurus, Riojasaurus, Lessemsaurus and Camelotia to. Benton ( 1993), the group also wrote to the originating from the Lower Jurassic of China Lufengosaurus, which is not supported by later studies.
The validity of the group is controversial, as the name Melanorosauridae is not used by many studies. Sereno (2005) considered the group to be invalid, so the group is not well supported by cladistic analyzes, and there was no adequate definition of the group possible. However, Galton and Upchurch, 1990, 2004 and Barrett and Upchurch (2005) consider the Melanorosauridae as valid, monophyletic group.
Features
Galton and Upchurch (2004) give several common features derived at ( synapomorphies ), by which the group is to distinguish them from other groups. These features include a one Dorso - sacral vertebrae with, which is additionally attached to the sacrum; a step-like, S- shaped dorsal edge of the ilium ( ilium ) and various characteristics of the thigh bone (femur) with a - so including the femoral shaft is widened when viewed from behind ( cranio- caudal ) and viewed from the side narrower.
Outer systematics
Galton and Upchurch (2004) summarize the Melanorosauridae and Anchisauridae to a new group, which they call Anchisauria. This group should be more closely related to sauropods than most other traditional known as prosauropods genera formerly Sauropodomorpha as Plateosaurus and Massospondylus.