The redescription of Malerisaurus robinsonae (Archosauromorpha: Allokotosauria) from the Upper Triassic lower Maleri Formation, Pranhita‐Godavari Basin, India

Abstract

Allokotosauria, a clade of non‐archosauriform archosauromorphs with a broad diversity of body plans, plays a crucial role in better understanding the evolutionary history of early diverging stem‐archosaurs. Here we provide a detailed redescription of Malerisaurus robinsonae, a malerisaurine allokotosaur from the middle Carnian—lowermost Norian lower Maleri Formation, Pranhita‐Godavari Basin, India. The new anatomical information available from recently discovered and well‐preserved skeletons of various allokotosaurs, such as Azendohsaurus madagaskarensis, Shringasaurus indicus, Puercosuchus traverorum, and Malerisaurus‐like taxa, and their comparison with Malerisaurus robinsonae enriches our understanding of the anatomy of this species. To reassess the phylogenetic relationships of Malerisaurus robinsonae, we revised its scorings and included eight additional allokotosaurian species to the already most comprehensive phylogenetic dataset focused on Permo‐Triassic archosauromorphs. We modified 70 scorings for Malerisaurus robinsonae and the new analysis recovered this species at the base of Malerisaurinae and this group as the earliest branch of Azendohsauridae. Pamelaria dolichotrachela is found as the earliest diverging non‐malerisaurine azendohsaurid and sister taxon to the Shringasaurus indicus + Azendohsaurus spp. clade. Trilophosaurid interrelationships are well resolved, with Teraterpeton hrynewichorum, Coelodontognathus ricovi, and Rutiotomodon tytthos as their successive earliest‐branching species. The position of Anisodontosaurus greeri as a sister taxon to Variodens inopinatus bolsters long ghost lineages in the Late Triassic trilophosaurid record. A disparity analysis of tooth crown morphology shows that Allokotosauria is the most disparate Permo‐Triassic archosauromorph clade, exploring the almost complete range of basic crown morphologies. Trilophosaurids occupy an area of the dental morphospace unique among archosauromorphs.