Coelophysidae

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Coelophysids Fossil range: Triassic-Jurassic
Profile of Coelophysis.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Superfamily: Coelophysoidea Family: Coelophysidae Nopcsa, 1923
Genera
Coelophysis (type) Gojirasaurus Megapnosaurus Podokesaurus Procompsognathus Pterospondylus Segisaurus
Synonyms
Podokesauridae von Huene, 1914 Procompsognathidae Nopcsa, 1923 Segisauridae Camp, 1936

The Coelophysidae are a family of primitive carnivorous theropod dinosaurs. Most species were relatively small in size. The family flourished in the late Triassic and early Jurassic periods.

Under cladistic analysis, Coelophysidae was first defined by Paul Sereno in 1998 as the most recent common ancestor of Coelophysis bauri and Procompsognathus triassicus, and all of that common ancestor's descendants.

Coelophysidae is part of the Superfamily Coelophysoidea. The obsolete term "Podokesauridae", though named 14 years prior to Coelophysidae (which would normally grant it priority), is now usually treated as a junior synonym, since its type specimen was destroyed in a fire and can no longer be compared to new finds. [1]

[edit] Classification

• Family Coelophysidae
  • Gojirasaurus
  • Podokesaurus
  • Pterospondylus
  • Segisaurus
  • Procompsognathus
  • Subfamily Coelophysinae
    • Coelophysis
    • Megapnosaurus (formerly "Syntarsus")

[edit] References

• Taxon Search: Coelophysidae