Provelosaurus

Provelosaurus
Temporal range: Capitanian, 260Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Procolophonomorpha
Family: †Pareiasauridae
(unranked): Pumiliopareiasauria
Genus: Provelosaurus
Lee, 1997
Type species
Provelosaurus americanus
Araújo, 1985
Synonyms
  • Pareiasaurus americanus Araújo, 1985


Provelosaurus is an extinct Pareiasaur genus of the Late Permian found on the road between Aceguá and Bagé in the Paleorrota, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Found in the Rio do Rasto Formation, aged about 260 million years.The specimen found measures 2.5 meters in length.[1]

Classification

Originally described as a South American representative of the genus Pareiasaurus, it was assigned to a new genus Provelosaurus by Lee (1997), who noted it shows more affinities with the small, highly derived, South African dwarf pareiasaurs (called Pumiliopareiasauria by Jalil & Janvier 2005 ) than with the more typical Pareiasaurus. According to Lee, Provelosaurus bridges the morphological gap between the advanced South African and the more generalized pareiasaurs. So far so good, African and Brazilian fauna often are very similar.

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