232.
Post-Triassic theropod, sauropodomorph, and ornithischian dinosaurs are readily recognized based on the set of traits that
typically characterize each of these groups. On the contrary, most of the early members of those lineages lack such specializations,
but share a range of generalized traits also seen in more basal dinosauromorphs. Here, we report on a new Late Triassic dinosaur
from the Santa Maria Formation of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. The specimen comprises the disarticulated partial skeleton
of a single individual, including most of the skull bones. Based on four phylogenetic analyses, the new dinosaur fits consistently
on the sauropodomorph stem, but lacks several typical features of sauropodomorphs, showing dinosaur plesiomorphies together
with some neotheropod traits. This is not an exception among basal dinosaurs, the early radiation of which is characterized
by a mosaic pattern of character acquisition, resulting in the uncertain phylogenetic placement of various early members of
the group.
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