Hovasaurus boulei (Piveteau 1926, Currie 1981) Late Permian to Early Triassic ~250mya ~50 cm in length was originally considered a tangasaurid younginiform because it is related to the BPI 3859 specimen of Youngina, which is not related to the other Youngina specimens. Here Hovasaurus nested as a sister to Tangasaurus. Derived from a sister to Thadeosaurus, Hovasaurus produced no known descendants, but Claudiosaurus is also a sister.
Distinct from Thadeosaurus, the cervicals were more robust. The torso was shorter and deeper with longer dorsal ribs. The presacral number was 26. Accessory articulations were present on the vertebra. The tail had higher neural spines and deeper chevrons. The chevrons were wider distally.
The scapulocoracoid was larger and the scapula was part of the chest shield. The metarsals were shorter. Pedal digit 5 was longer relative to digit 4.
This genus is known from several specimens in a variety of sizes. A large amount of gravel was found in the belly of most. An animation of tarsus ontogeny is shown below. |
