Candelaria barbouri (Cisneros et al. 2004) Ladinian, Middle Triassic, ~235 mya was originally and correctly nested as a sister taxon to Owenetta and Sauropareion. However, these taxa are not sisters to Procolophon and Anthodon, as originally reported. Candelaria is basal to Barasaurus.
Distinct from Owenetta, the skull of Candelaria has a new and autapomorphic upper lateral temporal fenestra which in Paliguana merges with the ventrally open lateral temporal fenestra. Furthermore, Paliguana has an upper temporal fenestra, so Candelaria provides insight into the sequence of morphological events leading toward that reduction in temporal bone. In Candelaria the posterior indentation of the skull was reduced and the jugal was more robust. |
