Lotosaurus Re: MARGINOCEPHALIANS and Triassic times

["ekaterina amalitzkaya" <eamalitz@hotmail.com>]

Lotosaurus if I remember correctly is a sail backed form. The edentus skull 
is truely the only point of comparison between the organisms. Unless I am 
grossly mistaken we have no reason to believe that the Chatterjea material 
was fitted with a skull of Shuvosaurus? If yes then the chances that 
Shuvosaurus is a Rauisuchian are very high. However, that is was the nearest 
sister taxon of Lotosaurus is unlikely.  Can any one tell me if there are 
cranial synapomorphies shared by Shuvosaurus and Rauisuchians. The 
endetulous beak of Shuvosaurus however suggests that there was an atavisitic 
developmental pathway in the archosaurs that would be revisited many more 
times in the future.

Just a thought the wide dorsum of the Aetosaur skulls could well occupy a 
dome similar to pachycephalosaur. Are cranial materials known for 
Typothorax?
EA
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