OnStaurikosaums pricei,an early saurischian dinosaur from the Triassic of Brazil,with notes on the Herrerasauridae and Poposauridae

The anatomy of the saurischian dinosaurStaurikosaums pricei Colbert from the Santa Maria Formation (Middle or Upper Triassic) of Rio do Sul, Brazil is redescribed.Staurikosaurus has 9 (or possibly 10) short cervicals, 15 dorsals and 2 sacral vertebrae, a modified brachyiliac pelvic girdle and an elongate hindlimb with the tibia longer than the femur. The new family Staurikosauridae is erected, the Herrerasauridae is redefined, and both families are considered to be Saurischia incertae sedis. The distal part of the “femur” ofPoposaurus gracilis Mehl (Upper Triassic, North America) is the ventral part of the pubes with a footed distal end but, because some members of the Poposauridae have an imperforate acetabulum, this family is transferred from the Saurischia (Theropoda, Carnosauria) to the Thecodontia (Pseudosuchia).