Litumba Ndyosi (NMT Z34) (Triassic of Tanzania)

Also known as Asilisaurus holotype

Where: Ruvuma, Tanzania (10.3° S, 35.1° E: paleocoordinates 53.7° S, 22.9° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Cynognathus subzone C other zone, Lifua Member (Manda Beds Formation), Anisian (247.2 - 242.0 Ma)

• "above the base of the Lifua Member, probably near middle of the member...correlated with Subzone C of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone. This correlation was based on the shared occurrences of the dicynodont Angonisaurus and the cynodonts Diademodon and Cricodon. Subzone C of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone is suggested to be late Anisian. The Rio Mendoza Formation of Argentina correlates with Subzone C of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone(Rubidge 2005), and thus the Lifua Member of the Manda Beds. The top of the Rio Mendoza Formation has been dated at 243 ± 5 Ma (Avila et al. 2006), which is consistent with the Anisian age as predicted by biostratigraphy."

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: "channel"; nodular, gray, green, conglomeratic, calcareous mudstone

• "abandoned tributary channel on a semi-arid floodplain in the axial regions of the Ruhuhu half graben"
• "Most of the bones had weathered out of light greenish-grey mudstone with purple mottles. Most specimens are encased in a thin layer of dark brown weathering calcareous nodular material which is abundant in a 30 cm-thick bed of intraformational clay pebble conglomerate lining the base of the channel form."

Size class: macrofossils

Collected by Nesbitt et al. in 2007

Collection methods: quarrying, surface (float), surface (in situ),

• NMT: National Museum of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam

Primary reference: S. J. Nesbitt, C. A. Sidor, R. B. Irmis, K. D. Angielczyk, R. M. H. Smith and L. A. Tsuji. 2010. Ecologically distinct dinosaurian sister group shows early diversification of Ornithodira. Nature 464:95-98 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 94651: authorized by Richard Butler, entered by Richard Butler on 06.03.2010

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Bivalvia
 Unionida - Unionidae
Unionidae indet. Rafinesque 1820 freshwater mussel
Amphibia
 Temnospondyli -
Osteichthyes
 Therapsida -
Reptilia
 Diapsida -
Archosauriformes indet. Gauthier 1986 archosauromorph
Teeth
 Dinosauromorpha - Silesauridae
Asilisaurus kongwe n. gen. n. sp.
Asilisaurus kongwe n. gen. n. sp. Nesbitt et al. 2010 ornithodiran
NMT RB9 (holotype), dentary. Paratype: anterior cervical vertebra (NMT RB21), L scapulocoracoid (NMT RB10), sacrum (NMT RB11), proximal part of ischium (NMT RB12), ilium (NMT RB13), proximal part of pubis (NMTRB14), anterior part of skull (NMT RB15), proximal part of L humerus (NMT RB16), L astragalus (NMT RB17), R calcaneum (NMT RB18), proximal part of L femur (NMT RB19), R tibia (NMT RB20). Add'l material known; minimum number of individuals is based upon sacra.