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Pseudotetrasauropus jaquesi

Reptilia

Taxonomy

Tetrasauropus jaquesi was named by Ellenberger (1970). It is considered to be a form taxon. It is a trace fossil. Its type locality is Phuthiatsana tracksite (zone A/3), which is in a Norian terrestrial sandstone in the Elliot Formation of Lesotho.

It was recombined as Brachychirotherium jaquesi by Olsen and Galton (1984); it was recombined as Lavinipes jaquesi by D'Orazi Porchetti and Nicosia (2007); it was recombined as Pseudotetrasauropus jaquesi by Ellenberger (1972), Thulborn (1990), Avanzini et al. (2003), Thulborn (2006) and Sciscio et al. (2023).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1970	Tetrasauropus jaquesi Ellenberger p. 345
1972	Pseudotetrasauropus jaquesi Ellenberger p. 66
1984	Brachychirotherium jaquesi Olsen and Galton p. 109
1990	Pseudotetrasauropus jaquesi Thulborn p. 178
2003	Pseudotetrasauropus jaquesi Avanzini et al. p. 187
2006	Pseudotetrasauropus jaquesi Thulborn p. 291 fig. 8
2007	Lavinipes jaquesi D'Orazi Porchetti and Nicosia p. 234
2023	Pseudotetrasauropus jaquesi Sciscio et al. pp. 26-27

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida

Rank	Name	Author
—	Diapsida	()
—	Archosauromorpha	(Huene 1946)
—	Crocopoda
—	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
—	Eucrocopoda
—	Archosauria	()
informal	Avemetatarsalia
—	Ornithodira
—	Dinosauromorpha
—	Dinosauriformes
—	Dinosauria	()
—	Saurischia	()
—	Eusaurischia
—	Sauropodomorpha	(Huene 1932)
—	Bagualosauria
—	Plateosauria	()
—	Anchisauria
—	Prosauropoda	()
genus	Pseudotetrasauropus	Ellenberger 1965
species	jaquesi	()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Pseudotetrasauropus jaquesi Ellenberger 1970

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Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
P. Ellenberger 1972	Cet animal étrange nous avait paru d'abord devoir être rattaché au genre Tetrasauropus. Il apparaît néanmoins ressembler beaucoup plus à Pseudotetrasauropus, et très spécialement à l'espèce augustus comme on le voit par les mensurations du pied. Il n'en diffère que par le talon dont le poids est déporté vers l'extérieur. Et surtout par l'appui de ses larges mains au sol. - PES: Longueur du pied, 480-500 mm (du doigt l, 145 mm; de Il, 170 mm; de Ill, 180 mm; de IV, 185 mm; de V, ? mm; projection de III en avant du bout des doigts latéraux Il-IV, 60 mm). Largeur du pied entre l'extrémité des doigts latéraux, 370 mm. Divarication totale I-IV, 47" (I-II, 18° ; II-III, 20°; III-IV, 19°). Les coussinets de phalanges ne sont visibles que vers l'avant de la trace, lieu où ils émergent de la sole pédieuse (elle-même un peu engluée par des placages argileux). L'arrière du pied est assez peu marqué. Le "talon” nous met en présence d'un plantigrade qui a tendance à faire usage préférentiel des métatarses III et surtout IV depuis le calcaneum (?). - Les doigts médians sont plus étalés que pour P. angustus. - MANUS : La main au contraire, qui a dérapé au sol en atterrissant, tait une large empreinte courte, car seul l'avant paraît avoir marqué le sol. Les 5 doigts y sont visibles, mais surtout Il à V . Longueur de la main, 450 mm+ (du doigt l, 180 mm? de II, 200 mm environ, de III, 180 mm environ; de IV, 160 mm environ; de V, 100 mm environ: projection de III en avant du bout des doigts latéraux Il-IV, 20 mm. Largeur de la main entre I et V: 370 mm. Divarication totale 70° environ. Cette main est régulière, peu spécialisée et d'aspect primitif. Les doigts y paraissent régulièrement espacés y compris le pouce (1). La main bien que différente du pied, quant à son usage, lui ressemble pour la nature et pour les dimensions. - PISTE: Enjambée, 2,26 m (Pas = 1,13 m), Ped. angulatio, 22°, Manus angulatio, 30 à 34°. Ecartement, pes: 0,48 m ; manus 0,85 m. La main qui si est légèrement traînée au sol à la marche semble avoir servi surtout de large balancier à l'extérieur de la piste d'une manière dissymétrique, beaucoup plus loin à droite qu'à gauche (notre figure reproduit le plâtre qui est inversé), - comme s'il y avait eu une résistance à la marche de ce côté (vent? pente? ...).
L. Sciscio et al. 2023	P. jaquesi represents a quadrupedal trackway showing defined heteropody. The pes are large (45–56 cm), longer than wide (PL:PW of 1.0–1.2), with digits arranged in a fan (I^IV of 55°–63°) and displaying separation along distal margin transitioning into a plantar pad with deeper “heel” impression. The latter is an oval, basal pad trace present below digits II–IV along the lateral margin. Pes digit I has a medially oriented claw trace. Manus impressions have a length: width ratio of 0.4–0.5 and lack claw impressions P. jaquesi is a narrow-gauge trackway (TW:PW of 1.5–2.4) with a wide range in pace angulation (99–138°) and ratios in stride length: PL of 3.9–5.0. The pes orientation is roughly parallel to marginally inwardly rotated towards the trackway midline. Manus orientation and placement, relative to the trackway midline, is variable. Trackways show comparable interpes and intermanus distance. P. jaquesi differs from P. bipedoida in the following features: quadrupedal; pes less elongate (PL:PW ratio of 1.0–1.2 compared to 1.2–1.3 in P. bipedoida) and averaging 13.7% larger; wider range in pace angulation (99 to –138° vs. 104–132°) and SL:PL ratios (3.9–5.0 vs. 2.9–3.5 in P. bipedoida, respectively).