Gamatavus
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| Gamatavus Temporal range: Middle Triassic, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria (?) |
| Clade: | †Ornithischia (?) |
| Family: | †Silesauridae |
| Genus: | †Gamatavus Pretto et al., 2022 |
| Species: | †G. antiquus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Gamatavus antiquus Pretto et al., 2022 | |
  | |
| Gamatavus type locality in Dilermando de Aguiar Municipality, Brazil | |
Gamatavus (meaning "Picada do Gama great-grandfather") is a genus of silesaurid dinosauriform from the Middle Triassic Santa Maria Formation of Dilermando de Aguiar Municipality, Brazil. The genus contains a single species, G. antiquus, known from a partial ilium.[1] Gamatavus represents one of the oldest silesaurids known from South America, alongside the roughly coeval Gondwanax.[2]
The Gamatavus holotype specimen, UFSM 11348a, was discovered in the Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone of the Santa Maria Formation ('Picada do Gama' site), dated to the Ladinian–early Carnian stages of the Middle Triassic. It consists of a partial right ilium. A partial left femur and four incomplete vertebrae were found in association with the holotype, but they were not assigned to Gamatavus.[1]
In 2022, Pretto et al. described Gamatavus antiquus as a new genus and species of silesaurid based on these remains. The generic name, "Gamatavus", combines a reference to the type locality (Picada do Gama site) with the Latin word "atavus", meaning "great-grandfather". The specific name, "antiquus", is derived from a Latin word meaning "ancient".[1]
