Protecovasaurus is a genus of archosaurian reptile from the Late Triassic Tecovas Formation of the southwestern United States. It was initially described as a basal ornithischian dinosaur, but was redescribed as a non-dinosaurian archosaur by Irmis et al. (2006). The type species, Protecovasaurus lucasi, was formally described by Andrew B. Heckert in 2004.

Protecovasaurus
Temporal range: Late Triassic, 221.5–212 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Diapsida
Clade: incertae sedis
Genus: Protecovasaurus
Heckert, 2004
Species
  • P. lucasi Heckert, 2004 (type)

Its name, Protecovasaurus, means "before Tecovasaurus". Tecovas was the formation the holotype specimen was found in.

References

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  • Heckert, A. B. (2004). Late Triassic microvertebrates from the lower Chinle Group (Otischalkian-Adamanian: Carnian), southwestern U.S.A. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 27, 170 p.
  • Irmis, R.B., Parker, W.G., Nesbitt, S.J., and Liu, J. (2006). Early ornithischian dinosaurs: the Triassic record. Historical Biology, 19(1):3-22.
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