Prolacerta broomi Parrington 1935

PROLACERTA BROOMI PARRINGTON, 1935

Diagnosis. Distinguished by the presence of septomaxillae, conspicuous posterolateral exposure of the lacrimal duct openings (condition unknown in some other possibly related taxa, e.g. Protorosaurus), absence of postparietals, and by extensive contact between the surangular and the prearticular in the articular region of the mandibular ramus.

Holotype. UMZC 2003.40, a partial skull and mandible.

Material examined. BP/1/471 (holotype of subjective junior synonym Pricea longiceps Broom & Robinson, 1948), a complete skull with attached mandible; BP/1/ 2675, a nearly complete skull, now mostly disarticulated, with postcranial skeleton; BP/1/4504a, a skull of a small individual; BP/1/5066, a partial, flattened skull; BP/1/5375, a skull, complete from mid-snout to occiput with accompanying portions of the mandible; UCMP 37151, a complete skull with articulated cervical vertebrae.

Horizon and geographical provenance. Prolacerta is currently known only from the Lower Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone (Beaufort Group) of South Africa (Groenewald & Kitching, 1995) and correlative strata of the Fremouw Formation in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica (Colbert, 1987). The holotype of P. broomi came from Harrismith Commonage, Harrismith District, Free State, South Africa. The specimens used in this study were collected from the following South African localities: BP/1/471, Honingkrans (Hueningkrans), Burgersdorp District; BP/1/ 2675, Harrismith Commonage; BP/1/4504a, Fairydale, Bethulie District; BP/1/5066, Queen’s Hill, Harrismith District; BP/1/5375, Rietport, Dewetsdorp District; UCMP 37151, Big Bank, Harrismith District (UCMP locality V36115).