Buriolestes

A Unique Late Triassic Dinosauromorph Assemblage Reveals Dinosaur Ancestral Anatomy and Diet

Cabreira, S.F., Kellner, A.W.A., Dias-da-Silva, S., Roberto-da-Silva, L., Bronzati, M., Marsola, J.C.A., Müller, R.T., Bittencourt, J.S., Batista, B.J.A., Raugust, T., Carrilho, R., Brodt, A. e Langer, M.C. · Current Biology

Image released alongside the Cabreira et al. (2016) Current Biology paper, showing three Buriolestes schultzi (one preying on a small rhynchosaur) and a pair of Ixalerpeton polesinensis in a Triassic scene, the official reconstruction from the describing team.

Skull of Buriolestes schultzi, official image released by the authors with the Cabreira et al. (2016) Current Biology paper. The slender, recurved serrated teeth were the central evidence for the carnivorous diet of the basal sauropodomorph.

Early evolution of sauropodomorphs: anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of a remarkably well-preserved dinosaur from the Upper Triassic of southern Brazil

Müller, R.T., Langer, M.C., Bronzati, M., Pacheco, C.P., Cabreira, S.F. e Dias-da-Silva, S. · Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

Articulated skull of CAPPA/UFSM 0035 with bones colour-coded, the basis of the anatomical redescription by Müller et al. (2018) in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Complete skeletal reconstruction of Buriolestes, refined by the redescription of CAPPA/UFSM 0035 in Müller et al. (2018), a near-complete skeleton extremely rare among basal sauropodomorphs.

The endocranial anatomy of Buriolestes schultzi (Dinosauria: Saurischia) and the early evolution of brain tissues in sauropodomorph dinosaurs

Müller, R.T., Ferreira, J.D., Pretto, F.A., Bronzati, M. e Kerber, L. · Journal of Anatomy

Figure 1 from Müller et al. (2021): skull of CAPPA/UFSM 0035 in multiple views, the basis for the digital brain reconstruction of Buriolestes by micro-CT.

Figure 2 from Müller et al. (2021): micro-CT brain endocast of Buriolestes, showing small olfactory bulbs and a well-developed cerebellar flocculus, the profile of an active predator.

Gnathovorax cabreirai: a new early dinosaur and the origin and initial radiation of predatory dinosaurs

Pacheco, C., Müller, R.T., Langer, M., Pretto, F.A., Kerber, L. e Dias-da-Silva, S. · PeerJ

Figure 1 from Pacheco et al. (2019): locality and specimen of Gnathovorax cabreirai in the Santa Maria Formation, the same stratigraphic level that yields Buriolestes.

Figure 2 from Pacheco et al. (2019): photographs and reconstruction of the Gnathovorax skull, a comparative reference for anatomical and phylogenetic studies of Buriolestes.

Figure 1: Study area and specimen. (A) Location map of the Marchezan site and the surface distribution of the geologic units in the area. (B) Schematic drawing of CAPPA/UFSM 0009 and associated specimens in the rock block before its final preparation. Silhouette of the associated individuals: (C) herrerasaurid; (D) cynodont/1; (E) rhynchosaur/1; (F) rhynchosaur/2 (collected near to the rock block); (F) cynodont/2. Silhouettes not to scale. (H) Reconstructed skeleton of Gnathovorax cabreirai . Do

Figure 2: Photographs and reconstruction of the skull of CAPPA/UFSM 0009. (A) Right lateral view. (B) Three-dimensional rendering of the skull in right lateral view. (C) Three-dimensional rendering of the skull in left/dorsal lateral view. (D) Schematic drawing in right lateral view. an, angular; anf, antorbital fenestra; d, dentary; emf, external mandibular fenestra; en, external naris; j, jugal; l, lacrimal; m, maxilla; n, nasal; of, oval fenestra; p, parietal; pm, premaxilla; prf, prefrontal;

Figure 3: Photographs of selected skull bones of CAPPA/UFSM 0009. (A) Left maxilla in lateral view. (B) Magnification of the antorbital fossa of the left maxilla. (C) Right dentary in lateral view. anf, antorbital fenestra; cpm, caudal process of the maxilla; dpm, dorsal process of the maxilla; f, foramen; gr, groove; la, lamina; of, oval fenestra; snf, subnarial foramen. Download full-size image DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7963/fig-3

Figure 4: Photographs and reconstruction of the braincase and endocast of CAPPA/UFSM 0009. (A) Braincase in caudal view. (B) Braincase in dorsal view. (C) Braincase in left lateral view. (D) Three-dimensional rendering of the neurocranium in left lateral view with the endocast highlighted. (E) Endocasts of the brain, inner ear, and cranial nerves in dorsal view. (F) Endocasts of the brain, inner ear, and cranial nerves in left lateral view. asc, anterior semicircular canal; atr, anterior tympani

The absence of an invasive air sac system in the earliest dinosaurs suggests multiple origins of vertebral pneumaticity

Aureliano, T., Ghilardi, A.M., Müller, R.T., Kerber, L., Fernandes, M.A., Ricardi-Branco, F. e Wedel, M.J. · Scientific Reports

Figure 1 from Aureliano et al. (2022): Buriolestes vertebrae in lateral view, with neurovascular foramina that do not penetrate the bony cortex, showing the absence of invasive pneumaticity.

Figure 2 from Aureliano et al. (2022): micro-CT slices showing dense apneumatic bone architecture in Buriolestes, the basis for the multiple-origins hypothesis of vertebral pneumaticity.

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An unusually robust specimen attributed to Buriolestes schultzi (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil

Moro, D., Kerber, L., Müller, R.T. e Pretto, F.A. · The Anatomical Record

Standard skeletal reconstruction of Buriolestes, comparative reference for the robust Piche site specimen described by Moro et al. (2024), about twice the typical body mass.

Size comparison of Buriolestes. Moro et al. (2024) report the first specimen outside the type locality at ~15 kg, widening the known intraspecific variation.

A Basal Dinosaur from the Dawn of the Dinosaur Era in Southwestern Pangaea

Martínez, R.N., Sereno, P.C., Alcober, O.A., Colombi, C.E., Renne, P.R., Montañez, I.P. e Currie, B.S. · Science

Mounted skeleton of Eodromaeus murphi at Paul Sereno's lab (University of Chicago), co-author of the original description in Martínez et al. (2011, Science). Direct comparative context for Buriolestes, which represents the ancestral carnivorous condition of the sauropodomorph lineage.

Life reconstruction of the head and neck of Eodromaeus murphi (sculpted by Tyler Keillor under Paul Sereno's direction), based on the holotype described in Martínez et al. (2011, Science). Cephalic morphology of a small agile predator, analogous to that of Buriolestes.

Osteology of Eoraptor lunensis (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha)

Sereno, P.C., Martínez, R.N. e Alcober, O.A. · Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

Skeleton of the Eoraptor lunensis holotype (PVSJ 512), the basis of the detailed osteology published by Sereno et al. (2013) in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Image from the first author's lab. It is the closest sister taxon to Buriolestes in several phylogenetic analyses.

Skull of the Eoraptor lunensis holotype (PVSJ 512) after preparation, the central piece of the detailed osteology by Sereno et al. (2013). The mixed theropod and sauropodomorph dentition is the direct comparative reference for the serrated teeth of Buriolestes.

New stem-sauropodomorph (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Triassic of Brazil

Cabreira, S.F., Schultz, C.L., Bittencourt, J.S., Soares, M.B., Fortier, D.C., Silva, L.R. e Langer, M.C. · Naturwissenschaften

Skeletal reconstruction of Pampadromaeus barberenai (ULBRA-PVT016), a basal sauropodomorph from the Santa Maria Formation described by Cabreira et al. (2011) in Naturwissenschaften, five years before Buriolestes.

Life reconstruction of Pampadromaeus barberenai, Brazilian basal sauropodomorph fauna preceding Buriolestes and an unavoidable comparative baseline for later studies.

A new early dinosaur (Saurischia: Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic of Argentina: a reassessment of dinosaur origin and phylogeny

Ezcurra, M.D. · Journal of Systematic Palaeontology

Skeletal reconstruction of Chromogisaurus novasi, the basal sauropodomorph from Argentina described by Ezcurra (2010) in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, basis for the definition of Guaibasauridae.

Skeletal reconstruction of Saturnalia tupiniquim, included by Ezcurra (2010) in the phylogenetic review that reorganised the earliest South American sauropodomorphs, an analytical basis reused in Buriolestes studies.

The anatomy and phylogenetic position of the Triassic dinosaur Staurikosaurus pricei Colbert, 1970

Bittencourt, J.S. e Kellner, A.W.A. · Zootaxa

Skeletal reconstruction of Staurikosaurus pricei, the Brazilian herrerasaurid redescribed by Bittencourt and Kellner (2009) in Zootaxa, part of the fauna co-occurring with Buriolestes in the Santa Maria Formation.

Life reconstruction of Staurikosaurus pricei, a basal saurischian from the Santa Maria Formation contemporary with Buriolestes and a direct anatomical comparison for pelvic and postcranial elements.

Endocast of the Late Triassic (Carnian) dinosaur Saturnalia tupiniquim: implications for the evolution of brain tissue in Sauropodomorpha

Bronzati, M., Rauhut, O.W.M., Bittencourt, J.S. e Langer, M.C. · Scientific Reports

Figure 1 from Bronzati et al. (2017): Saturnalia tupiniquim and its endocast, the first reconstructed for a Carnian dinosaur and the direct comparative reference for Buriolestes.

Figure 2 from Bronzati et al. (2017): simplified Archosauriformes phylogeny with comparative endocasts, the evolutionary context for brain morphology later applied by Müller et al. (2021) to Buriolestes.

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Review of the fossil record of early dinosaurs from South America, and its phylogenetic implications

Novas, F.E., Agnolin, F.L., Ezcurra, M.D., Müller, R.T., Martinelli, A.G. e Langer, M.C. · Journal of South American Earth Sciences

Sauropodomorph phylogenetic tree, a framework comparable to the one used by Novas et al. (2021) in their South American review of early dinosaurs, in which Buriolestes appears as a basal sauropodomorph.

Comparative sizes of South American herrerasaurids, part of the Carnian fossil record reviewed by Novas et al. (2021) and a direct comparison point for the small Buriolestes.

A new hypothesis of dinosaur relationships and early dinosaur evolution

Baron, M.G., Norman, D.B. e Barrett, P.M. · Nature

Pelvic modifications in Saurischia and Ornithischia, diagram illustrating the traditional division challenged by the Ornithoscelida hypothesis of Baron et al. (2017) in Nature.

Herrerasaurus, a basal saurischian used in the analyses of Baron et al. (2017). In the traditional scenario it stays in Saurischia alongside Buriolestes, which archives characters of the common ancestor of the lineage.

Figure 1: Phylogenetic relationships of early dinosaurs.

Figure 2: Skeletal anatomy of ornithoscelidans.

A new dinosaur (Saurischia: Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic of Brazil provides insights on the evolution of sauropodomorph body plan

Pretto, F.A., Langer, M.C. e Schultz, C.L. · Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

Skeletal reconstruction of Bagualosaurus agudoensis, the Santa Maria Formation sauropodomorph described by Pretto et al. (2019), an intermediate stage between the carnivorous Buriolestes and derived herbivorous sauropodomorphs.

Life reconstruction of Bagualosaurus agudoensis, contemporary with Buriolestes and a key piece of the carnivore-to-herbivore dietary transition in Sauropodomorpha documented by Pretto et al. (2019).