Sobral, G., Sues, H.-D., and J. Müller. 2015. Anatomy of the enigmatic reptile Elachistosuchus
huenei Janensch, 1949 (Reptilia: Diapsida) from the
Upper Triassic of Germany and its relevance for the
origin of Sauria. PLoS ONE 10(9): e0135114.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0135114
Abstract - The holotype and only known specimen of the enigmatic small reptile Elachistosuchus huenei
Janensch, 1949 from the Upper Triassic (Norian) Arnstadt Formation of Saxony-Anhalt
(Germany) is redescribed using μCT scans of the material. This re-examination revealed
new information on the morphology of this taxon, including previously unknown parts of the
skeleton such as the palate, braincase, and shoulder girdle. Elachistosuchus is diagnosed
especially by the presence of the posterolateral process of the frontal, the extension of the
maxillary tooth row to the posterior margin of the orbit, the free posterior process of the
jugal, and the notched anterior margin of the interclavicle. Phylogenetic analyses using two
recently published character-taxon matrices recovered conflicting results for the phylogenetic
position of Elachistosuchus–either as an archosauromorph, as a lepidosauromorph or
as a more basal, non-saurian diapsid. These different placements highlight the need of a
thorough revision of critical taxa and new character sets used for inferring neodiapsid
relationships.