Trialestes

Trialestes is an extinct genus of Late Triassic (Carnian) crocodylomorphs that lived in South America. It has been classified as a dinosaur in the past due it being adapted as a terrestrial, running carnivore. It is classified in Sphenosuchia, which were early relatives of crocodylians. Irmis, Nesbitt and Sues (2013) noted that some of the material referred to this taxon is actually dinosaurian; however, according to the authors, the holotype specimen PVL 2561, found in the Cancha de Bochas Member of the Ischigualasto Formation in the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin in northwestern Argentina, "comprises a single individual that preserves unambiguous crocodylomorph synapomorphies", indicating it is indeed a crocodylomorph, and one of the referred specimens, PVL 3889, does share one or more autapomorphies with the holotype, indicating it represents the same taxon.^[1] The type species, T. romeri, was named in 1963.^[2]

Trialestes Temporal range: Carnian ~235.0–221.5 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skull illustration
Skeletal diagram showcasing what is preserved of both specimens, known bones in white
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Crocodylomorpha
Genus:	†Trialestes Bonaparte, 1982
Species:	†T. romeri
Binomial name
†Trialestes romeri Reig, 1963
Synonyms
Triassolestes Reig, 1963