A rich, Triassic-age assemblage of apparent Gondwanan affinities has been discovered in the Richmond basin of Virginia. PIs will study this assemblage towards three main goals: 1) clarification and documentation of the transition between the synapsid-dominated assemblages of the Middle to early Late Triassic and the archosaur-dominated asssemblages of the Late Triassic along with an analysis of the intimately related Carnian-Norian mass extinctions suggested by literature tabulations; 2) phylogenetic analysis of the new material focusing on eucynodont relationships and the early diversification of the lepidosauromorph diapsids; and 3) understanding the stratigraphic, sedimentologic and taphonomic context of the assemblage. Because excavations so far have been of limited extent and the results thus far so gratifying PIs anticipate the discovery of additional and more diverse material.
