Hortalotarsus

The type species, Hortalotarsus skirtopodus was named by Harry Seeley in 1894, initially as a species of Thecodontosaurus.[4] The holotype is AM 455,[5] consisting today of only a tibia, fibula and phalanges, although more of the skeleton was initially present, including ribs, possible vertebrae, a possible ilium, a possible femur, a possible scapula and a possible humerus,[4][6] which was discovered by W. H. Wallace in 1888.[7]

According to Robert Broom (1911), "Originally most of the skeleton was in the rock, and it was regarded by the farmers as the skeleton of a Bushman, but it is said to have been destroyed through fear that a Bushman skeleton in the rock might tend to weaken the religious belief of the rising generation."[6] Seeley however, states that most of the skeleton was lost by a failed attempt to free it from the rock by using gunpowder.[4] Some partial leg bones were salvaged.

Hortalotarsus would have been similar to Massospondylus,[8] reaching around 3 metres (9.8 ft) long when fully grown.

Hortalotarsus was subsequently regarded as either a synonym of Massospondylus[5] or a valid genus belonging to Anchisauridae.[9][10] Galton and Cluver (1976) as well as Galton and Upchurch (2004), however, designated this genus a nomen dubium.[8][11]

Today, Hortalotarsus is classified as a member of the Massospondylidae.[8]