1
|
Beeston SL, Poropat SF, Mannion PD, Pentland AH, Enchelmaier MJ, Sloan T, Elliott DA. Reappraisal of sauropod dinosaur diversity in the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia, through 3D digitisation and description of new specimens. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17180. [PMID: 38618562 PMCID: PMC11011616 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Skeletal remains of sauropod dinosaurs have been known from Australia for over 100 years. Unfortunately, the classification of the majority of these specimens to species level has historically been impeded by their incompleteness. This has begun to change in the last 15 years, primarily through the discovery and description of several partial skeletons from the Cenomanian-lower Turonian (lower Upper Cretaceous) Winton Formation in central Queensland, with four species erected to date: Australotitan cooperensis, Diamantinasaurus matildae, Savannasaurus elliottorum, and Wintonotitan wattsi. The first three of these appear to form a clade (Diamantinasauria) of early diverging titanosaurs (or close relatives of titanosaurs), whereas Wintonotitan wattsi is typically recovered as a distantly related non-titanosaurian somphospondylan. Through the use of 3D scanning, we digitised numerous specimens of Winton Formation sauropods, facilitating enhanced comparison between type and referred specimens, and heretofore undescribed specimens. We present new anatomical information on the holotype specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae, and describe new remains pertaining to twelve sauropod individuals. Firsthand observations and digital analysis enabled previously proposed autapomorphic features of all four named Winton Formation sauropod species to be identified in the newly described specimens, with some specimens exhibiting putative autapomorphies of more than one species, prompting a reassessment of their taxonomic validity. Supported by a specimen-level phylogenetic analysis, we suggest that Australotitan cooperensis is probably a junior synonym of Diamantinasaurus matildae, but conservatively regard it herein as an indeterminate diamantinasaurian, meaning that the Winton Formation sauropod fauna now comprises three (rather than four) valid diamantinasaurian species: Diamantinasaurus matildae, Savannasaurus elliottorum, and Wintonotitan wattsi, with the latter robustly supported as a member of the clade for the first time. We refer some of the newly described specimens to these three species and provide revised diagnoses, with some previously proposed autapomorphies now regarded as diamantinasaurian synapomorphies. Our newly presented anatomical data and critical reappraisal of the Winton Formation sauropods facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the mid-Cretaceous sauropod palaeobiota of central Queensland.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L. Beeston
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland, Australia
| | - Stephen F. Poropat
- Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Science, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Philip D. Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adele H. Pentland
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland, Australia
- Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Science, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Trish Sloan
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland, Australia
| | - David A. Elliott
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Aureliano T, Ghilardi AM, Müller RT, Kerber L, Fernandes MA, Ricardi-Branco F, Wedel MJ. The origin of an invasive air sac system in sauropodomorph dinosaurs. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:1084-1092. [PMID: 36971057 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
One of the most remarkable features in sauropod dinosaurs relates to their pneumatized skeletons permeated by a bird-like air sac system. Many studies described the late evolution and diversification of this trait in mid to late Mesozoic forms but few focused on the origin of the invasive respiratory diverticula in sauropodomorphs. Fortunately, it is possible to solve this thanks to the boom of new species described in the last decade as well as the broad accessibility of new technologies. Here we analyze the unaysaurid sauropodomorph Macrocollum itaquii from the Late Triassic (early Norian) of southern Brazil using micro-computed tomography. We describe the chronologically oldest and phylogenetically earliest unambiguous evidence of an invasive air sac system in a dinosaur. Surprisingly, this species presented a unique pattern of pneumatization in non-sauropod sauropodomorphs, with pneumatic foramina in posterior cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae. This suggests that patterns of pneumatization were not cladistically consistent prior to the arrival of Jurassic eusauropods. Additionally, we describe the protocamerae tissue, a new type of pneumatic tissue with properties of both camellae and camerae. This reverts the previous hypothesis which stated that the skeletal pneumatization first evolved into camarae, and derived into delicate trabecular arrangements. This tissue is evidence of thin camellate-like tissue developing into larger chambers. Finally, Macrocollum is an example of the gradual evolution of skeletal tissues responding to the fastly specializing Respiratory System of saurischian dinosaurs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tito Aureliano
- Institute of Geosciences, University of Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, Brazil
- Diversity, Ichnology and Osteohistology Laboratory (DINOlab), Department of Geology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (URFN), Natal, Brazil
- Laboratório de Paleoecologia e Paleoicnologia (LPP), Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva (DEBE), Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Aline M Ghilardi
- Diversity, Ichnology and Osteohistology Laboratory (DINOlab), Department of Geology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (URFN), Natal, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo T Müller
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta Colônia (CAPPA), Federal University of Santa Maria (CAPPA/UFSM), São João do Polêsine, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Kerber
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta Colônia (CAPPA), Federal University of Santa Maria (CAPPA/UFSM), São João do Polêsine, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil
| | - Marcelo A Fernandes
- Laboratório de Paleoecologia e Paleoicnologia (LPP), Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva (DEBE), Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil
| | | | - Mathew J Wedel
- College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and College of Podiatric Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Labonte D, Bishop PJ, Dick TJM, Clemente CJ. Dynamic similarity and the peculiar allometry of maximum running speed. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2181. [PMID: 38467620 PMCID: PMC10928110 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46269-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal performance fundamentally influences behaviour, ecology, and evolution. It typically varies monotonously with size. A notable exception is maximum running speed; the fastest animals are of intermediate size. Here we show that this peculiar allometry results from the competition between two musculoskeletal constraints: the kinetic energy capacity, which dominates in small animals, and the work capacity, which reigns supreme in large animals. The ratio of both capacities defines the physiological similarity index Γ, a dimensionless number akin to the Reynolds number in fluid mechanics. The scaling of Γ indicates a transition from a dominance of muscle forces to a dominance of inertial forces as animals grow in size; its magnitude defines conditions of "dynamic similarity" that enable comparison and estimates of locomotor performance across extant and extinct animals; and the physical parameters that define it highlight opportunities for adaptations in musculoskeletal "design" that depart from the eternal null hypothesis of geometric similarity. The physiological similarity index challenges the Froude number as prevailing dynamic similarity condition, reveals that the differential growth of muscle and weight forces central to classic scaling theory is of secondary importance for the majority of terrestrial animals, and suggests avenues for comparative analyses of locomotor systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Labonte
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Peter J Bishop
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Taylor J M Dick
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Christofer J Clemente
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Poropat SF, Mannion PD, Rigby SL, Duncan RJ, Pentland AH, Bevitt JJ, Sloan T, Elliott DA. A nearly complete skull of the sauropod dinosaur Diamantinasaurus matildae from the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Australia and implications for the early evolution of titanosaurs. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221618. [PMID: 37063988 PMCID: PMC10090887 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs were diverse and abundant throughout the Cretaceous, with a global distribution. However, few titanosaurian taxa are represented by multiple skeletons, let alone skulls. Diamantinasaurus matildae, from the lower Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia, was heretofore represented by three specimens, including one that preserves a braincase and several other cranial elements. Herein, we describe a fourth specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae that preserves a more complete skull-including numerous cranial elements not previously known for this taxon-as well as a partial postcranial skeleton. The skull of Diamantinasaurus matildae shows many similarities to that of the coeval Sarmientosaurus musacchioi from Argentina (e.g. quadratojugal with posterior tongue-like process; braincase with more than one ossified exit for cranial nerve V; compressed-cone-chisel-like teeth), providing further support for the inclusion of both taxa within the clade Diamantinasauria. The replacement teeth within the premaxilla of the new specimen are morphologically congruent with teeth previously attributed to Diamantinasaurus matildae, and Diamantinasauria more broadly, corroborating those referrals. Plesiomorphic characters of the new specimen include a sacrum comprising five vertebrae (also newly demonstrated in the holotype of Diamantinasaurus matildae), rather than the six or more that typify other titanosaurs. However, we demonstrate that there have been a number of independent acquisitions of a six-vertebrae sacrum among Somphospondyli and/or that there have been numerous reversals to a five-vertebrae sacrum, suggesting that sacral count is relatively plastic. Other newly identified plesiomorphic features include: the overall skull shape, which is more similar to brachiosaurids than 'derived' titanosaurs; anterior caudal centra that are amphicoelous, rather than procoelous; and a pedal phalangeal formula estimated as 2-2-3-2-0. These features are consistent with either an early-branching position within Titanosauria, or a position just outside the titanosaurian radiation, for Diamantinasauria, as indicated by alternative character weighting approaches applied in our phylogenetic analyses, and help to shed light on the early assembly of titanosaurian anatomy that has until now been obscured by a poor fossil record.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen F. Poropat
- Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Science, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Philip D. Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Samantha L. Rigby
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
- School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Ruairidh J. Duncan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Adele H. Pentland
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
- School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Joseph J. Bevitt
- Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Sydney, New South Wales 2234, Australia
| | - Trish Sloan
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
| | - David A. Elliott
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Silva Junior JCG, Martinelli AG, Marinho TS, da Silva JI, Langer MC. New specimens of Baurutitan britoi and a taxonomic reassessment of the titanosaur dinosaur fauna (Sauropoda) from the Serra da Galga Formation (Late Cretaceous) of Brazil. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14333. [PMID: 36405026 PMCID: PMC9673870 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The description of new titanosaur specimens unearthed from deposits of the Serra da Galga Formation (Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous) at the BR-262 site, near Peirópolis (Uberaba, Minas Gerais State, Brazil), sheds light on the taxonomy of two taxa previously known from the same area and geological unit: Baurutitan britoi and Trigonosaurus pricei. A comparative revision indicates that T. pricei represents a junior synonym of Ba. britoi, and that the BR-262 specimens belong to that latter species. The information provided by the new specimens also revealed that the paratype of T. pricei (MCT 1719-R), a caudal vertebral series, actually represents a new taxon, named here as Caieiria allocaudata gen. et sp. nov.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julian C. G. Silva Junior
- Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Agustín G. Martinelli
- Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Thiago S. Marinho
- Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro, Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil,Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Naturais e Educação, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João Ismael da Silva
- Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro, Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil,Prefeitura Municipal de Uberaba, Fundação Cultural de Uberaba, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Max C. Langer
- Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Poropat SF, Frauenfelder TG, Mannion PD, Rigby SL, Pentland AH, Sloan T, Elliott DA. Sauropod dinosaur teeth from the lower Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia and the global record of early titanosauriforms. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220381. [PMID: 35845848 PMCID: PMC9277269 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia, has produced several partial sauropod skeletons, but cranial remains-including teeth-remain rare. Herein, we present the first description of sauropod teeth from this formation, based on specimens from three separate sites. An isolated tooth and a dentary fragment from the Diamantinasaurus matildae type locality are considered to be referable to that titanosaurian taxon. A single tooth from the D. matildae referred specimen site is similarly regarded as being part of that individual. Seventeen teeth from a new site that are morphologically uniform, and similar to the teeth from the two Diamantinasaurus sites, are assigned to Diamantinasauria. All sauropod teeth recovered from the Winton Formation to date are compressed-cone-chisel-shaped, have low slenderness index values (2.00-2.88), are lingually curved at their apices, mesiodistally convex on their lingual surfaces, and lack prominent carinae and denticles. They are markedly different from the chisel-like teeth of derived titanosaurs, more closely resembling the teeth of early branching members of the titanosauriform radiation. This provides further support for a 'basal' titanosaurian position for Diamantinasauria. Scanning electron microscope microwear analysis of the wear facets of several teeth reveals more scratches than pits, implying that diamantinasaurians were mid-height (1-10 m) feeders. With a view to assessing the spatio-temporal distribution of sauropod tooth morphotypes before and after deposition of the Winton Formation, we provide a comprehensive continent-by-continent review of the early titanosauriform global record (Early to early Late Cretaceous). This indicates that throughout the Early-early Late Cretaceous, sauropod faunas transitioned from being quite diverse at higher phylogenetic levels and encompassing a range of tooth morphologies at the start of the Berriasian, to faunas comprising solely titanosaurs with limited dental variability by the end-Turonian. Furthermore, this review highlights the different ways in which this transition unfolded on each continent, including the earliest records of titanosaurs with narrow-crowned teeth on each continent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen F. Poropat
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Natural History Museum, The Jump-Up, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
- School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Timothy G. Frauenfelder
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Philip D. Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Samantha L. Rigby
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Natural History Museum, The Jump-Up, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
- School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Adele H. Pentland
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Natural History Museum, The Jump-Up, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
- School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Trish Sloan
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Natural History Museum, The Jump-Up, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
| | - David A. Elliott
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Natural History Museum, The Jump-Up, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fiorelli LE, Martinelli AG, da Silva JI, Hechenleitner EM, Soares MVT, Silva Junior JCG, da Silva JC, Borges ÉMR, Ribeiro LCB, Marconato A, Basilici G, da Silva Marinho T. First titanosaur dinosaur nesting site from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5091. [PMID: 35332244 PMCID: PMC8948192 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09125-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Titanosaurs were successful herbivorous dinosaurs widely distributed in all continents during the Cretaceous, with the major diversity in South America. The success of titanosaurs was probably due to several physiological and ecological factors, in addition to a series of morphological traits they achieved during their evolutionary history. However, the generalist nesting behaviour using different palaeoenvironments and strategies was key to accomplish that success. Titanosaur nesting sites have been found extensively around the world, with notable records in Spain, France, Romania, India, and, especially, Argentina. Here, we describe the first titanosaur nesting site from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil that represents the most boreal nesting site for South America. Several egg-clutches, partially preserved, isolated eggs and many eggshell fragments were discovered in an Inceptisol palaeosol profile of the mining Lafarge Quarry, at the Ponte Alta District (Uberaba Municipality, Minas Gerais State), corresponding to the Serra da Galga Formation (Bauru Group, Bauru Basin). Although classical mechanical preparation and CT scans have not revealed embryonic remains in ovo, the eggs and eggshell features match those eggs containing titanosaurian embryos found worldwide. The morphology of the egg-clutches and observations of the sedimentary characteristics bolster the hypothesis that these sauropods were burrow-nester dinosaurs, as was already suggested for the group based on other nesting sites. The egg-clutches distributed in two levels along the Lafarge outcrops, together with the geopalaeontological data collected, provide clear evidence for the first colonial nesting and breeding area of titanosaur dinosaurs in Brazil.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas E Fiorelli
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-CONICET-Provincia de La Rioja-UNLaR-SEGEMAR-UNCa), Entre Ríos y Mendoza S/N, CP 5301, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina.
| | - Agustín G Martinelli
- Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"-CONICET, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina. .,Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.
| | - João Ismael da Silva
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.,Fundação Cultural de Uberaba, Prefeitura Municipal de Uberaba, Praça Rui Barbosa 356, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38010-250, Brazil
| | - E Martín Hechenleitner
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-CONICET-Provincia de La Rioja-UNLaR-SEGEMAR-UNCa), Entre Ríos y Mendoza S/N, CP 5301, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina.,Instituto de Biología de la Conservación y Paleobiología (IBICOPA), DACEFYN-CENIIT-UNLaR, Av. Luis M. de La Fuente S/N, CP 5300, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Marcus Vinícius Theodoro Soares
- Department of Geology and Natural Resources, Institute of Geosciences, State University of Campinas, Rua Carlos Gomes 250, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-870, Brazil
| | - Julian C G Silva Junior
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.,Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - José Carlos da Silva
- Faculdades Associadas de Uberaba (FAZU), Fundação Educacional para o Desenvolvimento das Ciências Agrárias (FUNDAGRI), Associação Brasileira dos Criadores de Zebu (ABCZ), Av. do Tutuna, 720, Tutunas, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38061-500, Brazil
| | - Élbia Messias Roteli Borges
- Escola Estadual Presidente João Pinheiro, Rua Menelick de Carvalho 383, Boa Vista, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38017-070, Brazil
| | - Luiz Carlos Borges Ribeiro
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.,Faculdades Associadas de Uberaba (FAZU), Fundação Educacional para o Desenvolvimento das Ciências Agrárias (FUNDAGRI), Associação Brasileira dos Criadores de Zebu (ABCZ), Av. do Tutuna, 720, Tutunas, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38061-500, Brazil
| | - André Marconato
- Departamento de Geologia Sedimentar e Ambiental, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Do Lago, 562, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, 05580-080, Brazil
| | - Giorgio Basilici
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-CONICET-Provincia de La Rioja-UNLaR-SEGEMAR-UNCa), Entre Ríos y Mendoza S/N, CP 5301, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina.,Department of Geology and Natural Resources, Institute of Geosciences, State University of Campinas, Rua Carlos Gomes 250, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-870, Brazil
| | - Thiago da Silva Marinho
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.,Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Naturais e Educação (ICENE), Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Av. Randolfo Borges Jr. 1400, Univerdecidade, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38064-200, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Taylor MP. Almost all known sauropod necks are incomplete and distorted. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12810. [PMID: 35127288 PMCID: PMC8793732 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Sauropods are familiar dinosaurs, immediately recognisable by their great size and long necks. However, their necks are much less well known than is often assumed. Surprisingly few complete necks have been described in the literature, and even important specimens such as the Carnegie Diplodocus and Apatosaurus, and the giant Berlin brachiosaur, in fact have imperfectly known necks. In older specimens, missing bone is often difficult to spot due to over-enthusiastic restoration. Worse still, even those vertebrae that are complete are often badly distorted-for example, in consecutive cervicals of the Carnegie Diplodocus CM 84, the aspect ratio of the posterior articular facet of the centrum varies so dramatically that C14 appears 35% broader proportionally than C13. And even in specimens where the cervicodorsal sequence is preserved, it is often difficult or impossible to confidently identify which vertebra is the first dorsal. Widespread incompleteness and distortion are both inevitable due to sauropod anatomy: large size made it almost impossible for whole individuals to be preserved because sediment cannot be deposited quickly enough to cover a giant carcass on land; and distortion of presacral vertebrae is common due to their lightweight hollow construction. This ubiquitous incompleteness and unpredictable distortion compromise attempts to mechanically analyze necks, for example to determine habitual neck posture and range of motion by modelling articulations between vertebrae.
Collapse
|
9
|
|
10
|
Sauropodomorph evolution across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary: body size, locomotion, and their influence on morphological disparity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22534. [PMID: 34795322 PMCID: PMC8602272 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01120-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Sauropodomorph dinosaurs were the dominant medium to large-sized herbivores of most Mesozoic continental ecosystems, being characterized by their long necks and reaching a size unparalleled by other terrestrial animals (> 60 tonnes). Our study of morphological disparity across the entire skeleton shows that during the Late Triassic the oldest known sauropodomorphs occupied a small region of morphospace, subsequently diversifying both taxonomically and ecologically, and shifting to a different and broader region of the morphospace. After the Triassic–Jurassic boundary event, there are no substancial changes in sauropodomorph morphospace occupation. Almost all Jurassic sauropodomorph clades stem from ghost lineages that cross the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, indicating that variations after the extinction were more related to changes of pre-existing lineages (massospondylids, non-gravisaurian sauropodiforms) rather than the emergence of distinct clades or body plans. Modifications in the locomotion (bipedal to quadrupedal) and the successive increase in body mass seem to be the main attributes driving sauropodomorph morphospace distribution during the Late Triassic and earliest Jurassic. The extinction of all non-sauropod sauropodomorphs by the Toarcian and the subsequent diversification of gravisaurian sauropods represent a second expansion of the sauropodomorph morphospace, representing the onset of the flourishing of these megaherbivores that subsequently dominated in Middle and Late Jurassic terrestrial assemblages.
Collapse
|
11
|
Chang H, You HL, Xu L, Ma W, Gao D, Jia S, Xia M, Zhang J, Li Y, Wang X, Liu D, Li J, Zhang J, Yang L, Wei X. Relatively low tooth replacement rate in a sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Ruyang Basin of central China. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12361. [PMID: 34760377 PMCID: PMC8556709 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tooth replacement rate is an important feature related to feeding mechanics and food choices for dinosaurs. However, only a few data points are available for sauropod dinosaurs, partially due to rarity of relevant fossil material. Four somphospondylan sauropod species have been recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Aptian–Albian Haoling Formation in the Ruyang Basin, Henan Province of central China, but no cranial material has been reported except for a single crown. Here we report the discovery of the rostral portion of a left dentary with replacement teeth in its first five alveoli. Comparative anatomical study shows the partial dentary can be assigned to a member of early diverging somphospondylans. The non-destructive tooth length-based approach to estimating tooth formation time and replacement rate is adopted here. The estimated tooth replacement rate is 76 days, faster than that of Brachiosaurus (83 days) and much lower than typical late diverging lithostrotian titanosaurians (20 days). Thus, this discovery adds an intermediate tooth replacement rate in the evolution of titanosauriform sauropods and supports the idea that evolution of tooth replacement rate is clade-specific. This discovery also provides more information to understand the Ruyang sauropod assemblage, which includes one of the most giant dinosaurs to have walked our Earth (Ruyangosaurus giganteus).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huali Chang
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Hai-Lu You
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Li Xu
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Waisum Ma
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Songhai Jia
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Mengli Xia
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | | | - Yu Li
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xirui Wang
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Di Liu
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jie Li
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | | | - Lili Yang
- Henan Natural History Museum, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xuefang Wei
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Liao CC, Moore A, Jin C, Yang TR, Shibata M, Jin F, Wang B, Jin D, Guo Y, Xu X. A possible brachiosaurid (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the mid-Cretaceous of northeastern China. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11957. [PMID: 34484987 PMCID: PMC8381880 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Brachiosauridae is a lineage of titanosauriform sauropods that includes some of the most iconic non-avian dinosaurs. Undisputed brachiosaurid fossils are known from the Late Jurassic through the Early Cretaceous of North America, Africa, and Europe, but proposed occurrences outside this range have proven controversial. Despite occasional suggestions that brachiosaurids dispersed into Asia, to date no fossils have provided convincing evidence for a pan-Laurasian distribution for the clade, and the failure to discover brachiosaurid fossils in the well-sampled sauropod-bearing horizons of the Early Cretaceous of Asia has been taken to evidence their genuine absence from the continent. Here we report on an isolated sauropod maxilla from the middle Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) Longjing Formation of the Yanji basin of northeast China. Although the specimen preserves limited morphological information, it exhibits axially twisted dentition, a shared derived trait otherwise known only in brachiosaurids. Referral of the specimen to the Brachiosauridae receives support from phylogenetic analysis under both equal and implied weights parsimony, providing the most convincing evidence to date that brachiosaurids dispersed into Asia at some point in their evolutionary history. Inclusion in our phylogenetic analyses of an isolated sauropod dentary from the same site, for which an association with the maxilla is possible but uncertain, does not substantively alter these results. We consider several paleobiogeographic scenarios that could account for the occurrence of a middle Cretaceous Asian brachiosaurid, including dispersal from either North America or Europe during the Early Cretaceous. The identification of a brachiosaurid in the Longshan fauna, and the paleobiogeographic histories that could account for its presence there, are hypotheses that can be tested with continued study and excavation of fossils from the Longjing Formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Chi Liao
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, Beijing, China
| | - Andrew Moore
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, NY, USA
| | - Changzhu Jin
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, Beijing, China
| | - Tzu-Ruei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, Beijing, China
| | - Masateru Shibata
- Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Fukui, Japan
- Institute of Dinosaur Research, Fukui Prefectural University, Fukui, Japan
| | - Feng Jin
- Yanji Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources, Yanji, China
- Yanji Paleontological Research Centre, Yanji, China
- Yanji Dinosaur Museum, Yanji, China
| | - Bing Wang
- Yanji Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources, Yanji, China
- Yanji Paleontological Research Centre, Yanji, China
- Yanji Dinosaur Museum, Yanji, China
| | - Dongchun Jin
- Yanji Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources, Yanji, China
- Yanji Paleontological Research Centre, Yanji, China
- Yanji Dinosaur Museum, Yanji, China
| | - Yu Guo
- The Geological Museum of China, Beijing, Beijing, China
| | - Xing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Wang X, Bandeira KLN, Qiu R, Jiang S, Cheng X, Ma Y, Kellner AWA. The first dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous Hami Pterosaur Fauna, China. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14962. [PMID: 34385481 PMCID: PMC8361124 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94273-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Early Cretaceous Hami Pterosaur Fauna in Northwest China preserves a large number of specimens of the sexually dimorphic pteranodontoid pterosaur Hamipterus tianshanensis, including 3D eggs and embryos. During the last decade, several more fossils have been collected in this area, including three somphospondylan sauropod specimens. The first is Silutitan sinensis gen. et sp. nov., which consists of an articulated middle to posterior cervical vertebrae series. The second, Hamititan xinjiangensis gen. et sp. nov., consists of an incomplete articulated caudal sequence that could be assigned to lithostrotian titanosaurs based on the strongly procoelous caudal vertebrae with lateral concave surface, as well as marked ventrolateral ridges. The third specimen consists of four sacral vertebral elements, apparently unfused, with exposed camellate internal bone and regarded as somphospondylan. Cladistic analyses based on different datasets recovered Silutitan sinensis as an euhelopodid closely related to Euhelopus and Hamititan xinjiangensis as a titanosaur. Besides the pterosaur Hamipterus and one theropod tooth, these dinosaurs are the first vertebrates reported in this region, increasing the diversity of the fauna as well as the information on Chinese sauropods, further supporting a widespread diversification of somphospondylans during the Early Cretaceous of Asia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China.
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Kamila L N Bandeira
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040, Brazil
| | - Rui Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Beijing Museum of Natural History, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Xin Cheng
- Laboratório de Paleontologia da URCA, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Rua Carolino Sucupira, s/n, Crato, 63100-000, Brazil
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130061, China
| | | | - Alexander W A Kellner
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Sakamoto M, Benton MJ, Venditti C. Strong support for a heterogeneous speciation decline model in Dinosauria: a response to claims made by Bonsor et al. (2020). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:202143. [PMID: 34457325 PMCID: PMC8385376 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.202143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Through phylogenetic modelling, we previously presented strong support for diversification decline in the three major subclades of dinosaurs (Sakamoto et al. 2016 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 113, 5036-5040. (doi:10.1073/pnas.1521478113)). Recently, our support for this model has been criticized (Bonsor et al. 2020 R. Soc. Open Sci. 7, 201195. (doi:10.1098/rsos.201195)). Here, we highlight that these criticisms seem to largely stem from a misunderstanding of our study: contrary to Bonsor et al.'s claims, our model accounts for heterogeneity in diversification dynamics, was selected based on deviance information criterion (DIC) scores (not parameter significance), and intercepts were estimated to account for uncertainties in the root age of the phylogenetic tree. We also demonstrate that their new analyses are not comparable to our models: they fit simple, Dinosauria-wide models as a direct comparison to our group-wise models, and their additional trees are subclades that are limited in taxonomic coverage and temporal span, i.e. severely affected by incomplete sampling. We further present results of new analyses on larger, better-sampled trees (N = 961) of dinosaurs, showing support for the time-quadratic model. Disagreements in how we interpret modelled diversification dynamics are to be expected, but criticisms should be based on sound logic and understanding of the model under discussion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chris Venditti
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Hocknull SA, Wilkinson M, Lawrence RA, Konstantinov V, Mackenzie S, Mackenzie R. A new giant sauropod, Australotitan cooperensis gen. et sp. nov., from the mid-Cretaceous of Australia. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11317. [PMID: 34164230 PMCID: PMC8191491 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A new giant sauropod, Australotitan cooperensis gen. et sp. nov., represents the first record of dinosaurs from the southern-central Winton Formation of the Eromanga Basin, Australia. We estimate the type locality to be 270–300 m from the base of the Winton Formation and compare this to the semi-contemporaneous sauropod taxa, Diamantinasaurus matildaeHocknull et al., 2009, Wintonotitan wattsiHocknull et al., 2009 and Savannasaurus elliottorumPoropat et al., 2016. The new titanosaurian is the largest dinosaur from Australia as represented by osteological remains and based on limb-size comparisons it reached a size similar to that of the giant titanosaurians from South America. Using 3-D surface scan models we compare features of the appendicular skeleton that differentiate Australotitan cooperensis gen. et sp. nov. as a new taxon. A key limitation to the study of sauropods is the inability to easily and directly compare specimens. Therefore, 3-D cybertypes have become a more standard way to undertake direct comparative assessments. Uncoloured, low resolution, and uncharacterized 3-D surface models can lead to misinterpretations, in particular identification of pre-, syn- and post-depositional distortion. We propose a method for identifying, documenting and illustrating these distortions directly onto the 3-D geometric surface of the models using a colour reference scheme. This new method is repeatable for researchers when observing and documenting specimens including taphonomic alterations and geometric differences. A detailed comparative and preliminary computational phylogenetic assessment supports a shared ancestry for all four Winton Formation taxa, albeit with limited statistical support. Palaeobiogeographical interpretations from these resultant phylogenetic hypotheses remain equivocal due to contrary Asian and South American relationships with the Australian taxa. Temporal and palaeoenvironmental differences between the northern and southern-central sauropod locations are considered to explain the taxonomic and morphological diversity of sauropods from the Winton Formation. Interpretations for this diversity are explored, including an eco-morphocline and/or chronocline across newly developed terrestrial environments as the basin fills.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Hocknull
- Geosciences, Queensland Museum, Hendra, Brisbane City, Australia.,Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Stuart Mackenzie
- Eromanga Natural History Museum, Eromanga, Queensland, Australia
| | - Robyn Mackenzie
- Eromanga Natural History Museum, Eromanga, Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Voegele KK, Ullmann PV, Lamanna MC, Lacovara KJ. Myological reconstruction of the pelvic girdle and hind limb of the giant titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur Dreadnoughtus schrani. J Anat 2021; 238:576-597. [PMID: 33084085 PMCID: PMC7855065 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteological correlates preserve more readily than their soft tissue counterparts in the fossil record; therefore, they can more often provide insight into the soft tissue anatomy of the organism. These insights can in turn elucidate the biology of these extinct organisms. In this study, we reconstruct the pelvic girdle and hind limb musculature of the giant titanosaurian sauropod Dreadnoughtus schrani based on observations of osteological correlates and Extant Phylogenetic Bracket comparisons. Recovered fossils of Dreadnoughtus exhibit remarkably well-preserved, well-developed, and extensive muscle scars. Furthermore, this taxon is significantly larger bodied than any titanosaurian for which a myological reconstruction has previously been performed, rendering this contribution highly informative for the group. All 20 of the muscles investigated in this study are sufficiently well supported to enable reconstruction of at least one division, including reconstruction of the M. ischiocaudalis for the first time in a sauropod dinosaur. In total, 34 osteological correlates were identified on the pelvic girdle and hind limb remains of Dreadnoughtus, allowing the reconstruction of 14 muscles on the basis of Level I or Level II inferences (i.e., not Level I' or Level II' inferences). Comparisons among titanosaurians suggest widespread myological variation, yet potential phylogenetic and other paleobiologic patterns are often obscured by fragmentary preservation, infrequent myological studies, and lack of consensus on the phylogenetic placement of many taxa. However, a ventrolateral accessory process is present on the preacetabular lobe of the ilium in all of the largest titanosauriforms that preserve this skeletal element, suggesting that the presence of this process (representing the origin of the M. puboischiofemoralis internus part II) may be associated with extreme body size. By identifying such myological patterns among titanosauriforms, we can begin to address specific evolutionary and biomechanical questions related to their skeletal anatomy, how they were capable of leaving wide-gauge trackways, and resulting locomotor attributes unique to this clade.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Matthew C. Lamanna
- Section of Vertebrate PaleontologyCarnegie Museum of Natural HistoryPittsburghPAUSA
| | - Kenneth J. Lacovara
- Department of GeologyRowan UniversityGlassboroNJUSA,School of Earth and EnvironmentRowan UniversityGlassboroNJUSA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Fabbri M, Navalón G, Mongiardino Koch N, Hanson M, Petermann H, Bhullar BA. A shift in ontogenetic timing produced the unique sauropod skull. Evolution 2021; 75:819-831. [PMID: 33578446 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sauropod dinosaurs include the largest terrestrial vertebrates that have ever lived. Virtually every part of the sauropod body is heavily modified in association with gigantic size and associated physiological alterations. Sauropod skulls are no exception: they feature elongated, telescoped facial regions connected to tilted neurocrania and reoriented jaw adductor muscles. Several of these cranial features have been suggested to be adaptations for feeding on the one hand and the result of paedomorphic transformation near the base of Sauropoda on the other. However, the scarcity of sauropodomorph ontogenetic series has impeded further investigation of these hypotheses. We re-evaluated the cranial material attributed to the early sauropodomorph Anchisaurus, which our phylogenetic analyses confirm to be closely related to sauropods. Digital assembly of μCT-scanned skulls of the two known specimens, a juvenile and an adult, permitted us to examine the detailed ontogeny of cranial elements. The skull anatomy of Anchisaurus is distinguished by a mosaic of ancestral saurischian and sauropod-like characters. Sauropod-like characters of the braincase and adductor chamber appear late in ontogeny, suggesting that these features first evolved by the developmental mechanism of terminal addition. Shape analyses and investigation of allometric evolution demonstrate that cranial characters that appear late in the ontogeny of sauropodomorphs closely related to sauropods are already present in the embryos and juveniles of sauropods, suggesting a predisplacement-type shift in developmental timing from the ancestral anchisaurian condition. We propose that this developmental shift relaxed prior constraints on skull morphology, allowing sauropods to explore a novel range of phenotypes and enabling specializations of the feeding apparatus. The shift in timing occurred in concert with the evolution of gigantism and physiological and locomotory innovations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Fabbri
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511.,Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511
| | - Guillermo Navalón
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3AN, United Kingdom.,Unidad de Paleontología, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Nicolás Mongiardino Koch
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511.,Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511
| | - Michael Hanson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511.,Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511
| | - Holger Petermann
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511.,Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511.,Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, Colorado, 80205
| | - Bhart-Anjan Bhullar
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511.,Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Poropat SF, Kundrát M, Mannion PD, Upchurch P, Tischler TR, Elliott DA. Second specimen of the Late Cretaceous Australian sauropod dinosaur Diamantinasaurus matildae provides new anatomical information on the skull and neck of early titanosaurs. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur Diamantinasaurus matildae is represented by two individuals from the Cenomanian–lower Turonian ‘upper’ Winton Formation of central Queensland, north-eastern Australia. The type specimen has been described in detail, whereas the referred specimen, which includes several elements not present in the type series (partial skull, atlas, axis and postaxial cervical vertebrae), has only been described briefly. Herein, we provide a comprehensive description of this referred specimen, including a thorough assessment of the external and internal anatomy of the braincase, and identify several new autapomorphies of D. matildae. Via an expanded data matrix consisting of 125 taxa scored for 552 characters, we recover a close, well-supported relationship between Diamantinasaurus and its contemporary, Savannasaurus elliottorum. Unlike previous iterations of this data matrix, under a parsimony framework we consistently recover Diamantinasaurus and Savannasaurus as early-diverging members of Titanosauria using both equal weighting and extended implied weighting, with the overall topology largely consistent between analyses. We erect a new clade, named Diamantinasauria herein, that also includes the contemporaneous Sarmientosaurus musacchioi from southern Argentina, which shares several cranial features with the referred Diamantinasaurus specimen. Thus, Diamantinasauria is represented in the mid-Cretaceous of both South America and Australia, supporting the hypothesis that some titanosaurians, in addition to megaraptoran theropods and possibly some ornithopods, were able to disperse between these two continents via Antarctica. Conversely, there is no evidence for rebbachisaurids in Australia, which might indicate that they were unable to expand into high latitudes before their extinction in the Cenomanian–Turonian. Likewise, there is no evidence for titanosaurs with procoelous caudal vertebrae in the mid-Cretaceous Australian record, despite scarce but compelling evidence for their presence in both Antarctica and New Zealand during the Campanian–Maastrichtian. These later titanosaurs presumably dispersed into these landmasses from South America before the Campanian (~85 Mya), when seafloor spreading between Zealandia and Australia commenced. Although Australian mid-Cretaceous dinosaur faunas appear to be cosmopolitan at higher taxonomic levels, closer affinities with South America at finer scales are becoming better supported for sauropods, theropods and ornithopods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen F Poropat
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, The Jump-Up, Winton, QLD, Australia
| | - Martin Kundrát
- Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Philip D Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, UK
| | - Paul Upchurch
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, UK
| | - Travis R Tischler
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, The Jump-Up, Winton, QLD, Australia
| | - David A Elliott
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, The Jump-Up, Winton, QLD, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
|
20
|
Bonsor JA, Barrett PM, Raven TJ, Cooper N. Dinosaur diversification rates were not in decline prior to the K-Pg boundary. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:201195. [PMID: 33391800 PMCID: PMC7735361 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Determining the tempo and mode of non-avian dinosaur extinction is one of the most contentious issues in palaeobiology. Extensive disagreements remain over whether their extinction was catastrophic and geologically instantaneous or the culmination of long-term evolutionary trends. These conflicts have arisen due to numerous hierarchical sampling biases in the fossil record and differences in analytical methodology, with some studies identifying long-term declines in dinosaur richness prior to the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary and others proposing continued diversification. Here, we use Bayesian phylogenetic generalized linear mixed models to assess the fit of 12 dinosaur phylogenies to three speciation models (null, slowdown to asymptote, downturn). We do not find strong support for the downturn model in our analyses, which suggests that dinosaur speciation rates were not in terminal decline prior to the K-Pg boundary and that the clade was still capable of generating new taxa. Nevertheless, we advocate caution in interpreting the results of such models, as they may not accurately reflect the complexities of the underlying data. Indeed, current phylogenetic methods may not provide the best test for hypotheses of dinosaur extinction; the collection of more dinosaur occurrence data will be essential to test these ideas further.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Bonsor
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Paul M. Barrett
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Thomas J. Raven
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GA, UK
| | - Natalie Cooper
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Hechenleitner EM, Leuzinger L, Martinelli AG, Rocher S, Fiorelli LE, Taborda JRA, Salgado L. Two Late Cretaceous sauropods reveal titanosaurian dispersal across South America. Commun Biol 2020; 3:622. [PMID: 33110212 PMCID: PMC7591563 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01338-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
South American titanosaurians have been central to the study of the evolution of Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs. Despite their remarkable diversity, the fragmentary condition of several taxa and the scarcity of records outside Patagonia and southwestern Brazil have hindered the study of continental-scale paleobiogeographic relationships. We describe two new Late Cretaceous titanosaurians from Quebrada de Santo Domingo (La Rioja, Argentina), which help to fill a gap between these main areas of the continent. Our phylogenetic analysis recovers both new species, and several Brazilian taxa, within Rinconsauria. The data suggest that, towards the end of the Cretaceous, this clade spread throughout southern South America. At the same locality, we discovered numerous accumulations of titanosaurian eggs, likely related to the new taxa. With eggs distributed in three levels along three kilometres, the new site is one of the largest ever found and provides further evidence of nesting site philopatry among Titanosauria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Martín Hechenleitner
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), Provincia de La Rioja, UNLaR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, CONICET, Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n (5301), Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina. .,Instituto de Biología de la Conservación y Paleobiología (IBICOPA), DACEFyN-UNLaR, 5300, La Rioja, Argentina.
| | - Léa Leuzinger
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), Provincia de La Rioja, UNLaR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, CONICET, Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n (5301), Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Paleontología de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón II, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EGA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín G Martinelli
- CONICET-Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405 DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sebastián Rocher
- Instituto de Geología y Recursos Naturales, Centro de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica, Universidad Nacional de La Rioja (INGeReN-CENIIT-UNLaR), Av. Gob. Vernet y Apóstol Felipe, 5300, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Lucas E Fiorelli
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), Provincia de La Rioja, UNLaR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, CONICET, Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n (5301), Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Jeremías R A Taborda
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CONICET, FCEFyN, Vélez Sarsfield 1611, Ciudad Universitaria, X5016GCA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Leonardo Salgado
- Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro-CONICET, Av. Presidente Julio A. Roca 1242, 8332, General Roca, Río Negro, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Campione NE, Evans DC. The accuracy and precision of body mass estimation in non-avian dinosaurs. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1759-1797. [PMID: 32869488 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Inferring the body mass of fossil taxa, such as non-avian dinosaurs, provides a powerful tool for interpreting physiological and ecological properties, as well as the ability to study these traits through deep time and within a macroevolutionary context. As a result, over the past 100 years a number of studies advanced methods for estimating mass in dinosaurs and other extinct taxa. These methods can be categorized into two major approaches: volumetric-density (VD) and extant-scaling (ES). The former receives the most attention in non-avian dinosaurs and advanced appreciably over the last century: from initial physical scale models to three-dimensional (3D) virtual techniques that utilize scanned data obtained from entire skeletons. The ES approach is most commonly applied to extinct members of crown clades but some equations are proposed and utilized in non-avian dinosaurs. Because both approaches share a common goal, they are often viewed in opposition to one another. However, current palaeobiological research problems are often approach specific and, therefore, the decision to utilize a VD or ES approach is largely question dependent. In general, biomechanical and physiological studies benefit from the full-body reconstruction provided through a VD approach, whereas large-scale evolutionary and ecological studies require the extensive data sets afforded by an ES approach. This study summarizes both approaches to body mass estimation in stem-group taxa, specifically non-avian dinosaurs, and provides a comparative quantitative framework to reciprocally illuminate and corroborate VD and ES approaches. The results indicate that mass estimates are largely consistent between approaches: 73% of VD reconstructions occur within the expected 95% prediction intervals of the ES relationship. However, almost three quarters of outliers occur below the lower 95% prediction interval, indicating that VD mass estimates are, on average, lower than would be expected given their stylopodial circumferences. Inconsistencies (high residual and per cent prediction deviation values) are recovered to a varying degree among all major dinosaurian clades along with an overall tendency for larger deviations between approaches among small-bodied taxa. Nonetheless, our results indicate a strong corroboration between recent iterations of the VD approach based on 3D specimen scans suggesting that our current understanding of size in dinosaurs, and hence its biological correlates, has improved over time. We advance that VD and ES approaches have fundamentally (metrically) different advantages and, hence, the comparative framework used and advocated here combines the accuracy afforded by ES with the precision provided by VD and permits the rapid identification of discrepancies with the potential to open new areas of discussion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás E Campione
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - David C Evans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada.,Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
A tiny ornithodiran archosaur from the Triassic of Madagascar and the role of miniaturization in dinosaur and pterosaur ancestry. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:17932-17936. [PMID: 32631980 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916631117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Early members of the dinosaur-pterosaur clade Ornithodira are very rare in the fossil record, obscuring our understanding of the origins of this important group. Here, we describe an early ornithodiran (Kongonaphon kely gen. et sp. nov.) from the Mid-to-Upper Triassic of Madagascar that represents one of the smallest nonavian ornithodirans. Although dinosaurs and gigantism are practically synonymous, an analysis of body size evolution in dinosaurs and other archosaurs in the context of this taxon and related forms demonstrates that the earliest-diverging members of the group may have been smaller than previously thought, and that a profound miniaturization event occurred near the base of the avian stem lineage. In phylogenetic analysis, Kongonaphon is recovered as a member of the Triassic ornithodiran clade Lagerpetidae, expanding the range of this group into Africa and providing data on the craniodental morphology of lagerpetids. The conical teeth of Kongonaphon exhibit pitted microwear consistent with a diet of hard-shelled insects, indicating a shift in trophic ecology to insectivory associated with diminutive body size. Small ancestral body size suggests that the extreme rarity of early ornithodirans in the fossil record owes more to taphonomic artifact than true reflection of the group's evolutionary history.
Collapse
|
24
|
Tschopp E, Mehling C, Norell MA. Reconstructing the Specimens and History of Howe Quarry (Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation; Wyoming). AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES 2020. [DOI: 10.1206/3956.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Tschopp
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| | - Carl Mehling
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| | - Mark A. Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Voegele KK, Ullmann PV, Lamanna MC, Lacovara KJ. Appendicular myological reconstruction of the forelimb of the giant titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur Dreadnoughtus schrani. J Anat 2020; 237:133-154. [PMID: 32141103 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Soft tissues are variably preserved in the fossil record with external tissues, such as skin and feathers, more frequently preserved than internal tissues (e.g. muscles). More commonly, soft tissues leave traces of their locations on bones and, for muscles, these clues can be used to reconstruct the musculature of extinct vertebrates, thereby enhancing our understanding of how these organisms moved and the evolution of their locomotor patterns. Herein we reconstruct the forelimb and shoulder girdle musculature of the giant titanosaurian sauropod Dreadnoughtus schrani based on observations of osteological correlates and dissections of taxa comprising the Extant Phylogenetic Bracket of non-avian dinosaurs (crocodilians and birds). Fossils of Dreadnoughtus exhibit remarkably well-preserved, well-developed, and extensive muscle scars. Furthermore, this taxon is significantly larger-bodied than any titanosaurian for which a myological reconstruction has previously been attempted, rendering this myological study highly informative for the clade. In total, 28 muscles were investigated in this study, for which 46 osteological correlates were identified; these osteological correlates allowed the reconstruction of 16 muscles on the basis of Level I or Level II inferences (i.e. not Level I' or Level II' inferences). Comparisons with other titanosaurians suggest widespread myological variation in the clade, although potential phylogenetic patterns are often obscured by fragmentary preservation, infrequent myological studies, and lack of consensus on the systematic position of many taxa. By identifying myological variations within the clade, we can begin to address specific evolutionary and biomechanical questions related to the locomotor evolution in these sauropods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul V Ullmann
- Department of Geolgoy, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA
| | - Matthew C Lamanna
- Section of Vertebrate Paleontology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Jentgen-Ceschino B, Stein K, Fischer V. Case study of radial fibrolamellar bone tissues in the outer cortex of basal sauropods. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190143. [PMID: 31928196 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The histology of sauropod long bones often appears uniform and conservative along their evolutionary tree. One of the main aspects of their bone histology is to exhibit a fibrolamellar complex in the cortex of their long bones. Here, we report another bone tissue, the radial fibrolamellar bone (RFB), in the outer cortex of the humeri of a young adult cf. Isanosaurus (Early to Late Jurassic, Thailand) and an adult Spinophorosaurus nigerensis (Early to Middle Jurassic, Niger) that do not exhibit any pathological feature on the bone surface. Its location within the cortex is unexpected, because RFB is a rapidly deposited bone tissue that would rather be expected early in the ontogeny. A palaeopathological survey was conducted for these sampled specimens. Observed RFB occurrences are regarded as spiculated periosteal reactive bone, which is an aggressive form of periosteal reaction. A 'hair-on-end' pattern of neoplasmic origin (resembling a Ewing's sarcoma) is favoured for cf. Isanosaurus, while a sunburst pattern of viral or neoplasmic origin (resembling an avian osteopetrosis or haemangioma) is favoured for Spinophorosaurus. This study highlights the importance of bone histology in assessing the frequency and nature of palaeopathologies. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vertebrate palaeophysiology'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Jentgen-Ceschino
- Department of Geology, Université de Liège, 14 Allée du 6 Aout, Liège 4000, Belgium.,Earth System Science - AMGC, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Koen Stein
- Earth System Science - AMGC, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.,Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Directorate 'Earth and History of Life', Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Valentin Fischer
- Department of Geology, Université de Liège, 14 Allée du 6 Aout, Liège 4000, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Benson RBJ, Barrett PM. Evolution: The Two Faces of Plant-Eating Dinosaurs. Curr Biol 2020; 30:R14-R16. [PMID: 31910368 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Plant-eating dinosaurs evolved varied feeding strategies. A new study demonstrates convergent evolution of their skulls and teeth towards two distinct functional optima, one resembling advanced mammalian herbivory and the other echoing herbivory in birds and other reptiles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roger B J Benson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK.
| | - Paul M Barrett
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Godoy PL, Benson RBJ, Bronzati M, Butler RJ. The multi-peak adaptive landscape of crocodylomorph body size evolution. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:167. [PMID: 31390981 PMCID: PMC6686447 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1466-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about the long-term patterns of body size evolution in Crocodylomorpha, the > 200-million-year-old group that includes living crocodylians and their extinct relatives. Extant crocodylians are mostly large-bodied (3-7 m) predators. However, extinct crocodylomorphs exhibit a wider range of phenotypes, and many of the earliest taxa were much smaller (< 1.2 m). This suggests a pattern of size increase through time that could be caused by multi-lineage evolutionary trends of size increase or by selective extinction of small-bodied species. Here, we characterise patterns of crocodylomorph body size evolution using a model fitting-approach (with cranial measurements serving as proxies). We also estimate body size disparity through time and quantitatively test hypotheses of biotic and abiotic factors as potential drivers of crocodylomorph body size evolution. RESULTS Crocodylomorphs reached an early peak in body size disparity during the Late Jurassic, and underwent an essentially continual decline since then. A multi-peak Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model outperforms all other evolutionary models fitted to our data (including both uniform and non-uniform), indicating that the macroevolutionary dynamics of crocodylomorph body size are better described within the concept of an adaptive landscape, with most body size variation emerging after shifts to new macroevolutionary regimes (analogous to adaptive zones). We did not find support for a consistent evolutionary trend towards larger sizes among lineages (i.e., Cope's rule), or strong correlations of body size with climate. Instead, the intermediate to large body sizes of some crocodylomorphs are better explained by group-specific adaptations. In particular, the evolution of a more aquatic lifestyle (especially marine) correlates with increases in average body size, though not without exceptions. CONCLUSIONS Shifts between macroevolutionary regimes provide a better explanation of crocodylomorph body size evolution on large phylogenetic and temporal scales, suggesting a central role for lineage-specific adaptations rather than climatic forcing. Shifts leading to larger body sizes occurred in most aquatic and semi-aquatic groups. This, combined with extinctions of groups occupying smaller body size regimes (particularly during the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic), gave rise to the upward-shifted body size distribution of extant crocodylomorphs compared to their smaller-bodied terrestrial ancestors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro L Godoy
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. .,Present Address: Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
| | | | - Mario Bronzati
- Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Richard J Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Mannion PD, Upchurch P, Jin X, Zheng W. New information on the Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs of Zhejiang Province, China: impact on Laurasian titanosauriform phylogeny and biogeography. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:191057. [PMID: 31598266 PMCID: PMC6731702 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Titanosaurs were a globally distributed clade of Cretaceous sauropods. Historically regarded as a primarily Gondwanan radiation, there is a growing number of Eurasian taxa, with several putative titanosaurs contemporaneous with, or even pre-dating, the oldest known Southern Hemisphere remains. The early Late Cretaceous Jinhua Formation, in Zhejiang Province, China, has yielded two putative titanosaurs, Jiangshanosaurus lixianensis and Dongyangosaurus sinensis. Here, we provide a detailed re-description and diagnosis of Jiangshanosaurus, as well as new anatomical information on Dongyangosaurus. Previously, a 'derived' titanosaurian placement for Jiangshanosaurus was primarily based on the presence of procoelous anterior caudal centra. We show that this taxon had amphicoelous anterior-middle caudal centra. Its only titanosaurian synapomorphy is that the dorsal margins of the scapula and coracoid are approximately level with one another. Dongyangosaurus can clearly be differentiated from Jiangshanosaurus, and displays features that indicate a closer relationship to the titanosaur radiation. Revised scores for both taxa are incorporated into an expanded phylogenetic data matrix, comprising 124 taxa scored for 548 characters. Under equal weights parsimony, Jiangshanosaurus is recovered as a member of the non-titanosaurian East Asian somphospondylan clade Euhelopodidae, and Dongyangosaurus lies just outside of Titanosauria. However, when extended implied weighting is applied, both taxa are placed within Titanosauria. Most other 'middle' Cretaceous East Asian sauropods are probably non-titanosaurian somphospondylans, but at least Xianshanosaurus appears to belong to the titanosaur radiation. Our analyses also recover the Early Cretaceous European sauropod Normanniasaurus genceyi as a 'derived' titanosaur, clustering with Gondwanan taxa. These results provide further support for a widespread diversification of titanosaurs by at least the Early Cretaceous.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip D. Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Paul Upchurch
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Xingsheng Jin
- Zhejiang Museum of Natural History, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS), Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenjie Zheng
- Zhejiang Museum of Natural History, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS), Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
D'Emic MD, Carrano MT. Redescription of Brachiosaurid Sauropod Dinosaur Material From the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 303:732-758. [PMID: 31254331 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Like many long-standing dinosaur taxa, Brachiosaurus altithorax from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America suffers from taxonomic issues stemming from a relatively incomplete holotype. Lack of anatomical overlap has precluded definitive referral of important specimens, including a mostly complete skull discovered in 1883. We redescribe this skull and some other significant brachiosaurid specimens based on new preparation and computed tomographic (CT) data. We argue that these elements are most parsimoniously referred to B. altithorax. Including these tentatively referred elements in a phylogenetic analysis does not alter the hypothesized relationships of B. altithorax, congruent with the presence of a single brachiosaurid taxon across western North America in the Late Jurassic. Based on CT data, we estimate that B. altithorax had a slower tooth replacement rate than Camarasaurus or the diplodocoids it shared Morrison Formation landscapes with, which suggests a difference in diet and/or feeding strategy. Anat Rec, 303:732-758, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael D D'Emic
- Department of Biology, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York.,Anatomical Sciences Department, Health Sciences Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Matthew T Carrano
- Curator of Dinosauria, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Jannel A, Nair JP, Panagiotopoulou O, Romilio A, Salisbury SW. “Keep your feet on the ground”: Simulated range of motion and hind foot posture of the Middle Jurassic sauropod
Rhoetosaurus brownei
and its implications for sauropod biology. J Morphol 2019; 280:849-878. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andréas Jannel
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Jay P. Nair
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Olga Panagiotopoulou
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental BiologyMonash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia
| | - Anthony Romilio
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Steven W. Salisbury
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Holwerda FM, Evans M, Liston JJ. Additional sauropod dinosaur material from the Callovian Oxford Clay Formation, Peterborough, UK: evidence for higher sauropod diversity. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6404. [PMID: 30783572 PMCID: PMC6378091 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Four isolated sauropod axial elements from the Oxford Clay Formation (Callovian, Middle Jurassic) of Peterborough, UK, are described. Two associated posterior dorsal vertebrae show a dorsoventrally elongated centrum and short neural arch, and nutrient or pneumatic foramina, most likely belonging to a non-neosauropod eusauropod, but showing ambiguous non-neosauropod eusauropod and neosauropod affinities. An isolated anterior caudal vertebra displays a ventral keel, a 'shoulder' indicating a wing-like transverse process, along with a possible prespinal lamina. This, together with an overall high complexity of the anterior caudal transverse process (ACTP) complex, indicates that this caudal could have belonged to a neosauropod. A second isolated middle-posterior caudal vertebra also shows some diagnostic features, despite the neural spine and neural arch not being preserved and the neurocentral sutures being unfused. The positioning of the neurocentral sutures on the anterior one third of the centrum indicates a middle caudal position, and the presence of faint ventrolateral crests, as well as a rhomboid anterior articulation surface, suggest neosauropod affinities. The presence of possible nutrient foramina are only tentative evidence of a neosauropod origin, as they are also found in Late Jurassic non-neosauropod eusauropods. As the caudals from the two other known sauropods from the Peterborough Oxford Clay, Cetiosauriscus stewarti and an indeterminate non-neosauropod eusauropod, do not show the features seen on either of the new elements described, both isolated caudals indicate a higher sauropod species diversity in the faunal assemblage than previously recognised. An exploratory phylogenetic analysis using characters from all four isolated elements supports a basal neosauropod placement for the anterior caudal, and a diplodocid origin for the middle caudal. The dorsal vertebrae are an unstable OTU, and therefore remain part of an indeterminate eusauropod of uncertain affinities. Together with Cetiosauriscus, and other material assigned to different sauropod groups, this study indicates the presence of a higher sauropod biodiversity in the Oxford Clay Formation than previously recognised. This study shows that it is still beneficial to examine isolated elements, as these may be indicators for higher species richness in deposits that are otherwise poor in terrestrial fauna.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Femke M. Holwerda
- Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns (SNSB), Bayerische Staatssamlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Mark Evans
- New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester Arts and Museums Service, Leicester, United Kingdom
- University of Leicester Centre for Palaeobiology Research, School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Jeff J. Liston
- Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns (SNSB), Bayerische Staatssamlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Munich, Germany
- Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland
- Vivacity-Peterborough Museum, Peterborough, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Gorscak E, O’Connor PM. A new African Titanosaurian Sauropod Dinosaur from the middle Cretaceous Galula Formation (Mtuka Member), Rukwa Rift Basin, Southwestern Tanzania. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211412. [PMID: 30759122 PMCID: PMC6374010 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The African terrestrial fossil record has been limited in its contribution to our understanding of both regional and global Cretaceous paleobiogeography, an interval of significant geologic and macroevolutionary change. A common component in Cretaceous African faunas, titanosaurian sauropods diversified into one of the most specious groups of dinosaurs worldwide. Here we describe the new titanosaurian Mnyamawamtuka moyowamkia gen. et sp. nov. from the Mtuka Member of the Galula Formation in southwest Tanzania. The new specimen preserves teeth, elements from all regions of the postcranial axial skeleton, parts of both appendicular girdles, and portions of both limbs including a complete metatarsus. Unique traits of M. moyowamkia include the lack of an interpostzygapophyseal lamina in posterior dorsal vertebrae, pronounced posterolateral expansion of middle caudal centra, and an unusually small sternal plate. Phylogenetic analyses consistently place M. moyowamkia as either a close relative to lithostrotian titanosaurians (e.g., parsimony, uncalibrated Bayesian analyses) or as a lithostrotian and sister taxon to Malawisaurus dixeyi from the nearby Aptian? Dinosaur Beds of Malawi (e.g., tip-dating Bayesian analyses). M. moyowamkia shares a few features with M. dixeyi, including semi-spatulate teeth and a median lamina between the neural canal and interpostzygapophyseal lamina in anterior dorsal vertebrae. Both comparative morphology and phylogenetic analyses support Mnyamawamtuka as a distinct and distant relative to Rukwatitan bisepultus and Shingopana songwensis from the younger Namba Member of the Galula Formation with these results largely congruent with newly constrained ages for the Mtuka Member (Aptian–Cenomanian) and Namba Member (Campanian). Coupled with recent discoveries from the Dahkla Oasis, Egypt (e.g., Mansourasaurus shahinae) and other parts of continental Afro-Arabia, the Tanzania titanosaurians refine perspectives on the development of African terrestrial faunas throughout the Cretaceous—a critical step in understanding non-marine paleobiogeographic patterns of Africa that have remained elusive until the past few years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Gorscak
- Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, Illinois, United States of America
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio, United States of America
- Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Patrick M. O’Connor
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio, United States of America
- Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Mannion PD. A turiasaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup of the United Kingdom. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6348. [PMID: 30697494 PMCID: PMC6348093 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Jurassic/Cretaceous (J/K) boundary, 145 million years ago, has long been recognised as an extinction event or faunal turnover for sauropod dinosaurs, with many ‘basal’ lineages disappearing. However, recently, a number of ‘extinct’ groups have been recognised in the Early Cretaceous, including diplodocids in Gondwana, and non-titanosauriform macronarians in Laurasia. Turiasauria, a clade of non-neosauropod eusauropods, was originally thought to have been restricted to the Late Jurassic of western Europe. However, its distribution has recently been extended to the Late Jurassic of Tanzania (Tendaguria tanzaniensis), as well as to the Early Cretaceous of the USA (Mierasaurus bobyoungi and Moabosaurus utahensis), demonstrating the survival of another ‘basal’ clade across the J/K boundary. Teeth from the Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous of western Europe and North Africa have also tentatively been attributed to turiasaurs, whilst recent phylogenetic analyses recovered Late Jurassic taxa from Argentina and China as further members of Turiasauria. Here, an anterior dorsal centrum and neural arch (both NHMUK 1871) from the Early Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup of the UK are described for the first time. NHMUK 1871 shares several synapomorphies with Turiasauria, especially the turiasaurs Moabosaurus and Tendaguria, including: (1) a strongly dorsoventrally compressed centrum; (2) the retention of prominent epipophyses; and (3) an extremely low, non-bifid neural spine. NHMUK 1871 therefore represents the first postcranial evidence for Turiasauria from European deposits of Early Cretaceous age. Although turiasaurs show clear heterodont dentition, only broad, characteristically ‘heart’-shaped teeth can currently be attributed to Turiasauria with confidence. As such, several putative turiasaur occurrences based on isolated teeth from Europe, as well as the Middle Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of Africa, cannot be confidently referred to Turiasauria. Unequivocal evidence for turiasaurs is therefore restricted to the late Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous of western Europe, the Late Jurassic of Tanzania, and the late Early Cretaceous of the USA, although remains from elsewhere might ultimately demonstrate that the group had a near-global distribution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip D Mannion
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Mannion PD, Upchurch P, Schwarz D, Wings O. Taxonomic affinities of the putative titanosaurs from the Late Jurassic Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications for eusauropod dinosaur evolution. Zool J Linn Soc 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Philip D Mannion
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paul Upchurch
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Oliver Wings
- Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Abstract
Dinosaurs were large-bodied land animals of the Mesozoic that gave rise to birds. They played a fundamental role in structuring Jurassic–Cretaceous ecosystems and had physiology, growth, and reproductive biology unlike those of extant animals. These features have made them targets of theoretical macroecology. Dinosaurs achieved substantial structural diversity, and their fossil record documents the evolutionary assembly of the avian body plan. Phylogeny-based research has allowed new insights into dinosaur macroevolution, including the adaptive landscape of their body size evolution, patterns of species diversification, and the origins of birds and bird-like traits. Nevertheless, much remains unknown due to incompleteness of the fossil record at both local and global scales. This presents major challenges at the frontier of paleobiological research regarding tests of macroecological hypotheses and the effects of dinosaur biology, ecology, and life history on their macroevolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roger B.J. Benson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Maltese A, Tschopp E, Holwerda F, Burnham D. The real Bigfoot: a pes from Wyoming, USA is the largest sauropod pes ever reported and the northern-most occurrence of brachiosaurids in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5250. [PMID: 30065867 PMCID: PMC6063209 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A set of associated left pedal elements of a sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation in Weston County, Wyoming, is described here. Several camarasaurids, a nearly complete small brachiosaur, and a small diplodocid have been found at this locality, but none match the exceptionally large size of the pedal elements. Next to the associated pedal elements, an isolated astragalus, phalanx and ungual were found, which match the large metatarsals in size. The elements cannot be ascribed to diplodocids due to the lack of a ventral process of metatarsal I. Moreover, the morphology of metatarsal V has a broad proximal end, with a long and narrow distal shaft, which differs from Camarasaurus. The size of the material and a medially beveled distal articular surface of metatarsal IV imply an identification as a brachiosaurid. This is the largest pes ever reported from a sauropod dinosaur and represents the first confirmed pedal brachiosaur elements from the Late Jurassic of North America. Furthermore, this brachiosaur material (the pes and the small nearly complete specimen) is the northernmost occurrence of brachiosaurids in the Morrison Formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Maltese
- Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, Woodland Park, CO, United States of America
| | - Emanuel Tschopp
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, United States of America.,GeoBioTec, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.,Museu da Lourinhã, Lourinhã, Portugal
| | - Femke Holwerda
- GeoBioTec, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.,Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns (SNSB), München, Germany.,Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - David Burnham
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
An early trend towards gigantism in Triassic sauropodomorph dinosaurs. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1227-1232. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0599-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
39
|
Otero A. Forelimb musculature and osteological correlates in Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria, Saurischia). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198988. [PMID: 29975691 PMCID: PMC6033415 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
This contribution presents the forelimb muscular arrangement of sauropodomorph dinosaurs as inferred by comparisons with living archosaurs (crocodiles and birds) following the Extant Phylogenetic Bracket approach. Forty-one muscles were reconstructed, including lower limb and manus musculature, which prior information available was scarce for sauropodomorphs. A strong emphasis was placed on osteological correlates (such as tubercles, ridges and striae) and comparisons with primitive archosauromorphs are included in order to track these correlates throughout the clade. This should help to elucidate how widespread among other archosaurian groups are these osteological correlates identified in Sauropodomorpha. The ultimate goal of this contribution was to provide an exhaustive guide to muscular identification in fossil archosaurs and to offer solid anatomical bases for future studies based on osteology, myology, functional morphology and systematics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Otero
- CONICET - División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
- * E-mail: ,
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Gonzàlez Riga BJ, Mannion PD, Poropat SF, Ortiz David LD, Coria JP. Osteology of the Late Cretaceous Argentinean sauropod dinosaur Mendozasaurus neguyelap: implications for basal titanosaur relationships. Zool J Linn Soc 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo J Gonzàlez Riga
- Laboratorio y Museo de Dinosaurios, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Philip D Mannion
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen F Poropat
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, John St, Hawthorn, Australia
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, The Jump-Up, Winton, Queensland, Australia
| | - Leonardo D Ortiz David
- Laboratorio y Museo de Dinosaurios, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Juan Pedro Coria
- Laboratorio y Museo de Dinosaurios, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Carballido JL, Pol D, Otero A, Cerda IA, Salgado L, Garrido AC, Ramezani J, Cúneo NR, Krause JM. A new giant titanosaur sheds light on body mass evolution among sauropod dinosaurs. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20171219. [PMID: 28794222 PMCID: PMC5563814 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Titanosauria was the most diverse and successful lineage of sauropod dinosaurs. This clade had its major radiation during the middle Early Cretaceous and survived up to the end of that period. Among sauropods, this lineage has the most disparate values of body mass, including the smallest and largest sauropods known. Although recent findings have improved our knowledge on giant titanosaur anatomy, there are still many unknown aspects about their evolution, especially for the most gigantic forms and the evolution of body mass in this clade. Here we describe a new giant titanosaur, which represents the largest species described so far and one of the most complete titanosaurs. Its inclusion in an extended phylogenetic analysis and the optimization of body mass reveals the presence of an endemic clade of giant titanosaurs inhabited Patagonia between the Albian and the Santonian. This clade includes most of the giant species of titanosaurs and represents the major increase in body mass in the history of Titanosauria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- José L Carballido
- CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Trelew U9100GYO, Argentina
| | - Diego Pol
- CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Trelew U9100GYO, Argentina
| | - Alejandro Otero
- CONICET, División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, La Plata B1900FWA, Argentina
| | - Ignacio A Cerda
- CONICET, Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, General Roca 8332, Argentina
| | - Leonardo Salgado
- CONICET, Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, General Roca 8332, Argentina
| | - Alberto C Garrido
- Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales 'Juan Olsacher', Zapala 8340, Argentina
- Departamento Geología y Petróleo, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Neuquén 8400, Argentina
| | - Jahandar Ramezani
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Néstor R Cúneo
- CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Trelew U9100GYO, Argentina
| | - Javier M Krause
- CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Trelew U9100GYO, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|