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2. Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum Dong 1997
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Upchurch, Paul, Mannion, Philip D., Xu, Xing, and Barrett, Paul M.
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Reptilia ,Hudiesaurus ,Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Chordata ,Mamenchisauridae ,Dinosauria ,Taxonomy - Abstract
HUDIESAURUS SINOJAPANORUM Dong, 1997 (Figs. 2–4) Original Diagnosis — Re-written from Dong (1997:102): (1) top of neural spine of anterior dorsal vertebra forms a ‘U’-shaped shallow cleft; (2) wing-like process between bases of postzygapophyses and lateral margin of neural spine; (3) anteriorly directed laterally compressed ‘sword-like’ process on anterior face of neural spine; (4) deep pleurocoels on lateral faces of the centrum; (5) midline keel on the ventral surface of the centrum. Comments on Original Diagnosis — The original diagnosis provided by Dong (1997) can now be shown to be inadequate. Putative autapomorphies 1, 4, and 5 are present in several other sauropod genera. For example, shallow ‘U’-shaped bifurcation of the posterior cervical and anterior dorsal neural spines also occurs in Mamenchisaurus (Young and Chao, 1972), Klamelisaurus (Zhao, 1993; Moore et al., 2020), Euhelopus (Wiman, 1929; Wilson and Upchurch, 2009), several turiasaurians (Royo-Torres et al., 2006, 2017; Britt et al., 2017), Camarasaurus (Osborn and Mook, 1921; Gilmore, 1925), and Opisthocoelicaudia (Borsuk-Białynicka, 1977), among others. Deep lateral pneumatic openings (= ‘pleurocoels’) are widespread in the presacral centra of many eusauropods (Upchurch et al., 2004a), and a ventral keel is also present in the cervicodorsal region of several other taxa, including Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401; PU and PMB pers. observ. 2010), Klamelisaurus (Moore et al., 2020), and Euhelopus (Wilson and Upchurch, 2009). It is not entirely clear what Dong (1997) meant by the ‘wing-like’ processes (putative autapomorphy ‘2’), as their location was neither fully described nor annotated in his figures. However, it seems likely that these are merely the typical posterolateral projection of the postzygapophyses, rather than unusual processes. Finally, the ‘sword-like’ anterior process is not part of a novel articulation with the hyposphene of a preceding vertebra (contra Dong, 1997: see Description, below); rather, it appears to be a transversely compressed sheet of ossified intervertebral ligament. Ossification of such ligaments and tendons is rare, but not unheard of, among sauropods (e.g., Camarasaurus [= ‘ Cathetosaurus ’] lewisi [Jensen, 1988]; Diplodocus [USNM 10865; Gilmore, 1932; PU pers. observ., 1991]; see also Cerda, 2009; Klein et al., 2012; Cerda et al., 2015). Thus, the presence of such a feature is more likely to represent individual variation, pathology, and/or unusual preservation, rather than an autapomorphy. If this feature is to be accepted as having some diagnostic value, this must wait until it is found repeatedly in other individuals of Hudiesaurus. Revised Diagnosis —Hudiesaurus can be diagnosed on the basis of the following autapomorphies: (1) small projection on neurocentral junction above lateral pneumatic opening; (2) ACDL splits into upper and lower branches (the former extends to anterodorsal margin of the diapophysis, and the latter to posteroventral margin of the diapophysis, where it meets the anterior end of the PCDL); (3) approximately transverse row of 5–6 small coels on dorsal surface of prezygapophyseal process, immediately posterior to articular facet; (4) SPRLs bifurcate close to the base of the metapophysis, with one branch extending up anterior surface and fading out before reaching the summit, and the other branch forming a thin sheet that extends along the anterolateral margin of the metapophysis to the summit; and (5) SPOL bifurcates into two distinct ridges immediately above postzygapophysis (or this could be described as a short lamina extending dorsomedially from the PODL to the SPOL). N.B., portions of the PRDLs and diapophyses have been heavily restored with plaster, so autapomorphy 2 should be treated with caution. Holotype — A nearly complete vertebra from the cervicodorsal region (estimated to be the last cervical vertebra; IVPP V11120) (Figs. 2–4; Table 1). N.B., Dong (1997) identified this specimen as an anterior dorsal vertebra, but we regard it as being more probably a posterior cervical vertebra (see below). Locality and Horizon — Lower part of the Kalazha Formation (Upper Jurassic: upper Kimmeridgian–Tithonian) of Qiketai, Shanshan County, Turpan Basin, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China (Dong, 1997; Deng et al., 2015; Fang et al., 2016; Fig. 1). Description and Comparisons Dong (1997) identified the holotype of Hudiesaurus as an anterior dorsal vertebra; however, it also resembles a posteriormost cervical vertebra in several features. Even with well-preserved presacral series, it is often difficult to define the point where the neck meets the trunk in sauropods: this is because the morphology of the posterior cervical vertebrae gradually transforms into that of the most anterior dorsal vertebrae (Wilson and Upchurch, 2009; Moore et al., 2020). Despite some occasional doubts and apparent inconsistencies, we have generally accepted the identifications of the cervical-dorsal junction proposed by previous workers for other taxa. However, in the case of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401), we note that the suggested 19 cervical and 12 dorsal vertebrae (Young and Chao, 1972) is likely to be incorrect. This is because ‘Dv2’ possesses a hyposphene (PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010), which would be atypical for such an anterior dorsal vertebra: a hyposphene does not usually appear until Dv3 or Dv4 in sauropods (Upchurch et al., 2004a). We therefore propose provisionally that Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis had 18 cervical and 13 dorsal vertebrae. Given the difficulties of pinpointing the cervical-dorsal junction in even well preserved and complete presacral series, identifying the precise position of an isolated vertebra (such as Hudiesaurus) is even more problematic. Below, we compare the Hudiesaurus vertebra with both the posterior cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae of other sauropods. The majority of features support a position as either the last cervical or the first dorsal vertebra, with the former being more probable based on some features that are uniquely shared by Hudiesaurus and the last cervical vertebra (Cv18) of Xinjiangtitan. This identification, of course, depends on the assumption that Zhang et al. (2020) were correct when they placed the cervical-dorsal junction of Xinjiangtitan between the 18th and 19th presacral vertebrae (counting from the head). The Hudiesaurus vertebra is relatively complete, although the PRDLs and transverse processes have been partly reconstructed (see also Dong, 1997). As in the cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae of most eusauropods, it has a strongly opisthocoelous centrum (Dong, 1997) (Fig. 2), differing from the amphiplatyan/amphicoelous presacral vertebrae of most non-gravisaurian sauropodomorphs (Upchurch, 1995; Wilson, 2002; Upchurch et al., 2007a; Yates, 2007; Allain and Aquesbi, 2008; McPhee et al., 2014). In anterior or posterior view, the centrum is subcircular in outline, being slightly wider transversely than dorsoventrally (Table 1), as is typical for the cervicodorsal vertebrae of neosauropods (Mannion et al., 2019a) and some earlier-branching forms such as Qijianglong, Mamenchisaurus youngi, and Bellusaurus (Moore et al., 2020 and references therein). This contrasts with the transversely compressed middle–posterior cervical centra of many other East Asian eusauropods, including Shunosaurus, Erketu, Euhelopus, Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401), and Xinjiangtitan (Upchurch, 1998; Mannion et al., 2013; Moore et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020; PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010), as well as most rebbachisaurids (Mannion et al., 2019a). The Functional (i.e., excluding the anterior convexity) Average Elongation Index (FAEI) is 1.0 in the Hudiesaurus vertebra. FAEIs tend to decrease towards the cervical-dorsal junction compared with those for middle cervical vertebrae, and a value close to 1.0 is compatible with a position either as the last cervical or one of the first two dorsal vertebrae of a non-diplodocine sauropod (Table S1 in Supplemental Data 1). As in Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401; PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010), Klamelisaurus (Moore et al., 2020; contra Zhao, 1993), Euhelopus (Wilson and Upchurch, 2009), and many flagellicaudatans (Upchurch et al., 2004a), the ventral surface of the Hudiesaurus centrum is strongly concave transversely as well as anteroposteriorly over its whole length, and is bounded by ventrolaterally directed ridges (Dong, 1997). A prominent midline ridge is present within the ventral concavity, as also found in dicraeosaurids (Upchurch, 1998; Wilson, 2002), Cv17–Dv1 of Euhelopus (Wilson and Upchurch, 2009), posterior cervicals to Dv2 in Klamelisaurus (Moore et al., 2020), Cv13–18 in Xinjiangtitan (Zhang et al., 2020), and Dv1 (= ‘Cv19’) in Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401; PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010). The parapophysis is located at the anteroventral corner of the lateral surface of the centrum (Fig. 2). This position is typical for sauropod cervical vertebrae, although it also occurs in Dv1 in most taxa (Upchurch et al., 2004a), including Klamelisaurus (Moore et al., 2020), Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401; PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010), and Xinjiangtitan (Zhang et al., 2020), and in Dv1 and 2 in Euhelopus (Wilson and Upchurch, 2009) and Apatosaurus ajax (Upchurch et al., 2004b). In Hudiesaurus, there is no indication that the shallowly concave articular surface of the parapophysis was fused to a rib: this is more consistent with this specimen being a dorsal, rather than cervical, vertebra (Hatcher, 1901; Gilmore, 1936; McIntosh, 1990; Upchurch, 1998; Upchurch et al., 2004a; Zhang et al., 2020). However, rib–vertebra fusion is not an infallible indicator that a vertebra is a cervical (Moore et al., 2020): for example, the ribs of Cv17 and 18 of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401) are not fused to the parapophyses (PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010). The dorsal surface of the parapophysis is excavated in Hudiesaurus, and this depression is continuous with the lateral pneumatic opening, as seen in the cervical vertebrae of many non-neosauropod eusauropods, such as Cetiosaurus and Chebsaurus (Upchurch and Martin, 2002, 2003; Upchurch et al., 2004a; Mahammed et al., 2005). Many neosauropods also have dorsally excavated cervical parapophyses, but such taxa typically possess a ridge that divides this depression from the lateral pneumatic opening (Upchurch, 1998; Upchurch and Martin, 2002, 2003). The lateral pneumatic opening of Hudiesaurus is small and deep, with a rounded, wide anterior margin that is positioned dorsal to the parapophysis (Fig. 2). Posteriorly, this opening is bounded dorsally by a sharp ridge that runs posteroventrally, giving the posterior margin an acute profile. Such a ridge is unusual in sauropods, only being reported previously in Cv17 and 18 of Xinjiangtitan (Zhang et al., 2020:figs. 15, 16, and 18), and confirmed as absent in Mamenchisaurus youngi by the latter study. Dorsal vertebrae 1 and 2 of Apatosaurus ajax have a ridge bounding the lateral pneumatic opening dorsally (Upchurch et al., 2004b), but this differs from the condition in Hudiesaurus and Xinjiangtitan by extending further anteriorly (i.e., to the anterior end of the opening) and being horizontal rather than posteroventrally inclined. In Hudiesaurus, this ridge merges into the centrum-arch junction, where there is a small, laterally extending projection on each side (Fig. 2): the latter is unique and is regarded as an autapomorphy. The presence of lateral pneumatic openings with oval outlines (i.e., strongly rounded and dorsoventrally wide anterior margins and acute posterior ends) in anterior dorsal vertebrae has frequently been regarded as a derived character state uniting Macronaria or a slightly less inclusive clade (e.g., Upchurch, 1998; Mannion et al., 2013). However, they are also seen in Dv1 and 2 of Klamelisaurus (Moore et al., 2020), the anterior dorsal vertebrae of Bellusaurus and Haplocanthosaurus priscus (Mannion et al., 2019a), and indeterminate cervicodorsal vertebrae from the Late Jurassic Shishugou Formation of China (Moore et al., 2020). In Hudiesaurus, the lateral pneumatic opening is not as elongate as those found in either the cervical centra of Cetiosaurus (Upchurch and Martin, 2002) or several Jurassic Chinese taxa (such as Dashanpusaurus and Daanosaurus; Peng et al., 2005; Ye et al., 2005). Indeed, Hudiesaurus possesses a lateral pneumatic opening that is largely restricted to the anterior two-thirds of the centrum (excluding the anterior articular convexity), a derived condition seen in the cervical vertebrae of many CMTs (e.g., Klamelisaurus, Mamenchisaurus youngi, Qijianglong, Xinjiangtitan), Euhelopus, and several titanosauriforms (Whitlock, 2011; Moore et al., 2020). However, the relatively small size and anterior location of the lateral pneumatic opening is also consistent with the Hudiesaurus vertebra being from the anterior dorsal region. The oblique accessory lamina that divides the lateral pneumatic opening into anterior and posterior sections in the cervical vertebrae of several non-neosauropod eusauropods (e.g., Mamenchisaurus, Klamelisaurus, Xinjiangtitan) and many neosauropods (Wilson, 2002; Upchurch et al., 2004a; Moore et al., 2020) is not present in Hudiesaurus (Fig. 2). While its absence is more compatible with an identification of the Hudiesaurus specimen as being an anterior dorsal vertebra, the oblique lamina is also sometimes absent in posterior-most cervical vertebrae, such as Cv18 of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401; PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010), Cv17 and 18 of Xinjiangtitan (Zhang et al., 2020), and Cv17 of Euhelopus (Wilson and Upchurch, 2009). The lateral pneumatic opening becomes shallower posteriorly in Hudiesaurus, as is typical for most sauropod cervical vertebrae (e.g., Cetiosaurus, Patagosaurus, and the CCG V 20401 specimen of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis: Bonaparte, 1986; Upchurch and Martin, 2002, 2003; PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010). Measured on the anterior surface, the ratio of the dorsoventral height of the neural arch (from the dorsal surface of the centrum to the ventromedial tips of the prezygapophyses) to centrum height is low (∼0.35) in Hudiesaurus. With the exception of comparably low neural arches in some somphospondylans and Omeisaurus tianfuensis, this ratio is ≥0.5 in the posterior cervical vertebrae of other eusauropods (Bonaparte et al., 2006; Mannion et al., 2013). In Hudiesaurus, the prezygapophyses project forward to a point beyond the anterior end of the condyle (Fig. 2). Such projection is typical for the posterior cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae of many sauropods: for example, in Klamelisaurus it is only posterior to Dv5 that the prezygapophyses no longer project beyond the anterior articulation of the centrum (Moore et al., 2020). However, this contrasts with the condition in taxa like Apatosaurus ajax, where the prezygapophyses no longer project beyond the anterior end of the centrum from Cv12 rearwards (Upchurch et al., 2004b). In Hudiesaurus, the prezygapophyses are large and broad, with transversely convex articular surfaces (Fig. 3A). Sauropods typically have flat prezygapophyseal articular surfaces plesiomorphically, but the derived, strongly convex condition is also present in the cervical vertebrae of diplodocines (Upchurch, 1995; Tschopp et al., 2015a) and the CMTs Klamelisaurus (Moore et al., 2020) and Xinjiangtitan (Zhang et al., 2020), as well as the anterior dorsal vertebrae of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis (CCG V 20401; PU and PMB pers. observ., 2010). The zygapophyses have several small, irregularly shaped coels on their dorsal surfaces (Dong, 1997). In the case of the prezygapophyses, these coels form a line of 5–6 adjacent pits, separated from each other by small anteroposteriorly directed ridges, located immediately posterior to the articular facet (Fig. 3A). These might represent a pneumatized internal tissue structure that has been revealed by erosion of the surface bone: however, their presence in the same position on both prezygapophyses suggests that they are not taphonomic artifacts. We therefore regard these coels as external pneumatic features and as autapomorphic for Hudiesaurus. The thin, medial edges of the prezygapophyses descend steeply to meet each other on the midline and form a single lamina extending down to the top of the small, subcircular neural canal (Fig. 2C); this is probably the “well developed medial lamina” of Dong (1997:103), here termed the interprezygapophyseal lamina (TPRL) according to a revised version of Wilson’ s (1999) system (see Tschopp and Mateus, 2013). This TPRL partially subdivides the centroprezygapophyseal fossa (CPRF) into left and right subfossae. A TPRL is absent from the posterior cervical vertebrae of Euhelopus (Wilson and Upchurch, 2009) and Xinjiangtitan (Zhang et al., 2020), and the anterior dorsal vertebrae of Klamelisaurus and Mamenchisaurus youngi (Moore et al., 2020), although it is present in several other sauropods (e.g., there is a short, stout version on the posterior cervical vertebrae of Apatosaurus ajax; Upchurch et al., 2004b). The centroprezygapophyseal laminae (CPRLs) of Hudiesaurus are large and stout (as in Cetiosaurus; Upchurch and Martin, 2003) and do not bifurcate at their dorsal ends, unlike those of the cervical vertebrae of several diplodocids (Upchurch, 1998) and many non-neosauropod eusauropods (Moore et al., 2020), such as those on Cv18 in Xinjiangtitan (Zhang et al., 2020). The stout, single CPRLs of Hudiesaurus more closely resemble those of anterior dorsal vertebrae in taxa such as Klamelisaurus, although the former lacks the accessory laminae seen in the PRCDF of the latter taxon (Moore et al., 2020). In lateral view, the CPRLs slope anterodorsally and are subparallel with the PCDLs (Fig. 2A, B), a configuration also seen in the cervical and anterior-most dorsal vertebrae (i.e., Dv1 and 2) of many sauropods. By contrast, in Dv3 and 4 of most taxa, these laminae become more vertical, and are fully vertical from around Dv5 onwards, as seen in Klamelisaurus (Moore et al., 2020). Thus, the orientation of the CPRLs further supports the view that the Hudiesaurus vertebra is either a cervical or one of the most anterior dorsal vertebrae. As in the cervical vertebrae of some non-neosauropod eusauropods (including Shunosaurus, Omeisaurus tianfuensis, Chuanjiesaurus, and Cetiosaurus) and many diplodocoids, pre-epipophyses are absent in Hudiesaurus. This contrasts with most CMTs, such as Klamelisaurus and Mamenchisaurus youngi, as well as Bellusaurus, Euhelopus, and many other neosauropods, in which these projections ar, Published as part of Upchurch, Paul, Mannion, Philip D., Xu, Xing & Barrett, Paul M., 2021, Re-assessment of the Late Jurassic eusauropod dinosaur Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum Dong, 1997, from the Turpan Basin, China, and the evolution of hyper-robust antebrachia in sauropods, pp. 1-31 in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (e 1994414) (e 1994414) 41 (4) on pages 3-9, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2021.1994414, http://zenodo.org/record/5839134, {"references":["Dong, Z. 1997. A gigantic sauropod (Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum, gen. et sp. nov.) from the Turpan Basin, China; pp. 102 - 110 in Z. Dong (ed.), Sino-Japanese Silk Road Dinosaur Expedition. China Ocean Press, Beijing.","Young, C. C., and X. - J. Chao. 1972. Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis sp. nov. 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A new sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China and the diversity, distribution, and relationships of mamenchisaurids. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35: e 889701. doi. org / 10. 1080 / 02724634.2014.889701","He, X. - L., K. Li, and K. - J. Cai. 1988. The Middle Jurassic Dinosaur Fauna from Dashanpu, Zigong, Sichuan. Vol IV. Sauropod Dinosaurs (2). Omeisaurus tianfuensis. Sichuan Publishing House of Science and Technology, Chengdu. 143 pp. [In Chinese, English summary]","Ouyang, H., and Y. Ye. 2002. The first mamenchisaurian skeleton with complete skull: Mamenchisaurus youngi. Sichuan Science and Technology Press, Chengdu, 111 pp.","Sekiya, T. 2011. Re-examination of Chuanjiesaurus anaensis (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Middle Jurassic Chuanjie Formation, Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, southwest China. Memoir of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum 10: 1 - 54.","Mannion, P. D., R. Allain, and O. Moine. 2017. The earliest known titanosauriform sauropod dinosaur and the evolution of Brachiosauridae. PeerJ 5: e 3217. doi. org / 10.7717 / peerj. 3217","Janensch, W. 1929. Die Wirbelsaule der Gattung Dicraeosaurus. Palaeontographica (Supplement VII) 2: 37 - 133.","Janensch, W. 1936. Ein aufgestelltes Skelett von Dicraeosaurus hansemanni. Palaeontographica (Supplement 7): 299 - 308.","Calvo, J. O., and L. Salgado. 1995. Rebbachisaurus tessonei sp. nov. a new Sauropoda from the Albian-Cenomanian of Argentina; new evidence on the origin of the Diplodocidae. GAIA 11: 13 - 33.","Poropat, S. F., P. D. Mannion, P. Upchurch, S. A. Hocknull, B. P. Kear, M. Kundrat, T. R. Tischler, T. Sloan, G. H. K. Sinapius, J. A. Elliott, and D. A. Elliott. 2016. New Australian sauropods shed light on Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography. Scientific Reports 6: 34467. doi. org / 10.1038 / srep 34467","Mannion, P. D. 2019. A turiasaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup of the United Kingdom. PeerJ 7: e 6348.","Carballido, J. L., D. Pol, A. Otero, I. A. Cerda, L. Salgado, A. C. Garrido, J. Ramezani, N. R. Cuneo, and J. M. Krause. 2017. A new giant titanosaur sheds light on body mass evolution among sauropod dinosaurs. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 284: 20171219. doi. org / 10.1098 / rspb. 2017.1219","Young, C. C. 1954. On a new sauropod from Yiping, Szechuan, China. Acta Paleontologica Sinica 2: 355 - 369.","Borsuk-Bialynicka, M. 1977. A new camarasaurid sauropod Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii gen. n., sp. n. from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Palaeontologica Polonica 37: 5 - 63.","Harris, J. D., and P. Dodson. 2004. A new diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Montana, USA. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 49: 197 - 210.","Ksepka, D. T., and M. A. Norell. 2006. Erketu ellisoni, a long-necked sauropod from Bor Guve (Dornogov Aimag, Mongolia). American Museum Novitates 3508: 1 - 16.","D' Emic, M. D., P. D. Mannion, P. Upchurch, R. B. J. Benson, Q. Pang, and Z. Cheng. 2013. Osteology of Huabeisaurus allocotus (Sauropoda: Titanosauriformes) from the Upper Cretaceous of China. PLoS ONE 8: e 69375. doi. org / 10.1371 / journal. pone. 0069375","Rauhut, O. W. M., K. Remes, R. Fechner, G. Cladera, and P. Puerta. 2005. Discovery of a short-necked sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period of Patagonia. Nature 435: 670 - 672.","Xu, X., P. Upchurch, P. D. Mannion, P. M. Barrett, O. R. Regalado- Fernandez, J. Mo, J. Ma, and H. Liu. 2018. A new Middle Jurassic diplodocoid suggests an earlier dispersal and diversification of sauropod dinosaurs. Nature Communications 9: 2300. doi. org / 10. 1038 / s 41467 - 018 - 05128 - 1","Tsuihiji, T. 2004. The ligament system in the neck of Rhea americana and its implication for the bifurcated neural spines of sauropod dinosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24: 165 - 172.","Sereno, P. C., J. A. Wilson, L. M. Witmer, J. A. Whitlock, A. Maga, O. Ide, and T. A. Rowe. 2007. Structural extremes in a Cretaceous dinosaur. PLoS ONE 2: e 1230. doi. org / 10.1371 / journal. pone. 0001230","Wedel, M. J. 2003. The evolution of vertebral pneumaticity in sauropod dinosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23: 344 - 357."]}
- Published
- 2021
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3. Re-assessment of the Late Jurassic eusauropod dinosaur Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum Dong, 1997, from the Turpan Basin, China, and the evolution of hyper-robust antebrachia in sauropods
- Author
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Upchurch, Paul, Mannion, Philip D., Xu, Xing, and Barrett, Paul M.
- Subjects
Reptilia ,Saurischia ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Mamenchisauridae ,Chordata ,Dinosauria ,Taxonomy - Abstract
Upchurch, Paul, Mannion, Philip D., Xu, Xing, Barrett, Paul M. (2021): Re-assessment of the Late Jurassic eusauropod dinosaur Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum Dong, 1997, from the Turpan Basin, China, and the evolution of hyper-robust antebrachia in sauropods. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (e1994414) 41 (4): 1-31, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2021.1994414, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.1994414
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- 2021
4. Second specimen of the Late Cretaceous Australian sauropod dinosaur Diamantinasaurus matildae provides new anatomical information on the skull and neck of early titanosaurs.
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Poropat, Stephen F, Kundrát, Martin, Mannion, Philip D, Upchurch, Paul, Tischler, Travis R, and Elliott, David A
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SKULL ,DINOSAURS ,CERVICAL vertebrae ,NECK ,SAURISCHIA - 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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5. Asteroid impact, not volcanism, caused the end-Cretaceous dinosaur extinction.
- Author
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Chiarenza, Alfio Alessandro, Farnsworth, Alexander, Mannion, Philip D., Lunt, Daniel J., Valdes, Paul J., Morgan, Joanna V., and Allison, Peter A.
- Subjects
DINOSAUR extinction ,VOLCANISM ,ASTEROIDS ,MASS extinctions ,CARBON dioxide - Abstract
The Cretaceous/Paleogene mass extinction, 66 Ma, included the demise of non-avian dinosaurs. Intense debate has focused on the relative roles of Deccan volcanism and the Chicxulub asteroid impact as kill mechanisms for this event. Here, we combine fossiloccurrence data with paleoclimate and habitat suitability models to evaluate dinosaur habitability in the wake of various asteroid impact and Deccan volcanism scenarios. Asteroid impact models generate a prolonged cold winter that suppresses potential global dinosaur habitats. Conversely, long-term forcing from Deccan volcanism (carbon dioxide [CO2]-induced warming) leads to increased habitat suitability. Short-term (aerosol cooling) volcanism still allows equatorial habitability. These results support the asteroid impact as the main driver of the non-avian dinosaur extinction. By contrast, induced warming from volcanism mitigated the most extreme effects of asteroid impact, potentially reducing the extinction severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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6. Sauropod dinosaur remains from a new Early Jurassic locality in the Central High Atlas of Morocco.
- Author
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NICHOLL, CECILY S. C., MANNION, PHILIP D., and BARRETT, PAUL M.
- Subjects
- *
SAURISCHIA , *REPTILE remains (Archaeology) , *JURASSIC Period , *REPTILE evolution - Abstract
Despite being globally widespread and abundant throughout much of the Mesozoic, the early record of sauropod dinosaur evolution is extremely poor. As such, any new remains can provide significant additions to our understanding of this important radiation. Here, we describe two sauropod middle cervical vertebrae from a new Early Jurassic locality in the Haute Moulouya Basin, Central High Atlas of Morocco. The possession of opisthocoelous centra, a well-developed system of centrodiapophyseal laminae, and the higher elevation of the postzygapophyses relative to the prezygapophyses, all provide strong support for a placement within Sauropoda. Absence of pneumaticity indicates non-neosauropod affinities, and several other features, including a tubercle on the dorsal margin of the prezygapophyses and an anteriorly slanting neural spine, suggest close relationships with various basal eusauropods, such as the Middle Jurassic taxa Jobaria tiguidensis and Patagosaurus fariasi. Phylogenetic analyses also support a position close to the base of Eusauropoda. The vertebrae differ from the only other Early Jurassic African sauropod dinosaurs preserving overlapping remains (the Moroccan Tazoudasaurus naimi and South African Pulanesaura eocollum), as well as stratigraphically younger taxa, although we refrain from erecting a new taxon due to the limited nature of the material. These new specimens represent one of the earliest eusauropod taxa and are an important additional data point for elucidating the early evolution of the clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2018
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7. Climatic constraints on the biogeographic history of Mesozoic dinosaurs.
- Author
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Chiarenza, Alfio Alessandro, Mannion, Philip D., Farnsworth, Alex, Carrano, Matthew T., and Varela, Sara
- Subjects
- *
DINOSAURS , *SAURISCHIA , *MESOZOIC Era , *COLD (Temperature) , *LOW temperatures , *HIGH temperatures , *LATITUDE - Abstract
Dinosaurs dominated Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems globally. However, whereas a pole-to-pole geographic distribution characterized ornithischians and theropods, sauropods were restricted to lower latitudes. Here, we evaluate the role of climate in shaping these biogeographic patterns through the Jurassic–Cretaceous (201–66 mya), combining dinosaur fossil occurrences, past climate data from Earth System models, and habitat suitability modeling. Results show that, uniquely among dinosaurs, sauropods occupied climatic niches characterized by high temperatures and strongly bounded by minimum cold temperatures. This constrained the distribution and dispersal pathways of sauropods to tropical areas, excluding them from latitudinal extremes, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. The greater availability of suitable habitat in the southern continents, particularly in the Late Cretaceous, might be key to explaining the high diversity of sauropods there, relative to northern landmasses. Given that ornithischians and theropods show a flattened or bimodal latitudinal biodiversity gradient, with peaks at higher latitudes, the closer correspondence of sauropods to a subtropical concentration could hint at fundamental thermophysiological differences to the other two clades. [Display omitted] • Sauropod dinosaurs never invaded polar palaeolatitudes • Sauropods were constrained to lower latitudes more than the other dinosaurs • Sauropods were more abundant in the Southern rather than in the Northern Hemisphere • Sauropod ranges were more sensitive to temperature than those of other dinosaurs Chiarenza et al. investigate the different biogeographic patterns exhibited by the main dinosaur groups (Ornithischia, Theropoda, and Sauropoda), finding that the distribution of sauropods differs from the others in being constrained at lower latitudes by low minimum temperatures, hinting to a fundamentally different thermophysiology of this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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8. A re-evaluation of the ‘mid-Cretaceous sauropod hiatus’ and the impact of uneven sampling of the fossil record on patterns of regional dinosaur extinction
- Author
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Mannion, Philip D. and Upchurch, Paul
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CRETACEOUS paleontology , *SAURISCHIA , *FOSSILS , *DINOSAUR extinction , *CRETACEOUS paleoecology , *BIOGEOGRAPHY , *COASTAL sediments , *TITANOSAURUS , *ANIMAL dispersal - Abstract
Abstract: The mid-Cretaceous of North America and Europe has long been noted for the absence of sauropod dinosaurs, leading several authors to suggest that this depauperate interval is a consequence of an end-Albian sauropod extinction. This time period has become known as the ‘mid-Cretaceous sauropod hiatus’, with the subsequent presence of titanosaurian sauropods in the latest Cretaceous of North America and Europe interpreted as the result of dispersal of taxa from South America and Africa, respectively. However, several lines of evidence indicate that this hiatus is probably a sampling artefact. New fossil and trackway discoveries have considerably shortened the hiatus, reducing it to the Turonian–early Campanian in North America, and to just two short intervals in the late Cenomanian–early Turonian and late Coniacian–Santonian of Europe. Palaeoenvironmental analyses of sauropods demonstrate an inland terrestrial preference for titanosaurs, the dominant Late Cretaceous sauropods; however, during the hiatus there was a decline in inland deposits and increase in coastal sediments in Europe and North America, which would have greatly reduced the probability of preserving titanosaurs. Neither the decline in inland deposits, nor the ‘sauropod hiatus’, occurred elsewhere in the world. Statistical comparisons also demonstrate a significant positive correlation between fluctuations in inland deposits and sauropod occurrences during the mid–Late Cretaceous in Europe and North and South America. Lastly, cladistic analyses do not place latest Cretaceous North American and European titanosaurs within South American and African clades, contradicting the predictions of the ‘austral immigrant’ hypothesis. The latter hypothesis also receives little support from biogeographical analysis of dispersal among titanosaurs. Thus, the ‘sauropod hiatus’ of North America and Europe is most plausibly interpreted as the product of a sampling bias pertaining to the rarity of inland sediments and dominance of coastal deposits preserved in these two regions during the mid-Cretaceous. The presence of titanosaurs in these areas during the latest Cretaceous can be explained by dispersal from Southern Hemisphere continents, but this is no more probable than descent from Early Cretaceous incumbent faunas or dispersal from Asia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
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- 2011
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9. A revision of the sauropod dinosaur genus ‘ Bothriospondylus’ with a redescription of the type material of the Middle Jurassic form ‘ B. madagascariensis’.
- Author
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MANNION, PHILIP D.
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SAURISCHIA , *DINOSAURS , *JURASSIC paleontology - Abstract
The sauropod dinosaur ‘ Bothriospondylus’, originally named on the basis of Late Jurassic remains from England, is demonstrated to be invalid, and the characters used to diagnose it are shown to be obsolescent features which are widespread throughout Sauropoda. Material referred to this genus spans a temporal range from the Middle Jurassic until the early Late Cretaceous and has been described from five different countries, across three continents. These remains represent a wide array of sauropod groups, comprising non-neosauropod eusauropods, a macronarian, titanosauriforms (including at least one definite brachiosaurid) and a rebbachisaurid. The type material of the Middle Jurassic ‘ B. madagascariensis’ represents a derived non-neosauropod eusauropod and possesses two potential autapomorphies. However, as a result of the fragmentary nature of the material and the uncertainty surrounding its association, a new taxon is not erected. Of the numerous specimens referred to ‘ Bothriospondylus’, however, several remains are considered diagnostic: Ornithopsis hulkei (Early Cretaceous, UK), Lapparentosaurus madagascariensis (Middle Jurassic, Madagascar) and Nopcsaspondylus alarconensis (early Late Cretaceous, Argentina). At least three types of sauropod were present in the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) of north-west Madagascar, with a basal eusauropod ( Archaeodontosaurus), a more derived eusauropod (‘ B. madagascariensis’) and a titanosauriform ( Lapparentosaurus) all approximately contemporaneous. Palaeocontinental reconstructions suggest that Middle Jurassic Madagascan sauropods would still have been capable of global biotic interchange, and this is perhaps reflected in their diverse assemblage. Re-evaluation of these Malagasy forms has shed new light on this important time period in sauropod evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
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10. The first diplodocid from Asia and its implications for the evolutionary history of sauropod dinosaurs.
- Author
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UPCHURCH, PAUL and MANNION, PHILIP D.
- Subjects
- *
DIPLODOCIDAE , *CRETACEOUS paleontology , *DINOSAURS , *SAURISCHIA - Abstract
An isolated anterior caudal vertebra from the Qingshan (= Ch'ing shan) Formation (Early Cretaceous) of Shandong Province, China, is redescribed and shown to be an advanced diplodocid sauropod. This specimen possesses several derived character states that are typically observed in advanced diplodocoids or diplodocids, including the following: a mildly procoelous centrum; a deep pit-like pneumatic fossa immediately below the caudal rib; wing- or fan-shaped caudal ribs; and complex lamination of the neural spine. The neural spine is apomorphically short and the centrum is short relative to its height compared to those of other diplodocids, which, when coupled with the specimen’s unique geographical location and stratigraphical age, suggests that it probably represents a new taxon. This caudal vertebra provides the first convincing evidence that diplodocids were present in Asia, perhaps as a result of the dispersal of neosauropod lineages from Europe and/or North America during the Early Cretaceous. The discovery of a member of the Diplodocidae in the Early Cretaceous also indicates that this clade did not become extinct at the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary as previously supposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2009
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11. A rebbachisaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight, England.
- Author
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Mannion, Philip D.
- Subjects
SAURISCHIA ,CRETACEOUS paleontology ,SCAPULA ,TAPHONOMY - Abstract
Abstract: Rebbachisauridae is one of the most enigmatic and poorly understood clades of sauropod dinosaurs. They are considered to be basal diplodocoids, are known solely from the Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Coniacian), and have only been recovered from Africa, South America, and Europe. As a result of their extreme skeletal reduction, rebbachisaurid material is highly susceptible to destructive taphonomic processes and thus most remains are highly incomplete and fragmentary. Previous remains attributed to rebbachisaurids from England are restricted to isolated teeth. Here a sauropod scapula from the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, England, is described. Although incomplete, this scapula possesses both the extreme dorsoventral expansion of the scapular blade and the “hook”-like acromial process that are characteristic of rebbachisaurids. This study has also enabled the recognition of a putative local synapomorphy of Rebbachisauridae, with the highest point on the dorsal margin of the scapula blade equal to or exceeding that of the dorsal margin of the proximal plate. This scapula is one of the oldest known examples of a rebbachisaurid and represents the first postcranial remains of this clade to be described from the United Kingdom. In addition, it provides further support for the presence of rebbachisaurids in the Early-mid Cretaceous of Europe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2009
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