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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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Chiarenza AA, Mannion PD, Farnsworth A, Carrano MT, Varela S. Climatic constraints on the biogeographic history of Mesozoic dinosaurs. Curr Biol 2021; 32:570-585.e3. [PMID: 34921764 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza
- Grupo de Ecología Animal, Centro de Investigacion Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, Vigo 36310, Spain; Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BP, UK; Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Philip D Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Alex Farnsworth
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1RL, UK; State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Matthew T Carrano
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 121, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA.
| | - Sara Varela
- Grupo de Ecología Animal, Centro de Investigacion Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, Vigo 36310, Spain
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Nicholl CSC, Hunt ESE, Ouarhache D, Mannion PD. A second peirosaurid crocodyliform from the Mid-Cretaceous Kem Kem Group of Morocco and the diversity of Gondwanan notosuchians outside South America. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:211254. [PMID: 34659786 PMCID: PMC8511751 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Notosuchians are an extinct clade of terrestrial crocodyliforms with a particularly rich record in the late Early to Late Cretaceous (approx. 130-66 Ma) of Gondwana. Although much of this diversity comes from South America, Africa and Indo-Madagascar have also yielded numerous notosuchian remains. Three notosuchian species are currently recognized from the early Late Cretaceous (approx. 100 Ma) Kem Kem Group of Morocco, including the peirosaurid Hamadasuchus rebouli. Here, we describe two new specimens that demonstrate the presence of at least a fourth notosuchian species in this fauna. Antaeusuchus taouzensis n. gen. n. sp. is incorporated into one of the largest notosuchian-focused character-taxon matrices yet to be compiled, comprising 443 characters scored for 63 notosuchian species, with an increased sampling of African and peirosaurid species. Parsimony analyses run under equal and extended implied weighting consistently recover Antaeusuchus as a peirosaurid notosuchian, supported by the presence of two distinct waves on the dorsal dentary surface, a surangular which laterally overlaps the dentary above the mandibular fenestra, and a relatively broad mandibular symphysis. Within Peirosauridae, Antaeusuchus is recovered as the sister taxon of Hamadasuchus. However, it differs from Hamadasuchus with respect to several features, including the ornamentation of the lateral surface of the mandible, the angle of divergence of the mandibular rami, the texture of tooth enamel and the shape of the teeth, supporting their generic distinction. We present a critical reappraisal of the non-South American Gondwanan notosuchian record, which spans the Middle Jurassic-late Eocene. This review, as well as our phylogenetic analyses, indicate the existence of at least three approximately contemporaneous peirosaurid lineages within the Kem Kem Group, alongside other notosuchians, and support the peirosaurid affinities of the 'trematochampsid' Miadanasuchus oblita from the Maastrichtian of Madagascar. Furthermore, the Cretaceous record demonstrates the presence of multiple lineages of approximately contemporaneous notosuchians in several African and Madagascan faunas, and supports previous suggestions regarding an undocumented pre-Aptian radiation of Notosuchia. By contrast, the post-Cretaceous record is depauperate, comprising rare occurrences of sebecosuchians in north Africa prior to their extirpation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecily S. C. Nicholl
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Eloise S. E. Hunt
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, and the Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Driss Ouarhache
- Laboratoire Géosystèmes, Environnement et Développement Durable, Département de Géologie, Faculté des Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, BP 1796, Atlas 30 000, Fès, Morocco
| | - Philip D. Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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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.
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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
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9
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Poropat SF, White MA, Ziegler T, Pentland AH, Rigby SL, Duncan RJ, Sloan T, Elliott DA. A diverse Late Cretaceous vertebrate tracksite from the Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11544. [PMID: 34178452 PMCID: PMC8216175 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Upper Cretaceous ‘upper’ Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia is world famous for hosting Dinosaur Stampede National Monument at Lark Quarry Conservation Park, a somewhat controversial tracksite that preserves thousands of tridactyl dinosaur tracks attributed to ornithopods and theropods. Herein, we describe the Snake Creek Tracksite, a new vertebrate ichnoassemblage from the ‘upper’ Winton Formation, originally situated on Karoola Station but now relocated to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History. This site preserves the first sauropod tracks reported from eastern Australia, a small number of theropod and ornithopod tracks, the first fossilised crocodyliform and ?turtle tracks reported from Australia, and possible lungfish and actinopterygian feeding traces. The sauropod trackways are wide-gauge, with manus tracks bearing an ungual impression on digit I, and anteriorly tapered pes tracks with straight or concave forward posterior margins. These tracks support the hypothesis that at least one sauropod taxon from the ‘upper’ Winton Formation retained a pollex claw (previously hypothesised for Diamantinasaurus matildae based on body fossils). Many of the crocodyliform trackways indicate underwater walking. The Snake Creek Tracksite reconciles the sauropod-, crocodyliform-, turtle-, and lungfish-dominated body fossil record of the ‘upper’ Winton Formation with its heretofore ornithopod- and theropod-dominated ichnofossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen F Poropat
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland, Australia.,Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Matt A White
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland, Australia.,School of Environmental & Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Tim Ziegler
- Palaeontology, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Adele H Pentland
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland, Australia.,Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Samantha L Rigby
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Queensland, Australia.,Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ruairidh J Duncan
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, 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
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10
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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.
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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
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