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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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2
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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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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.
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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.
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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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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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7
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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.
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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
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8
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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.
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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
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