New rebbachisaurid cranial remains (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea) from the Cretaceous of Patagonia
Publicado por Leonardo Filippi en 15:32
Ariana
Paulina Carabajal, Juan I. Canale, and Alejandro Haluza
Report a new
rebbachisaurid material recovered from the Candeleros Formation (Cenomanian) of
northwest Patagonia, Argentina. The cranial remains consist of a partial
braincase and a right quadrate. Fractures in the braincase exposed the
endocranial cavity, allowing the first study of the brain and inner ear
morphologies of a South American rebbachisaurid. The braincase and cranial
endocast both exhibit traits similar to those observed in the Cretaceous
rebbachisaurs Nigersaurus from Africa and Limaysaurus from Argentina, although
in terms of osteology, the South American taxa are highly similar. The endocast
is more similar to that of Nigersaurus than to those of Diplodocus and
Camarasaurus, suggesting some probable rebbachisaurid features such as the
noteworthy presence of the flocculus. The overall morphology of the quadrate
shows similarities with Limaysaurus and Nigersaurus. However, differences such
as the broader posterior fossa and the shape and orientation of the head and
the pterygoid process indicate that the new specimen could represent a distinct
taxon.
Ariana Paulina
Carabajal, Juan I. Canale & Alejandro Haluza (2016): New rebbachisaurid
cranial remains (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea) from the Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina,
and the first endocranial description for a South American representative of
the clade, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, DOI:
10.1080/02724634.2016.1167067
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