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.
Highlights
Other fossil sites close to the Hami region are the strata from the Junggar Basin, especially the outcrops near the Mazong Mountain[46]
Scoring Silutitan (IVPP V27874) and Hamititan (HM V22) as separate taxa resulted in 128 most parsimonious trees (MPTs) of 1331 steps
Scoring IVPP V27874 (Silutitan), HM V22 (Hamititan) and IVPP V27875 as a single taxon with equal weighting resulted in 54,450 MPTs with 2672 steps
Summary
Other fossil sites close to the Hami region are the strata from the Junggar Basin, especially the outcrops near the Mazong Mountain[46]. It is important to note to the authors highlighted a need for further redescriptions due to conflicting phylogenetic r esults[47], as well as revisions of these sauropods ( Mamenchisaurus and Omeisaurus). The comparisons with this “core- Mamenchisaurus-like taxa” and full revision of the anatomy and systematics of mamenchisaurids is beyond the scope of this paper
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