Titanosaur Research Articles

Bioerosion traces on titanosaurian sauropod bones from the Upper Cretaceous Marília Formation of Brazil

Paes Neto, V.D., Francischini, H., Martinelli, A.G., Marinho, T.S., Ribeiro, L.C.B., Soares, M.B. & Schultz, C.L. May.2018. Bioerosion traces on titanosaurian sauropod bones from the Upper Cretaceous Marília Formation of Brazil. Alcheringa XXX, X–X. ISSN 0311-5518.Bone bioerosions provide an important taphonomic record on fossils from continental deposits dating back to the late Paleozoic. The morphological diversity of bone bioerosions is especially high in vertebrate remains from the Late Cretaceous. Here we describe four morphotypes of bioeroson preserved on titanosaur dinosaur bones collected from the Maastrichtian Marília Formation of Brazil. These traces differ from previously described ichnotaxa, and include branching furrows and surface removal resembling insect bioerosions, channels with semicircular cross-sections consistent with either root etchings or insects, and bite traces left by vertebrates. Taphonomic sequencing shows that time-averaging was an important aspect in the genesis of the Marília Formation taphocoenosis and demonstrates that traces left on bones are significant tools for reconstructing Late Cretaceous ecosystems.Voltaire Dutra Paes Neto [voltairearts@gmail.com] and Heitor Francischini [heitorfrancischini@hotmail.com] Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências (PPGGEO), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Agronomia, 91540-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Agustín Guillermo Martinelli* [agustin_martinelli@yahoo.com.ar], Marina Bento Soares [marina-soares@ufrgs.br] and Cesar Leandro Schultz [cesar.schultz@ufrgs.br] Instituto de Geociências (IGeo), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Agronomia, 91540-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Thiago da Silva Marinho† [thiago.marinho@uftm.edu.br] Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas ‘Llewelyn Ivor Price’ (CPPLIP), Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis (CCCP), Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), R. Estanislau Collenghi 194, 38039-755, Peirópolis, Uberaba, MG, Brazil; Luiz Carlos Borges Ribeiro [lcbrmg@gmail.com] Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas ‘Llewelyn Ivor Price’ (CPPLIP), Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis (CCCP), Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), R. Estanislau Collenghi 194, 38039-755, Peirópolis, Uberaba, MG, Brazil. *Also affiliated with: Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas ‘Llewelyn Ivor Price’ (CPPLIP), Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis (CCCP), Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), R. Estanislau Collenghi 194, 38039-755, Peirópolis, Uberaba, MG, Brazil. †Also affiliated with: Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Naturais e Educação (ICENE), Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Av. Randolfo Borges Jr. 1400, Univerdecidade, 38064-200, Uberaba, MG, Brazil.

New Titanosauria (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) remains from the Upper Cretaceous (Plottier Fm) of the southern Neuquén Basin (Patagonia, Argentina)

Fil: Bellardini, Flavio. Provincia del Neuquen. Municipalidad de Plaza Huincul. Museo "Carmen Funes"; Argentina. Direccion Provincial de Patrimonio Cultural. Subsecretaria de Cultura; Argentina

New Material of Katepensaurus goicoecheai (Sauropoda: Diplodocoidea) and Its Significance for the Morphology and Evolution of Rebbachisauridae

Fil: Ibiricu, Lucio Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Nacional Patagonico; Argentina

Discussões sobre a presença do gênero aeolosaurus powell 1987 (dinosauria, titanosauria) no cretáceo superior do Brasil

O registro de titanossauros no Cretaceo do Brasil, associado ao genero patagonico Aeolosaurus Powell (Dinosauria, Sauropoda, Titanosauria), e discutido. A natureza fragmentaria e isolada de muitos dos materiais estudados e o conhecimento ainda incipiente da real diversidade e das relacoes filogeneticas dos titanossauros brasileiros tem gerado incertezas nas afinidades taxonomicas propostas. A revisao dos especimes brasileiros atribuidos a Aeolosaurus sugere que nao ha caracteres para sustentar a ocorrencia deste genero patagonico no Cretaceo do Brasil. A constatacao de que estes materiais isolados e fragmentarios foram inadequadamente reconhecidos em suas relacoes alerta para a necessidade de procedimentos taxonomicos mais adequados. Para tanto, identificacoes bem fundamentadas, por exemplo, na presenca de apomorfias, e indispensavel para a correta designacao taxonomica, e as consequentes inferencias paleobiogeograficas, paleobiostratigraficas e no estabelecimento de biocronos.Palavras-chave: Titanosauria, Aeolosaurini, Aeolosaurus, Cretaceo Superior, Grupo Bauru, Brasil.

Dentición de titanosaurios (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) del Cretácico Superior de la provincia de Río Negro, Argentina: morfología, inserción y reemplazo

Fil: Garcia, Rodolfo Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigacion en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Museo de Geologia y Paleontologia; Argentina

Biodiversity Of Saurischian Dinosaurs From The Latest Cretaceous Park Of Pakistan

From first to about three thousand fossilized bones/ pieces of bones of dinosaurs have been collected by me from the latest cretaceous (70-65 million years before) vitakri member/Dinosaur beds of upper part of Pab Formation, Barkhan, Dera Bugti, Kohlu and Dera Ghazi khan districts, Balochistan and Punjab provinces, Pakistan. The studies of collected cardal centra, femora, and tibiae show the numer of taxa of dinosaurs, although most of the bones were fragmented but are well preserved. Most of the bones are found on or just near the in situ deposition in the overbank red muds. The down ward transportation after the exposure is very small and a few metre only. At many localities most of the bones are found together representing their association. Many localities deserves excavation for exploration of articulated bodies of these exceptional large animals. Titanosaurian synopomorphies are observed as procoelous caudals, forward insertion of neural arches on caudals; a prominent olecranon process on ulna; pneumatic/spongy texture of ilia, cervical and dorsal vertebrae; and external nares retracted backward. Two families of sauropod Titanosauria as Pakisaurids (Titanosaurids) and Balochisaurids (saltasaurids) are identified on the basis of morphology of caudals, femora and tibiae. Late Jurassic limb fossils represent one genus and species Brohisaurus kirthari of Pakisaurids (Titanosaurids). Latest Cretaceous caudal vertebrae represent three genus and species pakisaurus balochistani, Sulaimaniaurus gingerichi and khetranisaurus barkhani of pakisaurids (Titanosaurids); One genus and species Vitakrinda sulaimani of Latest Cretaceous Abelisaurids theropod dinosaur is established on the basis of partial skull, some vertebrae and a pair of proximal femora. So far the late Cretaceous Lameta Formation of India has served as the sole source of information on Cretaceous vertebrates of Indo-Pakistan sub-continent and their remains are inadequate for assessing generic-level affinities but the new discoveries from Pakistan have produced a large number of well preserved fossils and are useful for paleobiogeographic reconstruction and phylogeny.