New information on the postcranial skeleton of the Thalassodrominae (Pterosauria,Pterodactyloidea, Tapejaridae)

The clade Tapejaridae is composed by pterosaurs commonly found in fossiliferous deposits in northeastern Brazil. It is constituted by two less inclusive clades: the smaller-bodied Tapejarinae and the larger Thalassodrominae. Here we describe the specimen MN 6566-V, from the Lower Cretaceous Romualdo Formation of the Araripe Basin, Brazil. The specimen is overall well preserved tridimensionally, and consists of three posterior cervical vertebrae, incomplete right and left scapulocoracoids, and the proximal portion of a right humerus. Comparisons to specimens described in the literature enable its identification as a thalassodromine, whose postcranial material is still poorly known despite the large amount of pterosaurs known from this unit.     

An Unusual Pterosaur Specimen (Pterodactyloidea, ?Azhdarchoidea) from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation of Brazil,and the Evolution of the Pterodactyloid Palate

A new and unusual specimen of a probable azhdarchoid pterosaur is described for the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Romualdo Formation of Brazil. The specimen consists of a palate that, although fragmentary, has a unique morphology differing from all other known pterosaurs with preservation of palatal elements. The new specimen probably indicates the presence of a yet undescribed pterodactyloid taxon for Romualdo Formation and brings new information on pterosaur diversity of this sedimentary unity. Mainly due to the rarity of pterodactyloid specimens with palate preservation, this structure has been overlooked in this clade. Here, we reassess the palatal anatomy of Pterodactyloidea, revealing an intriguing variety of morphotypes and evolutionary trends, some of them described here for the first time. The morphological disparity displayed by different pterodactyloid taxa may be further evidence of the presence of diverse feeding strategies within the clade.     

A NEW PTEROSAUR FROM THE LIAONING PROVINCE OF CHINA, THE PHYLOGENY OF THE PTERODACTYLOIDEA, AND CONVERGENCE IN THEIR CERVICAL VERTEBRAE

Abstract:  The largest known flying organisms are the azhdarchid pterosaurs, a pterodactyloid clade previously diagnosed by the characters of their extremely elongate middle-series cervical vertebrae. The named species of the Azhdarchidae are from the Late Cretaceous. However, isolated mid-cervical vertebrae with similar dimensions and characters have been referred to this group that date back to the Late Jurassic, implying an almost 60 million year gap in the fossil record of this group and an unrecorded radiation in the Jurassic of all the major clades of the Pterodactyloidea. A new pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province of China, Elanodactylus prolatus gen. et sp. nov., is described with mid-cervical vertebrae that bear these azhdarchid characters but has other postcranial material that are distinct from the members of this group. Phylogenetic analysis of the new species and the Pterodactyloidea places it with the Late Jurassic vertebrae in the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Ctenochasmatidae and reveals that the characters of the elongate azhdarchid vertebrae appeared independently in both groups. These results are realized though the large taxon sampling in the analysis demonstrating that the homoplastic character states present in these two taxa were acquired in a different order in their respective lineages. Some of these homoplastic characters were previously thought to appear once in the history of pterosaurs and may be correlated to the extension of the neck regions in both groups. Because the homoplastic character states in the Azhdarchidae and Ctenochasmatidae are limited to the mid-cervical vertebrae, these states are termed convergent based on a definition of the term in a phylogenetic context. A number of novel results from the analysis presented produce a reorganization in the different species and taxa of the Pterodactyloidea.     

A pterosaurian notarium from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil

A pterosaur vertebral column consisting of the last cervical vertebra, the first five dorsals fused to a notarium, and the following four dorsal vertebrae, is figured and described from the Aptian Santana Formation of the Chapada do Araripe in northeastern Brazil. The specimen is tentatively referred toSantanadactylus brasilensis de Buisonjé. It is the best preserved and most complete pterosaurian notarium known. Its functional significance is discussed.     

陕甘宁盆地二马营组的假鳄类

在陕甘宁盆地东北缘二马营组发现的两种假鳄类,经鉴定均属Euparkeridae。其中之一与Euparkeria较相近;根据肩胛骨、肱骨和骨质背板等的显著不同,定名为侨家梁哈拉寨鳄(Halazhaisuchus qiaoensis),新属、新种。依据骨髂形态,另一标本归入世鲁番鳄属(Turfanosuchus),取名沙圪堵吐鲁番鳄(Turfanosuchus shageduensis)、新种。     

A new specimen of the azhdarchoid pterosaur Tapejara wellnhoferi

A new specimen of the Early Cretaceous azhdarchoid Tapejara wellnhoferi is described from the Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation, NE Brazil, providing the first detailed account of the postcranial skeleton. Although limited in its preservation, the osteology is typical of other azhdarchoid pterosaurs from these deposits and represents a juvenile animal with a relatively small wing span of < 1.5 m. The ratios of the pedal elements are identical to those noted for larger, indeterminate azhdarchoids of the Nova Olinda Member of the Crato Formation, where the unguals of the pes are greatly enlarged relative to those of the ornithocheiroids that co-inhabited the Santana lagoon. The ratios of these elements suggest that, as part of a larger suite of characters, these animals were likely better adapted for life on the ground than their ornithocheiroid relatives.     

The Rutland Cetiosaurus: the anatomy and relationships of a Middle Jurassic British sauropod dinosaur

A relatively well–preserved specimen of Cetiosaurus oxoniensis, from the Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) of Rutland, United Kingdom, is described in detail. The material includes a nearly complete cervical series, representative dorsal vertebrae, a fragment of sacrum, anterior caudals, the right femur, and numerous rib and limb fragments. Contrary to previous suggestions that this specimen possesses 14 cervical and ten dorsal vertebrae, it seems more probable that there were at most 13 cervicals and at least 12 dorsals. The vertebral column displays several autapomorphic features which supplement the generic diagnosis of Cetiosaurus, including: (1) a stout, anteriorly directed process located at the top of the neural spine of the twelfth (?) cervical vertebra; and (2) the presence of lateral pits, separated by a thin midline septum, below the transverse processes of middle dorsal vertebrae. Cladistic analysis indicates that Cetiosaurus is probably the sister–taxon to the advanced neosauropod clade. This relationship affects the distribution of particular character states that have played an important role in determining sauropod phylogeny.     

贵州关岭海龙类一新属种——双列齿凹棘龙

简要记述了产自贵州关岭小凹组的一具基本完整的骨架,在此基础上建立了海龙类的一个新属种,双列齿凹棘龙(Concavispina biseridens)。新种最明显的鉴定特征是:上颌骨前端有两列钝的牙齿,后部无齿;脊椎神经棘背缘形成V形缺口。凹棘龙与新铺龙(Xinpusaurus)独有的衍征包括上颌骨前段背向弯曲,颈椎数目小于5枚,肱骨近端比远端宽。这些特征指示凹棘龙与新铺龙可能具有较近的亲缘关系。     

FOSSORIAL ADAPTATIONS OF A TAENIOLABIDOID MULTITUBERCULATE MAMMAL FROM THE EOCENE OF CHINA

<正> Fragments of the postcranial skeleton of s taeniolabidoid multituberculate,? Lambdopsalis bulla, from the Eocene of Chins are described. These consist of cervical vertebrae C2-C3 (fused), a fragment of the neural arch of C4, and complete C5-C7, thoracic vertebrae T1-T3, and two humeri, which are the first Complete multituberculate humeri ever described. The fusion of C2 and C3, and the stout structure of the humerus with a very large deltopectoral crest, a wide distal end, and prominent radial and ulnar condyles, indicate a fossorial mode of life for? L. bulla. These postcranial elements and a wide flattened, skull with a vertical occipital plate, suggest adaptstions seen in some modern golden moles and cricetid rodents such as Myospalax that dig with claws and displace the soil with the head.     

New genera of baleen whales (Cetacea,Mammalia) from the Miocene of the northern Caucasus and Ciscaucasia: 3. Zygiocetus gen. nov. (Middle Sarmatian,Adygea)

Based on an almost complete skeleton (skull, scapula fragment, humerus, ulna, radius, 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 17 lumbar and caudal vertebrae, sternum, and hyoid), a new cetotheriid, Zygiocetus nartorum gen. et sp. nov., is described. It comes from the Middle Sarmatian beds (Upper Miocene) of the Krasnooktyabr’sk Formation of the Polevoe 1 locality (Republic of Adygea).     

四川自贡中侏罗世峨眉龙—新种

记述了产自四川自贡大山铺中侏罗世峨眉龙属一新种——焦氏峨眉龙(Omeisaurus jiaoisp.nov.)。新种为大型蜥脚类恐龙,以如下特征区别于其他蜥脚类:前、中部背椎为典型的后凹型,后部背椎为双平型,背椎神经棘呈高大棒状,不分叉;尾椎为弱双凹型,第一尾椎不具扇形尾肋;第一脉弧短小且与第一尾椎关联;锁骨长大;肱骨和股骨细长而圆实;肱骨与股骨长度之比为0.83,尺骨与肱骨长度之比为0.72,胫骨与股骨长度之比为0.63。     

湖北淅川盆地上白垩统蜥脚类幼年个体新材料

描述湖北郧县淅川盆地晚白垩世地层中产出的蜥脚类恐龙化石。标本不关联保存于马家村组中段灰绿色含钙泥质粉砂岩中,材料包括牙齿、脊椎和肢骨化石等。从愈合特征（如分离的椎体和椎弓）分析,这些化石至少由2个未成年个体组成。这些化石体现出的特征组合,如股骨近端外侧突出,近端外缘向内侧倾斜,荐前椎气腔构造发育,以及牙齿呈细长的棒状,表明湖北郧县马家村组地层发现的蜥脚类可归入巨龙形类中的多孔椎龙类或者更进步的类群。新材料的发现对于进一步了解中国乃至东亚地区白垩纪晚期的蜥脚类恐龙分布和演化具有一定的意义。     

A new turtle from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian), Patagonia,Argentina, with remarks on the evolution of the vertebral column in turtles

Abstract: Patagoniaemys gasparinae gen. et sp. nov. is a new stem turtle found in central Patagonia, Chubut Province, Argentina, in outcrops of the La Colonia Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian). This is a turtle of relatively large size (carapace length c. 70 cm), and the preserved remains of the holotype consist of skull fragments and several postcranial elements including a nearly complete vertebral column. A phylogenetic analysis shows Patagoniaemys gasparinae gen. et sp. nov. forming a monophyletic group with Otwayemys cunicularius and Mongolochelys efremovi, as a sister group to Meiolaniidae. A comprehensive review confirms that formed cervical vertebrae appeared independently several times during turtle evolution: in the clade that includes Patagoniaemys gasparinae gen. et sp. nov. and Meiolaniidae, in some baenids, in the total group Pleurodira and in crown group Cryptodira. Likewise, formed caudal vertebrae appeared several times in turtle evolution.     

An azhdarchid humerus (Pterosauria,Azhdarchidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Saratov Region

A proximal humerus fragment referred to as Azhdarchidae indet. from the Rybushka Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Lower Campanian) of the Beloe Ozero locality in Saratov Region is described. The proximal articular surface is not saddle-shaped, has a weakly convex profile in the frontal section. The most posteriorly projecting part of the proximal articular surface is displaced ventrally. A large pneumatic foramen is located on the anterior surface ventral to the base of deltopectoral crest and close to the proximal articular surface. The humeral head is slightly declined from the diaphysis and only slightly overhangs the diaphysis posteriorly. This proximal humerus fragment possibly belongs to Volgadraco bogolubovi Averianov, Arkhangelsky et Pervushov, 2008, described from the Rybushka Formation of the Shirokii Karamysh 2 locality in Saratov Region.     

辽宁北票地区一新的甲龙化石

记述了辽宁省北票地区的甲龙化石一新属新种 :步氏克氏龙 (Crichtonsaurusbohlinigen .etsp.nov.)。其主要特征是 :中等大小的甲龙 ,下颌骨较低 ,外侧无骨甲覆盖 ;牙齿小 ,齿冠上有垂直向的棱嵴和边缘小齿 ,齿环发育不全 ,有愈合的颈甲板 ,膜质骨甲形态多样 ,尾后部的椎体相连结成棒状 ,两侧有排列对称的甲板。步氏克氏龙的发现对探讨北票地区晚中生代地层的划分和时代归属 ,以及对甲龙类的系统演化和地理分布均具有重要的意义。     

The last hadrosaurid dinosaurs of Europe: A new lambeosaurine from the Uppermost Cretaceous of Aren (Huesca, Spain)

A new hadrosaurid dinosaur, Arenysaurus ardevoli gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Maastrichtian of Aren (Huesca, South-central Pyrenees) is described on the basis of a partial, articulated skull, mandibular remains and postcranial elements, including vertebrae, girdle and limb bones. Arenysaurus is characterized by having a very prominent frontal dome; nearly vertical prequadratic (squamosal) and jugal (postorbital) processes, and deltopectoral crest of the humerus oriented anteriorly. Moreover, it possesses a unique combination of characters: short frontal (length/width approximately 0.5); midline ridge of parietal at level of the postorbital-squamosal bar; parietal excluded from the occiput; squamosal low above the cotyloid cavity. A phylogenetical analysis indicates that Arenysaurus is a rather basal member of Lambeosaurinae and the sister-taxon to Amurosaurus and the Corythosaurini-Parasaurolophini clade. The phylogenetic and biogeographical relationships of Arenysaurus and other lambeosaurines suggest a palaeogeographical connection between Asia and Europe during the Late Cretaceous.     

THE POSTCRANIUM OF ARCHEGOSAURUS DECHENI, AND A PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF TEMNOSPONDYL POSTCRANIA

Abstract:  The gharial-like Archegosaurus decheni from the Permian/Carboniferous boundary of south-west Germany is one of the best known temnospondyls. Based largely on new material, we restudied the postcranial anatomy of this species, including ontogenetic aspects. A. decheni has 24 presacral vertebrae, and the length of the deep tail exceeds the length of the rest of the body. Neural spines are moderately high and slowly become differentiated during ontogeny. The intercentra start to ossify very late. Distal uncinate processes are developed on the anterior ribs in adult specimens. Only the ventral portion of the scapula is ossified. The slender ilium and the ischium are not co-ossified, and the pubis remained cartilaginous. Among stereospondylomorph temnospondyls, the very short and rudimentarily developed humerus exhibits a unique morphology. Carpals and tarsals start to ossify only in the largest specimens. The poorly ossified postcranium indicates that A. decheni was primarily an aquatic temnospondyl. We undertook a phylogenetic study of A. decheni and 16 other temnospondyls, based exclusively on postcranial characters. We analysed 52 characters, obtaining a single most parsimonious tree that agrees in many aspects with cranium-based analyses: Trimerorhachis and Dvinosaurus form a basal clade (Dvinosauria), followed by monophyletic euskelians (dissorophoids plus eryopids) and finally the stereospondylomorphs, within which A. decheni is nested above Sclerocephalus . Among stereospondyls, trematosaurids and metoposaurids form a clade, whereas the chigutisaurid Siderops is nested with capitosauroids. The primitive condition of Temnospondyli is still not adequately understood, especially the degree of terrestriality of the earliest temnospondyls.     

Ankylosaur Remains from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) of Northwestern Germany

A fragmentary cervico-pectoral lateral spine and partial humerus of an ankylosaur from the Early Cretaceous (early Valanginian) of Gronau in Westfalen, northwestern Germany, are described. The spine shows closest morphological similarities to the characteristic cervical and pectoral spines of Hylaeosaurus armatus from the late Valanginian of England. An extensive comparison of distal humeri among thyreophoran dinosaurs supports systematic differences in the morphology of the distal condyli between Ankylosauria and Stegosauria and a referral of the Gronau specimen to the former. The humerus fragment indicates a rather small individual, probably in the size range of H. armatus, and both specimens are determined herein as ?Hylaeosaurus sp.. A short overview of other purported ankylosaur material from the Berriasian-Valanginian of northwest Germany shows that, aside from the material described herein, only tracks can be attributed to this clade with confidence at present.