The axial skeleton of Poposaurus langstoni (Pseudosuchia: Poposauroidea) and its implications for accessory intervertebral articulation evolution in pseudosuchian archosaurs

PeerJ
Candice M Stefanic, Sterling J Nesbitt

Abstract

Dinosaurs and their close relatives grew to sizes larger than any other terrestrial animal in the history of life on Earth, and many enormous dinosaurs (e.g., Diplodocus, Spinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus) have accessory intervertebral articulations that have been suggested to support these large body sizes. Some pseudosuchian archosaurs have been reported to have these articulations as well, but few have been characterized in these taxa because of a lower abundance of complete, three-dimensional pseudosuchian vertebral material in relation to dinosaurs. We describe the axial column of the large (∼4-5 m) poposauroid pseudosuchian Poposaurus langstoni from the Upper Triassic of Texas (TMM Locality 31025 of the Otis Chalk localities; Dockum Group, Howard County, TX, USA). P. langstoni was originally named from pelvic girdle elements and vertebrae; here we describe newly discovered and prepared presacral vertebrae and a presacral rib from the original excavation of the holotype in the 1940s. The well-preserved vertebrae have well-defined vertebral laminae and clear hyposphene-hypantrum intervertebral articulations, character states mentioned in pseudosuchians but rarely described. The new material demonstrates variation present in the hy...Continue Reading

References

Apr 8, 2006·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Sterling J Nesbitt, Mark A Norell
Nov 10, 2009·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Max C LangerFernando E Novas
Mar 10, 2011·PloS One·Jeffrey A WilsonJohn A Whitlock
Dec 12, 2012·Biology Letters·Sterling J NesbittAlan J Charig
Jul 22, 2016·PloS One·John P WilsonChris L Organ

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Citations

Dec 10, 2019·The Anatomical Record : Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology·Emma R SchachnerSterling J Nesbitt
Dec 12, 2019·Royal Society Open Science·Candice M Stefanic, Sterling J Nesbitt

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