Leonardo S. Filippi

A new sauropod titanosaur from the Plottier Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia (Argentina)

This paper presents a new titanosaur sauropod, collected from levels of reddish clays assigned to the Plottier Formation (Coniacian-Santonian). The holotype of Petrobrasaurus puestohernandezi gen. et. sp. nov. is a disarticulated specimen, from which teeth, cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, sternal plates, metacarpals, femora, tibia, a fragment of ilium, pubis, haemal arches, and cervical and dorsal ribs have been preserved. This period is of particular interest because it saw the definitive isolation of the vertebrate faunas of Patagonia, with the separation of South America from the rest of Gondwana, a process that had begun during the Early Cretaceous. Although some of the characters observed in Petrobrasaurus gen. nov. suggest a relationship with the South American clade Lognkosauria, this new sauropod is regarded as Titanosauria incertae sedis until a more profound analysis of the Titanosauria that in which it is included is undertaken.

A new titanosaur sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of North Patagonia, Argentina

A new sauropod titanosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Anacleto Formation is described. Narambuenatitan palomoi gen. et sp. nov., is diagnosed by cranial and axial autapomorphies. The holotype, which represent a subadult individual, consists of the left premaxilla and maxilla, braincase, both quadrates, one cervical vertebrae, one dorsal vertebra, fragments of cervical and dorsal ribs, seventeen caudal vertebrae, caudal transverse processes, fragments of haemal arches, left sternal plate, right coracoid, left humerus, left ulnae, both pubes, iliac pedicel, proximal fragment of right ischia, and an incomplete left femur. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that Narambuenatitan is a non-eutitanosaurian lithostrotian, and that it shares with Epachthosaurus a neural spine in middle caudal vertebrae which are laminar and posteriorly elongated.

MORFOLOGÍA E HISTOLOGÍA DE OSTEODERMOS DE UN PEIROSAURIDAE DE LA CUENCA NEUQUINA

Abstract. MORPHOLOGY AND HISTOLOGY OF OSTEODERMS FROM A PEIROSAURID FROM THE NEUQUEN BASIN. Osteoderms of a new crocodyliform specimen recovered from the Puesto Hernández locality are described here, found in sediments of the Plottier Formation (late Coniacian), near Rincón de los Sauces city, Neuquén Province. The studied osteoderms, that are part of the associated material, include: dorso-sacral region, appendicular osteoderms associated to the right femur, proximoventral region of articulated caudal osteoderms, and isolated osteoderms. The histology of the osteoderms allowed determining they have a compact cortex that surrounds a more cancellous internal region. It was possible to recognize growth marks (annuli) in the entire compact tissue, indicating a minimum age of 18 years for the studied specimen. The osteoderms have characters that allow preliminarily assigning the specimen MAU-Pv-PH-437 to Mesoeucrocodylia closely related to Peirosauridae.

A new peirosaurid (Crocodilyformes) from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian–Coniacian) of Patagonia, Argentina

Peirosauridae is composed of mid- to large-sized terrestrial mesoeucrododylian crocodyliforms distributed throughout Gondwanan landmasses. Here we describe a new peirosaurid that comes from the upper levels of the Portezuelo Formation (Turonian–Coniacian, Upper Cretaceous) from Loma de la Lata, Neuquén Province, Argentina. This specimen consists of some associated bones belonging to a single individual. In order to facilitate comparisons, we recognise two different peirosaurid morphotypes based on skull shape: broad- and narrow-snouted taxa. The new taxon may be related to broad-snouted taxa, especially Gasparinisuchus peirosauroides. The new taxon here reported has strong heterodont dentition when compared with other peirosaurids. As in related forms, the fourth dentary tooth is caniniform, very large, acute and transversely compressed (much more than other peirosaurids), and the anterior dentary teeth have less globular, sharp serrated crowns. Large interalveolar spaces are present between both mandibular and maxillary teeth, a trait only observed on the new taxon. With this addition, we elevate the number of Patagonian peirosaurids to four. Moreover, it represents together with Lomasuchus palpebrosus the second peirosaurid species described for the Portezuelo Formation.