A exceptional new genus and species of small-sized titanosaurian sauropod has been unearthed in Patagonia, Argentina.
Existence reconstruction of Titanomachya gimenezi. Symbol credit score: Gabriel Díaz Yantén.
Titanomachya gimenezi roamed our planet all over the newest Cretaceous duration, round 66 million years in the past.
The traditional species was once a member of a gaggle of derived titanosaurian sauropods known as Lithostrotia and shared some options with the circle of relatives Saltasauridae.
“Titanosaurian sauropods had been numerous in the newest Cretaceous ecosystems of Patagonia,” stated Dr. Agustín Pérez-Moreno, a postdoctoral researcher at CONICET, and his colleagues.
“The present fossil file is closely biased against the easier sampled Neuquén Team in northern Patagonia, the place two main titanosaur lineages are recorded, Colossosauria and Saltasauroidea.”
“The fossil file in southern Patagonia (Austral Basin) contains colossosaurian titanosaurs, equivalent to Puertasaurus reuili and most likely Nullotitan glaciaris, in addition to the huge saltasauroid Dreadnoughtus schrani.”
Titanomachya gimenezi was once a small-sized titanosaur, round 6-10 heaps in frame mass.
“Estimates of not up to 10 heaps are uncommon amongst titanosaurs,” the paleontologists stated.
“Inside the circle of relatives Saltasauroidea there are a couple of examples.”
“The lightest titanosaurs are Magyarosaurus dacus and Lirainosaurus astibiae with a mass of not up to a ton and two heaps, respectively.”
“Amongst Saltasauridae, the heaviest is Ophistocoelicaudia with a mass of 25 heaps, whilst inside the Saltasaurinae the frame mass varies between 5 and 6 heaps.”
The fossilized stays of Titanomachya gimenezi had been recovered from the outcrops of the Los angeles Colonia Formation in Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina.
“The holotype of Titanomachya gimenezi comes from the center segment of the Los angeles Colonia Formation, in ranges like the ones of alternative dinosaurs (abelisaurids, hadrosaurs, ankylosaurs), turtles, and mammals reported from this formation,” the researchers stated.
Regardless of being represented handiest by means of fossilized limb parts, the brand new species reveals a singular mixture of traits for a Past due Cretaceous titanosaur.
“The small grownup dimension of Titanomachya gimenezi puts it in a identical vary as Saltasaurus and Neuquensaurus however heavier,” the researchers stated.
“Its astragalus presentations an intermediate morphology between Colossosauria and Saltasauroidea, bearing in mind an articulation between zeugopodium and autopodium very similar to Colossosauria however with contributions from each the tibia and fibula.”
“Additional analysis is had to absolutely perceive the range and evolutionary importance of titanosaurian sauropods in Patagonia all over the Past due Cretaceous epoch and to substantiate the connection between frame mass and the original astragalus morphology noticed in Titanomachya gimenezi.”
“General, Titanomachya gimenezi stands proud as an intriguing specimen with its unique traits and occupies an important position within the evolutionary panorama of sauropod dinosaurs in Patagonia all over the Past due Cretaceous epoch.”
The invention of Titanomachya gimenezi is described in a paper within the magazine Ancient Biology.
_____
Agustín Pérez-Moreno et al. A brand new titanosaur from the Los angeles Colonia Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian), Chubut Province, Argentina. Ancient Biology, printed on-line April 10, 2024; doi: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2332997
