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New sauropod dinosaur material from Jones Ranch: a large Comanchean nonmammalian tetrapod from Texas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2013

D. A. Winkler ,
M. J. Polcyn  and
L. L. Jacobs
D. A. Winkler
Affiliation:
Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA Email: dwinkler@smu.edu; mpolcyn@smu.edu; jacobs@smu.edu
M. J. Polcyn
Affiliation:
Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA Email: dwinkler@smu.edu; mpolcyn@smu.edu; jacobs@smu.edu
L. L. Jacobs
Affiliation:
Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA Email: dwinkler@smu.edu; mpolcyn@smu.edu; jacobs@smu.edu
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Abstract

New sauropod dinosaur material is described from Jones Ranch, Early Cretaceous of Texas (USA). Originally described as Paluxysaurus jonesi, the material from Jones Ranch has recently been referred to Sauroposeidon proteles. Elements newly prepared from dense concretionary matrix include the sacrum, ilium and proximal portion of the tail. Reconstructions of the skull and sacrum plus pelvic girdles are presented. ‘Paluxysaurus jonesi’ (=S. proteles) is a blunt-faced sauropod that was originally regarded as closely related to Brachiosaurus. Portions of the sacrum are now exposed and show that it is nearly complete, missing only parts of the first sacral (S1). The anterior sacrals are firmly fused, however, a newly discovered opisthocoelous last sacral (S6) remains unfused. A complete sequence of proximal caudal vertebrae shows a rapid transition from anteroposteriorly short and mediolaterally broad centra anteriorly, to more elongate cylindrical centra posteriorly. All proximal caudals have slightly amphicoelous centra. Some middle anterior caudals have a shallow longitudinal groove on the ventral surface of the centrum. Specimens from Jones Ranch exhibit characters of the sacrum and tail that clearly corroborate placement of ‘P. jonesi’ (Sauroposeidon proteles) as a somphospondylan titanosauriform.

Keywords

anatomyCretaceousrelationshipsSauropodaUSA
Type
Articles
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 103 , Issue 3-4: The Full Profession: A Celebration of the Life and Career of Wann Langston, Jr., Quintessential Vertebrate Palaeontologist , September 2012 , pp. 459 - 469
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Society of Edinburgh 2013 

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