Brachyrostra

Last updated

Brachyrostrans
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 98–66  Ma
Carnotaurus, Chlupac Museum, Prague-2.jpg
Mounted cast of a Carnotaurus sastrei skeleton, Chlupáč Museum, Prague
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family:† Abelisauridae
Clade:† Brachyrostra
Canale et al., 2008
Subgroups

Brachyrostra (meaning "short snouts") is a clade within the theropod dinosaur family Abelisauridae. It includes the famous genera Carnotaurus , Abelisaurus , Aucasaurus as well as their close relatives from the Cretaceous Period of Argentina and Brazil plus Caletodraco from France. [1] The group was first proposed in an analysis conducted by Juan Canale and colleagues in 2008. They found that all South American abelisaurids described up to that point grouped together as a sub-clade of Abelisauridae, which they named based on the relatively unusual shape of their skulls (in comparison with other theropods). They defined the clade Brachyrostra as "all the abelisaurids more closely related to Carnotaurus sastrei than to Majungasaurus crenatissimus." [2]

Contents

Paleobiology

Carnotaurus tail cross section.png
Cross section through the tail of Carnotaurus, showing the enlarged caudofemoralis muscle and the V-shaped caudal ribs
Robustly modeled tail of Carnotaurus.png
3D reconstructions of the tail muscles, tail, and pelvic bones seen from the side and above

Anatomy

Brachyrostrans were relatively lightly built compared to other large theropods, ranging in size from 6.1–7.8 m (20–26 ft) [3] and 1400–2000 kg (1.6–2.3 short tons) in weight. [3] [4] They are considered the most derived abelisaurids, with traits like very short, narrow skulls and extremely reduced forearms, even more so than other abelisaurids. [5] [6] Many brachyrostrans had horns or rugosities on the frontal and nasal bones, which have been interpreted as bearing cornified structures or dermal armor. [7]

Diet and feeding

Studies of the skull anatomy of the most well-known species, Carnotaurus sastrei , lead to debate over what type of prey these animals hunted. Studies by Mazzetta et al. in 1998, 2004, and 2009 suggest that the jaw structure in Carnotaurus was built for swift, rather than strong, bites, with adaptations for mandibular kinesis to assist in swallowing small prey items whole. [8] Surprisingly, it exhibits a form of paracraniokinesis in which the dentary bone articulates against the surangular bone, further jointing the lower jaw and hypothetically allowing this animal a wider array of hunting strategies. [9]

However, in 1998 and 2009, Robert Bakker and Francois Therrien and colleagues contested this finding, stating that Carnotaurus had the exact same skull adaptations (short snout, small teeth, and a fortified occiput) as the Jurassic theropod Allosaurus , which presumably preyed upon large animals by gradual jaw slashing. [10]

Locomotion

Mazzetta et al. 1998–1999 and Phil Currie et al. 2011 found Carnotaurus to be a swift-running predator with semicursorial adaptations such as femoral resistance against bending moments [11] and a hypertrophied caudofemoralis muscle, the primary locomotory muscle in theropods which was located in the tail and pulled the femur backwards. [12] This enlarged caudofemoralis, giving them a speed estimate of 48–56 km/h (30–35 mph), allowed brachyrostrans to be one of the fastest-running large theropod groups yet known. [13] [12]

Phylogeny

Size comparison of various genera within Brachyrostra Carnotaurinae sizes.png
Size comparison of various genera within Brachyrostra

Within Brachyrostra, there is a slightly more restrictive clade, called Furileusauria ("stiff back lizards"). [14] They represent some of the larger brachyrostrans, with an average length of 7.1 ± 2.1 m (23.3 ± 6.9 ft). [15] The taxon is a stem-based clade and is defined as the most inclusive clade containing Carnotaurus sastrei but not Ilokelesia aguadagrandensis , Skorpiovenator bustingorryi, or Majungasaurus crenatissimus . [14]

Synapomorphies of Furileusauria recovered by Filippi and colleagues include: the presence of a tip in the middle area of the posterior surface of the ventral process of the postorbital, the presence of a knob followed by a deep notch in the postorbital-squamosal contact, the absence of fenestra between the frontal and lacrimal bones, an anterior projection of the distal end of the cervical epiphophyses, a posterior margin of the postzygapophyses which is level with the intervertebral articulation in dorsal vertebrae, a crescent-shaped morphology of the distal tip of the transverse processes in anterior and middle caudal vertebrae, transverse processes of anterior caudal vertebrae that is distally expanded and projected anteriorly, a convex external margin of the transverse processes in anterior caudal vertebrae, and a downturned process on the cnemial crest of the tibia. [14]

A more restrictive clade within Furileusauria is the tribe Carnotaurini. This group is a node-based clade and was first proposed by paleontologists Rodolfo Coria, Luis Chiappe, and Lowell Dingus in 2002, being defined as a clade containing " Carnotaurus sastrei , Aucasaurus garridoi , their most recent common ancestor, and all of its descendants." The tribe Carnotaurini was named in 2002 by Rodolfo Coria et al. in 2002 after their discovery of Aucasaurus garridoi . [6] Their morphological definition of it is by several synapomorphies of the clade, with two ambiguous ones: "the presence of hyposphene–hypantrum articulations in the proximal and middle sections of the caudal series, and cranial processes in the epipophyses of the cervical vertebrae." They defined more ambiguous synapomorphies due to the homologous materials not yet found in all other abelisaurids being: "a very broad coracoid (coracoid maximum width three times the distance across the scapular glenoid area), a humerus with a large and hemispherical head, an extremely short ulna and radius (ulna to humerus ratio 1:3 or less), and frontal prominences (swells or horns) that are located laterally on the skull roof." [6]

In their description of the abelisaurid Llukalkan , Federico Gianechini and colleagues performed a phylogenetic analysis to test the affinities of the new taxon. The simplified strict consensus tree of the analysis is shown below. [16] Similar results have been recovered by other analyses including Coria and colleagues (2002), [6] Canale and colleagues (2008), [2] and Cerroni and colleagues (2020). [17]

Abelisauridae

Geographic distribution

Brachyrostrans were initially known exclusively from South America. Members of the group have been unearthed from the Anacleto Formation, the Bajo de la Carpa Formation, the Candeleros Formation, the Huincul Formation, and possibly the Sir Fernandez field of the Allen Formation to the southeast. [18] [5] [19] A single named taxon, Pycnonemosaurus is also known from the Cachoeira do Bom Jardim Formation in Mato Grosso, Brazil. [20] The description of the French taxon Caletodraco , was the first definitive evidence of the clade from outside South America. The Albian taxon Genusaurus, which also hails from France, may also represent a European member of this clade. If it is truly a brachyrostran, it would represent the oldest member of the clade. [21] The enigmatic taxon Dahalokely , from Madagascar may also belong to Brachyrostra, although this remains uncertain.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Carnotaurus</i> Genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period

Carnotaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period, probably sometime between 72 and 69 million years ago. The only species is Carnotaurus sastrei. Known from a single well-preserved skeleton, it is one of the best-understood theropods from the Southern Hemisphere. The skeleton, found in 1984, was uncovered in the Chubut Province of Argentina from rocks of the La Colonia Formation. Carnotaurus is a derived member of the Abelisauridae, a group of large theropods that occupied the large predatorial niche in the southern landmasses of Gondwana during the late Cretaceous. Within the Abelisauridae, the genus is often considered a member of the Brachyrostra, a clade of short-snouted forms restricted to South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceratosauria</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

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<i>Xenotarsosaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abelisauridae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majungasaurinae</span> Extinct subfamily of reptiles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of ceratosaur research</span>

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References

  1. ↑ Buffetaut, E.; Tong, H.; Girard, J.; Hoyez, B.; Párraga, J. (2024). "Caletodraco cottardi: A New Furileusaurian Abelisaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cenomanian Chalk of Normandy (North-Western France)". Fossil Studies. 2 (3): 177–195. doi: 10.3390/fossils2030009 .
  2. 1 2 Canale, J. I.; Scanferla, C. A.; Agnolin, F. L.; Novas, F. E. (2008). "New carnivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of NW Patagonia and the evolution of abelisaurid theropods" (PDF). Naturwissenschaften. 96 (3): 409–414. Bibcode:2009NW.....96..409C. doi:10.1007/s00114-008-0487-4. hdl: 11336/52024 . PMID   19057888. S2CID   23619863.
  3. 1 2 Grillo, O. N.; Delcourt, R. (2016). "Allometry and body length of abelisauroid theropods: Pycnonemosaurus nevesi is the new king". Cretaceous Research. 69: 71–89. Bibcode:2017CrRes..69...71G. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.09.001.
  4. ↑ Mazzetta *, Gerardo V.; Christiansen †, Per; Fariña, Richard A. (June 2004). "Giants and Bizarres: Body Size of Some Southern South American Cretaceous Dinosaurs". Historical Biology. 16 (2–4): 71–83. Bibcode:2004HBio...16...71M. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.694.1650 . doi:10.1080/08912960410001715132. ISSN   0891-2963. S2CID   56028251.
  5. 1 2 Bonaparte, José F.; Novas, Fernando E.; Coria, Rodolfo A. (1990). "Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte, the horned, lightly built carnosaur from the Middle Cretaceous of Patagonia" (PDF). Contributions in Science. 416: 1–41. doi:10.5962/p.226819. S2CID   132580445. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Coria, Rodolfo A.; Chiappe, Luis M.; Dingus, Lowell (2002). "A new close relative of Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte 1985 (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (2): 460–465. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0460:ANCROC]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   131148538 – via ResearchGate.
  7. ↑ Delcourt, Rafael (2018). "Ceratosaur palaeobiology: New insights on evolution and ecology of the southern rulers". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 9730. Bibcode:2018NatSR...8.9730D. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-28154-x. PMC   6021374 . PMID   29950661.
  8. ↑ Mazzetta, Gerardo V.; Cisilino, Adrián P.; Blanco, R. Ernesto; Calvo, Néstor (2009). "Cranial mechanics and functional interpretation of the horned carnivorous dinosaur Carnotaurus sastrei". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 29 (3): 822–830. Bibcode:2009JVPal..29..822M. doi:10.1671/039.029.0313. hdl: 11336/34937 . S2CID   84565615.
  9. ↑ Mazzetta, Gerardo V.; Fariña, Richard A.; Vizcaíno, Sergio F. (1998). "On the palaeobiology of the South American horned theropod Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte" (PDF). Gaia. 15: 185–192.
  10. ↑ Bakker, Robert T. (1998). "Brontosaur killers: Late Jurassic allosaurids as sabre-tooth cat analogues" (PDF). Gaia. 15: 145–158.
  11. ↑ Mazzetta, Gerardo V.; Farina, Richard A. (1999). "Estimacion de la capacidad atlética de Amargasaurus cazaui Salgado y Bonaparte, 1991, y Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte, 1985 (Saurischia, Sauropoda-Theropoda)". XIV Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontologia de Vertebrados, Ameghiniana (in Spanish). 36 (1): 105–106.
  12. 1 2 Persons, W.S.; Currie, P.J. (2011). Farke, Andrew Allen (ed.). "Dinosaur Speed Demon: The caudal musculature of Carnotaurus sastrei and implications for the evolution of South American abelisaurids". PLOS ONE. 6 (10): e25763. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...625763P. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025763 . PMC   3197156 . PMID   22043292.
  13. ↑ "Predatory dinosaur was fearsomely fast". CBC News . October 21, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 Filippi, Leonardo S.; Méndez, Ariel H.; Juárez Valieri, Rubén D.; Garrido, Alberto C. (2016-06-01). "A new brachyrostran with hypertrophied axial structures reveals an unexpected radiation of latest Cretaceous abelisaurids" (PDF). Cretaceous Research. 61: 209–219. Bibcode:2016CrRes..61..209F. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2015.12.018. hdl:11336/149906. ISSN   0195-6671.
  15. ↑ Grillo, Orlando Nelson; Delcourt, Rafael (2017-01-01). "Allometry and body length of abelisauroid theropods: Pycnonemosaurus nevesi is the new king". Cretaceous Research. 69: 71–89. Bibcode:2017CrRes..69...71G. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.09.001. ISSN   0195-6671.
  16. ↑ Gianechini, Federico A.; Méndez, Ariel H.; Filippi, Leonardo S.; Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Juárez-Valieri, Rubén D.; Garrido, Alberto C. (2021). "A New Furileusaurian Abelisaurid from La Invernada (Upper Cretaceous, Santonian, Bajo De La Carpa Formation), Northern Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 40 (6): e1877151. Bibcode:2020JVPal..40E7151G. doi:10.1080/02724634.2020.1877151.
  17. ↑ Cerroni, M.A.; Motta, M.J.; Agnolín, F.L.; Aranciaga Rolando, A.M.; Brissón Egli, F.; Novas, F.E. (2020). "A new abelisaurid from the Huincul Formation (Cenomanian-Turonian; Upper Cretaceous) of Río Negro province, Argentina". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 98: 102445. Bibcode:2020JSAES..9802445C. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2019.102445. S2CID   213781725.
  18. ↑ Bonaparte, J.; Novas, E.E. (1985). "Abelisaurus comahuensis, n.g., n.sp., Carnosauria del Crétacico Tardio de Patagonia" [Abelisaurus comahuensis, n.g., n.sp., Carnosauria from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia]. Ameghiniana. 21: 259–265 – via ResearchGate.
  19. ↑ Benton, Michael J. (2012). Prehistoric Life. Edinburgh, Scotland: Dorling Kindersley. p. 320. ISBN   978-0-7566-9910-9.
  20. ↑ Kellner, A.W.A.; Campos, D.A. (2002). "On a theropod dinosaur (Abelisauria) from the continental Cretaceous of Brazil" (PDF). Arquivos do Museu Nacional Rio de Janeiro. 60 (3): 163–170. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  21. ↑ Buffetaut, Eric; Tong, Haiyan; Girard, Jérôme; Hoyez, Bernard; Párraga, Javier (September 2024). "Caletodraco cottardi: A New Furileusaurian Abelisaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cenomanian Chalk of Normandy (North-Western France)". Fossil Studies. 2 (3): 177–195. doi: 10.3390/fossils2030009 . ISSN   2813-6284.
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