Iani

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Iani
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), ~99.5  Ma
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Iani Skeletal.png
Skeletal reconstruction showing known fossil material in green
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Ornithischia
Clade: Neornithischia
Clade: Ornithopoda
Clade: Rhabdodontomorpha
Genus: Iani
Zanno et al., 2023
Species:
I. smithi
Binomial name
Iani smithi
Zanno et al., 2023

Iani (after Ianus) is an extinct genus of rhabdodontomorph iguanodontian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah, United States. The genus contains a single species, I. smithi, known from a partial skeleton including the skull. Its discovery serves as a link between the genus Tenontosaurus and the Rhabdodontidae, with both along with Iani being members of the clade Rhabdodontomorpha. [1]

Contents

Discovery and naming

The Iani holotype specimen, NCSM 29373, was discovered in 2014 in sediments of the Cedar Mountain Formation (lower Mussentuchit Member) in Emery County, Utah, United States. The specimen consists of a partial skeleton including a nearly complete, disarticulated skull, cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, ribs and haemal arches, partial pectoral and pelvic girdles, and the right arm and leg. [1]

In 2023, Zanno et al. described Iani smithi as a new genus and species of rhabdodontomorph iguanodontian based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Iani", alludes to Ianus, the Roman god of transitions, referencing the changing biota of the time. The specific name, "smithi", honors Joshua Aaron Smith and his paleontological contributions. [1]

Classification

Zanno et al. (2023) recovered Iani as a basal rhabdodontomorph member of the Iguanodontia. They interpreted it as a transitional taxon between Tenontosaurus and other Late Cretaceous rhabdodontomorphs (the Rhabdodontidae). The cladograms below display the results of their phylogenetic analyses using different datasets: [1]

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

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Cedarpelta is an extinct genus of basal ankylosaurid dinosaur from Utah that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now the Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation. The type and only species, Cedarpelta bilbeyhallorum, is known from multiple specimens including partial skulls and postcranial material. It was named in 2001 by Kenneth Carpenter, James Kirkland, Don Burge, and John Bird. Cedarpelta has an estimated length of 7 metres and weight of 5 tonnes (11,023 lbs). The skull of Cedarpelta lacks extensive cranial ornamentation and is one of the only known ankylosaurs with individual skull bones that are not completely fused together.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayan Formation</span> Stratigraphic Unit in Idaho

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Zanno, Lindsay E.; Gates, Terry A.; Ayrahami, Haviv M.; Tucker, Ryan T.; Makovicky, Peter J. (2023). "An early-diverging iguanodontian (Dinosauria: Rhabdodontomorpha) from the Late Cretaceous of North America". PLOS ONE. 18 (6). e0286042. Bibcode:2023PLoSO..1886042Z. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286042 . PMC   10246810 . PMID   37285376.
  2. Poole K. 2022. "Phylogeny of iguanodontian dinosaurs and the evolution of quadrupedality". Palaeontologia Electronica. 25(3):1–65
  3. Dieudonné P.E., Cruzado-Caballero P., Godefroit P. & Tortosa T. 2021. "A new phylogeny of cerapodan dinosaurs". Historical Biology. 33(10): 2335