Tangvayosaurus

Tangvayosaurus (meaning "Tang Vay lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Aptian-Albian age Lower Cretaceous Gres superieurs Formation of Savannakhet, Laos. It was a basal somphospondylan, about 15 m long, and is known from the remains of two or three individuals.

Tangvayosaurus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous,
~120–100 Ma [1]
Holotype of Tangvayosaurus, Dinosaur Museum, Savannakhet, Laos
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Suborder: Sauropodomorpha
Clade: Sauropoda
Clade: Eusauropoda
Clade: Neosauropoda
Clade: Macronaria
Family: Euhelopodidae
Genus: Tangvayosaurus
Allain et al., 1999
Species:
T. hoffeti
Binomial name
Tangvayosaurus hoffeti
Allain et al., 1999
Synonyms

Description

Femur

It is based on TV4-1 to TV4-36, consisting of a partial pelvis, several back vertebrae and a tail vertebra, ribs, and an upper arm bone (humerus). Another skeleton includes 38 tail vertebrae, a neck vertebra, and most of a hind limb. The type species, Tangvayosaurus hoffeti, was described by a group of a dozen scientists led by Ronan Allain in 1999. Allain et al. also referred the old species "Titanosaurus" falloti (Hoffet, 1942),[2] from the same formation and based on partial thigh bones and tail vertebrae, to their genus as T. sp.[3] The most recent review tentatively retains the genus because it is different from the only other established sauropod from the same approximate time but found next door in Thailand (Phuwiangosaurus), but disagrees with adding T. falloti to it.[4]

Classification

Although consistently recovered within the Somphospondyli, the exact placement of Tangvayosaurus is debated. It was initially assigned by Allain et al. (1999) to the Titanosauria, who noted strong affinities to Phuwiangosaurus, which they also considered a titanosaur.[3] A more recent review by Suteethorn et al. (2010) resolved both Tangvayosaurus and Phuwiangosaurus as more basal titanosauriforms. The cladogram below follows this analysis.[5]

Macronaria

Camarasaurus

Titanosauriformes

Brachiosaurus

Phuwiangosaurus

Somphospondyli

Euhelopus

Tangvayosaurus

Lithostrotia

Malawisaurus

Eutitanosauria
Nemegtosauridae

Nemegtosaurus

Rapetosaurus

Isisaurus

Opisthocoelicaudiinae

Alamosaurus

Opisthocoelicaudia

Saltasaurinae

Neuquensaurus

Saltasaurus

D'Emic (2012) found that Tangvayosaurus was the sister taxon of Phuwiangosaurus within the Euhelopodidae.[6]

References

  1. Allain, R.; Xaisanavong, T.; Richir, P.; Khentavong, B. (2012). "The first definitive Asian spinosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the early cretaceous of Laos". Naturwissenschaften. 99 (5): 369–377. Bibcode:2012NW.....99..369A. doi:10.1007/s00114-012-0911-7. PMID 22528021.
  2. J.-H. Hoffet. (1942). Description de quelques ossements de Titanosauriens du Sénonien du Bas-Laos [Description of some titanosaurian bones from the Senonian of Lower Laos]. Comptes Rendus des Séances du Conseil des Recherches Scientifiques de l'Indochine 1942(1):49-57
  3. Allain, R.; Taquet, P.; Battail, B; Dejax, J.; Richir, P.; Véran, M.; Limon-Duparcmeur, F.; Vacant, R.; Mateus, O.; Sayarath, P.; Khenthavong, B.; Phouyavong, S. (1999). "Un nouveau genre de dinosaure sauropode de la formation des Grès supérieurs (Aptien-Albien) du Laos". Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série IIA (in French). 329 (8): 609–616. Bibcode:1999CRASE.329..609A. doi:10.1016/S1251-8050(00)87218-3.
  4. Upchurch, Paul M.; Paul M. Barrett; Peter Dodson (2004). "Sauropoda". In Weishampel, David B.; Peter Dodson; Halszka Osmólska (eds.). The Dinosauria (2nd edition). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 259–322. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
  5. Suteethorn, S.; Le Loeuff, J.; Buffetaut, E.; Suteethorn, V. (2010). "Description of topotypes of Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae, a sauropod from the Sao Khua Formation (Early Cretaceous) of Thailand, and their phylogenetic implications". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 256 (1): 109–121. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2010/0036.
  6. D'Emic, M.D. (2012). "The early evolution of titanosauriform sauropod dinosaurs" (PDF). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 166 (3): 624–671. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00853.x.
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