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Pakisaurus balochistani
Taxonomy
Pakisaurus balochistani was named by Malkani (2004). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Kinwa Kali Kakor, DL-4 (southern sites), which is in a Maastrichtian fluvial claystone in the Vitakri Formation of Pakistan.
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 71 |
| 2006 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 111 |
| 2007 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani |
| 2008 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 51 |
| 2010 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 40 |
| 2014 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 56 |
| 2015 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 4 |
| 2016 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 129 |
| 2017 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 116 |
| 2019 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 635 |
| 2020 | Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani p. 418–420 |
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If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
†Pakisaurus balochistani Malkani 2004
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Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| M. S. Malkani 2019 | Pakisaurus balochistani sharing with Titanosauria as procoelous caudals; forward insertion of neural arches on caudals; prominent olecranon process on ulna and vertebrae lacking hyposphene-hypantrum articulations Pakisauridae characters are same as genus and species. Pakisaurus balochistani is recognised as more derived lithostrotian titanosaur based on procoelous anterior and middle caudal vertebrae. Pakisaurus balochistani is recognised as most derived Poripuch lithostrotian titanosaur based on procoelous anterior, middle and posterior caudal vertebrae. Pakisaurus balochistani is characterised by long slender legs and tall tail; narrow, long and recurved teeth with constant thickness from base to tip (except tip); large sized braincase with D-shaped occipital condyle; basal tubera breadth narrower than occipital condyle; caudals are tall quadrangular shape except a few anteriormost caudals which are broad; distal most caudal centrum anterior articular face shape procoelous while posterior face ball is biconvex cone with a horizontal transverse groove in the middle; distal scapula relatively less expanded than Gspsaurus; distal scapula with relatively anteroposteriorly long glenoid; distal scapular articular length for coracoid is relatively small (unlike Isisaurus); acromian process is narrow; expanded radial condyle exposed on the anterior aspect of distal humerus (unlike Isisaurus); femoral shaft, lateral margin shape, proximal one-third deflected medially with wavy style (and not straight as in Isisaurus); transversely narrow proximal Tibia with arc shaped lateral fibular condylar ridge ended just below cnemial crest; and osteoderms spikes on ramus. | |
| M. S. Malkani 2020 | Pakisaurus balochistani is a large sized gracile bodied pakisaurid Poripuchia titanosaurian sauropod sharing with the Titanosauria as procoelous caudals, forward insertion of neural arches on caudals, vertebrae lacking hyposphene-hypantrum articulations, prominent olecranon process on ulna and neural spine single and not bifid. Pakisaurus balochistani shares with Poripuchia [4] [27] as procoelous all caudal vertebrae except first biconvex in some taxa (because in Poripuchia anterior, middle and distal caudals found are all procoelous, while in lithostrotian distal caudals are not procoelous). Pakisaurus balochistani sharing with the Pakisauridae (characters same as genus and species Pakisaurus balochistani) as straight and slightly recurved slender teeth which have almost same thickness (diameter) except tip (opposite of gspsaurids teeth which are conical and con- verge and taper on all sides from base to tip); ratio of mid transverse width above and below of mid caudal centrum is about 1 i.e. the ventral view of mid caudal centra are not compressed or slightly compressed; transversely (relatively) thin bone of proximal tibia; proximal tibia, anteroposteriorly twice wide than transverse width (in Gspsauridae stocky tibia anteroposteriorly 1 to 1.5 times than transverse width); distal tibia is anteroposteriorly more wider than transverse width (while in Gspsauridae distal stocky tibia is transversely more wide than anteroposterior width). Pakisauridae is the most inclusive clade of Titanosauria containing Pakisaurus balochistani and Isisaurus colberti but not Saraikimasoom vitakri and Gspsaurus pakistani.
Pakisaurus balochistani is characterized by long slender legs and tall tail; nar- row, long and recurved teeth with constant thickness from base to tip (except tip) and slender indices more than 5 (while Gspsaurus and Saraikimasoom have moderate and small teeth respectively with gradually decreasing thickness from base to tip, and have rounded and pointed tips and slender indices vary from 3 - 5); large sized braincase with D-shaped occipital condyle (Figure 5) (while Gspsaurus and Saraikimasoom have rectangular occipital condyle with sagital dorsoventral groove and constriction); basal tubera breadth narrower than occipital condyle; caudals are tall (Figure 1) quadrangular shape (without significant ventral reduction) except a few anteriormost caudals which are broad; vertically oriented neural spine (Figure 1) on anterior and mid caudals (unlike Isisaurus colberti show inclined neural spine); distal most caudal centrum anterior articular face shape procoelous while posterior face ball has a horizontal transverse groove in the middle (posterior ball is folded like upper and lower anticlines al- ternated or sandwiched by a mid syncline) (Figure 5) unlike the slight and very feeble vertical groove on posterior ball of distal caudal centrum of Lirainosaurus astibiae [47] from Spain, Europe and U-shaped groove on posterior ball of distal caudal centrum of Epachthosaurus sciutoi [48] from Patagonia, Argentina, South America; Anterolateral bicleavage of sternal or two longitudinal transverse crest separated by a trough and medially convex profile (Figure 3); distal scapula relatively less expanded (Figure 2) than Gspsaurus pakistani and Saraikimasoom vitakri; distal scapula with relatively anteroposteriorly long glenoid (Figure 2); distal scapular articular length for coracoid is relatively small (Figure 2) (unlike Isisaurus which have long articular surface for coracoid); acromian process is narrow (Figure 2); expanded radial condyle exposed on the anterior aspect of distal humerus (Figure 1) (Figure 4) (unlike Isisaurus colberti which have no expanded radial condyle); femoral shaft, lateral margin shape, proximal one-third deflected medially with wavy style (Figure 4) (and not straight as in Saraikimasoom vitakri); slender flattened and transversely compressed proximal tibia with anteroposteriorly quite broad distal tibia (Figure 4), (while Gspsaurus pakistani have stocky biconvex lense shaped tibia with transversely broad distal ends, Sa- raikimasoom vitakri have stocky subsquare shaped proximal tibia of equal transverse and anteroposterior widths, Isisaurus colberti have slender flattened and transversely compressed proximal tibia with anteroposteriorly relatively less broad distal tibia; Figure 7); and dorsoposterior to lateroventrally oriented crest or ridge on the medial aspect of proximal fibula; and dorsoventrally straight parallel rugose structures on proximal fibula (Figure 2). |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: infrao = infraorder | |||||
| References: Kiessling 2004, Marsh 1875 | |||||
Age range: Maastrichtian or 72.20000 to 66.00000 Ma
Collections (11 total)
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late/Upper Maastrichtian | Pakistan (Balochistan) | Balochisauridae indet. (220166) Pakisaurus balochistani (53153 78055 79427 type locality: 79428 79665 79669 220154 220160) Titanosauria indet. (79668) | |
| Maastrichtian | India (Gujarat) | Pakisaurus balochistani (34725) |