PBDB Taxon

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Gspsaurus pakistani

Reptilia - Gspsauridae

Taxonomy

Gspsaurus pakistani was named by Malkani (2014). Its type specimen is MSM-79-19, a partial skull (articulated upper and lower jaws with teeth, palatal processes, left quadrate, partial quadratojugal, possibly lowermost portion of squamosal, mandible rami and), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Alam Kali Kakor, DL-19 (central), which is in a Maastrichtian fluvial claystone in the Vitakri Formation of Pakistan.

Year	Name and author
2014	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani p. 56
2014	Maojandino alami Malkani p. 169
2014	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani p. 872
2014	Maojandino alami Malkani p. 872
2015	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani p. 4
2015	Maojandino alami Malkani p. 6
2015	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani pp. 93, 95–96
2015	Maojandino alami Malkani pp. 93, 97
2015	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani p. 251
2015	Maojandino alami Malkani p. 251
2016	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani p. 129
2016	Maojandino alami Malkani p. 129
2017	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani p. 117
2017	Maojandino alami Malkani p. 117
2019	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani p. 628
2020	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani p. 409
2020	Maojandino alami Malkani p. 409
2020	Gspsaurus pakistani Malkani pp. 455, 461–463

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
M. S. Malkani 2016 (Maojandino alami)	a thickest, broad and long neck, short tail, heavy and stocky body
M. S. Malkani 2016	The anterior dentary symphysis seems to be weak. The anterior portions of dentary rami are V-shaped. It has relatively long, narrow, slightly oval, slender and slightly recurved teeth.
M. S. Malkani 2019	Gspsaurus pakistani medium sized sauropod shares with the Titanosauria as vertebrae lacking hyposphene-hypantrum articulations; procoelous caudals (except the first caudal); forward insertion of neural arches on caudals; and prominent olecranon process. Gspsaurus pakistani autapomorphies are as small sized spongy skull; teeth circular to subcircular, slender, slightly recurved and conical. The thickness of diameter decreases gradually from base to tip; palatal shelf be- tween the ventral palatal process and dorsal palatal process forms left and right maxillary canals; dorsal palatal shelf just below the left and right premaxillae and between the dorsal palatal processes forms reverse triangular premaxillary canal; some teeth cone blunted showing wear facet, broad U shaped upper teeth row and V shaped lower teeth row. Reversed V-shaped ventral palatal processes with oval shaped rod contacted week with maxilla; V-shaped small dorsal palatal processes attached on the contact of maxilla and premaxilla. Dentary ramus anterior depth is slightly less than mid length, dentary with long anteroposterior symphyses, angled 15° or more anteriorly to axis of jaw ramus, transversely thick and anteroposteriorly lense shaped proximal tibia and transversely oval shaped distal tibia.
M. S. Malkani 2020	Gspsaurus pakistani a medium sized and stocky sauropod dinosaur sharing with the Titanosauria as vertebrae lacking hyposphene-hypantrum articulations, procoelous caudals (except first biconvex caudal), forward insertion of neural arches on caudals, and prominent olecranon process on ulna. Gspsaurus pakistani a medium sized and stocky sauropod dinosaur sharing with the Poripuchia as the distal and also distalmost caudals are procoelous besides the anterior and middle procoelous caudals which is the character of Lithostrotian. Gspsaurus pakistani autapomorphies are as small sized spongy skull (but larger than Saraikimasoom). Teeth are circular to subcircular, slender, slightly recurved and conical like-the thickness of diameter decreases gradually from base to tip (while the Pakisaurus and Rapetosaurus have teeth with almost constant thickness from base to tip but except tip). Teeth are longer than Saraikimasoom teeth. Teeth slender indices vary from 3–5 (while Pakisaurus and Rapetosaurus teeth have Slender Indices more than 5). Some teeth are cone blunted showing wear facet, some teeth tips are rounded and a few have pointed tip. Palatal shelf process is deep and has about 45° limb inclination (while Saraikimasoom have shallow inclination upto 25°). Palatal shelf between the ventral palatal process and dorsal hook process form left and right maxillary canals. Dorsal palatal processes formed hook with its limbs contacted on the suture of maxilla and premaxilla. Dorsal hook limb processes form reverse triangular premaxillary canal. Broad U shaped upper teeth row and V shaped lower teeth row (while Saraikimasoom have both lower and upper jaws as U-shaped teeth rows). Reversed gentle V-shaped ventral palatal processes with expanded rectangle shaped distal ends which are contacted with the maxilla. V-shaped small dorsal palatal processes or hook limb attached on the suture of maxilla and premaxilla. Dentary have long anteroposteriorly symphysis (while dentary with narrow anteroposteriorly symphysis found in Saraikimasoom). Anterior dentary is rounded and has no chin. Dentary symphysis is an extension of dentary ramus in the almost same direction (while it is perpendicular to dentary ramus axis in Saraikimasoom). Dentary ramus anterior depth is slightly less than mid length (while Saraikimasoom have anterior dentary with slightly more depth than mid dentary). Dentary with long anteroposteriorly symphysis is angled 15° or more anteriorly to axis of jaw ramus (while Saraikimasoom have high angle anterior profile of dentary symphysis). Large braincase with subrectangle shaped occipital condyle with sagital dorsoventral prominent groove (while Saraikimasoom have relatively small braincase with feeble sagital groove, Pakisaurus and probably Isisaurus have D-shaped occipital condyle). First caudal is biconvex and broad with relatively less long than Saraikimasoom. Caudals especially mid caudals are slightly ventrally reduced upto ratio 1.5 (while Pakisaurus and Isisaurus have not ventrally reduced caudals, however in Saraikimasoom ventral reduction is prominent and ratio vary from 1.5 to 2). Trirays robust procoelous distalmost caudal (while Sa- raikimasoom have relatively less robust trirays procoelous distalmost caudal, Pakisaurus have horizontal groove in the mid of distalmost caudal). Distal scapula is quite expanded transversely than the distal scapula of Saraikimasoom, Pakisaurus and Isisaurus. Acetabulum has anteroposteriorly elongated fibrous structures. Acetabulum has D-shaped thick and long condyle or peduncle for pubis and relatively small and thin condyle or peduncle for pubis. Rectangle or subrectangle shaped cross section of shaft just below the femur head with transversely long and anteroposteriorly relatively less broad than Saraikimasoom (while the Saraikimasoom have more robust rectangle shaped cross section with thicker anteroposteriorly). Transversely thick biconvex lense shaped proximal tibia which anteroposterior width is slightly more than transverse width (while Saraikimasoom have subsquare shaped proximal tibia with equal transverse and anteroposterior widths, Pakisaurus and Isisaurus have flattened and transversely compressed proximal tibia). Distal tibia is transversely quite thick and quite expanded than Pakisaurus and Isisaurus (while Pakisaurus and Isisaurus have anteroposteriorly broad distal tibiae). The expanding nature of tibia shows close articulation with fibula (while relatively far articulation found in fibula and tibia when articulated). Proximal fibula orientation shifted the trend of proximal fibula from anteroposterior to almost mediolateral due to transversely expanded fibular condyle of proximal tibia (instead of anteroposterior or anteromedial to posterolateral orientation as in Pakisaurus and Isisaurus) when articulated with proximal tibia. Two types of armour bones and osteoderms are found, the first small rectangular mosaic type is relatively thin plate (Saraikimasoom have more thick armour mosaic plate) and secondly the large oval ellipsoidal plate with median cut or groove like Malawisaurus (while Saraikimasoom have ellipsoidal subcircular plate without median groove or cut).

Measurements

No measurements are available