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Vitakrisaurus saraiki
Taxonomy
Vitakrisaurus saraiki was named by Malkani (2010). Its type specimen is MSM-303-2, a set of limb elements (pes), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Bor Kali Kakor, DL-2 (central), which is in a Maastrichtian fluvial shale in the Vitakri Formation of Pakistan.
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani p. 46 |
| 2011 | Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani p. 59 |
| 2014 | Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani p. 56 |
| 2015 | Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani p. 10 |
| 2016 | Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani p. 131 |
| 2017 | Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani p. 64 |
| 2019 | Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani p. 643 |
| 2020 | Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani p. 439 |
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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.
†Vitakrisaurus saraiki Malkani 2010
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Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| M. S. Malkani 2020 | The Vitakrisaurus saraiki is a medium sized theropod dinosaurs sharing with the most derived Abelisauroidea, Ceratosauria as moderate to large limb bones with relatively large hollow cavity in the centre enveloped by relatively thin peripheral bones, amphicoelous nature of vertebrae and slightly recurved claw/ungual of hand. Further the amphicoelous vertebrae are medium sized, highly larger than mesoeucrocodiles, and slightly smaller than titanosaurian. In Indo-Pakistan the titanosaurs found so far are poripuchian in which anterior, mid and distal caudal vertebrae are procoelous (while in lithostrotian the ante- rior and mid caudals are procoelous) the most derived titanosaurs which have no amphicoelous vertebrae. So these amphicoelous vertebrae belong to abelisauroid ceratosaurian theropods. Vitakrisauridae (definition) is the clade containing Vitakrisaurus saraiki and Vitakridrinda sulaimani. Vitakrisauridae have the same characters as Vitakrisaurus saraiki.
Vitakrisaurus saraiki has the following autapomorphic characters. Vitakrisaurus saraiki has cylindrical elongated dorsal centrum jointed with neural arch on all dorsal view anteroposterior length, while Vitakridrinda has tall and anteroposteriorly elongated dorsal centra and Rajasaurus has tall and short dorsal centrum. Vitakrisaurus has circular or sub-circular transverse process on lateral basal neural arch of anterior caudals, while Rajasaurus has transverse process which extended into neural arch, Vitakridrinda has oval shaped transverse process did not contacted with neural arch and located on upper part of posterior articular ring on anterior caudal centrum, and Rahiolisaurus has triangular transverse process. Vitakrisaurus has circular transverse process on base of neural arch (not found on centrum) of anterior caudals, while Rajasaurus have dorsoventrally elongated transverse process on centrum and also contacted with neural arch. Neural arch on anterior caudal is forwardly inserted while in Rajasaurus the neural arch cover all along the dorsal surface of caudal centrum. Vitakrisaurus did not have ventral keel in dorsal centra and also caudal centra, while Rajasaurus and Rahiolisaurus have ventral keel on dorsal and caudal centra. Vitakrisaurus neural canal is dorsoventrally compressed, transversely oval shaped in anterior caudal and also in middle caudal vertebrae, while Rajasaurus neural canal is circular shaped in anterior caudal vertebrae. Vitakrisaurus anterior and mid-caudal vertebrae have posterior yard on the posterior vacant/uncover part of dorsal aspect of centrum. This yard is surrounded by laterally and posteriorly by thin boundary wall. Vitakrisaurus saraiki mid caudal centra did not have a longitudinal ridge on its lateral surface, and also did not have ventral keel in mid caudal centra while Rajasaurus centrum bears a reduced longitudinal ridge on its lateral surface, and its ventral surface is keeled. Vitakrisaurus have leg bones like femur with thin peripheral bone on the central hollow cavity in cross section while Vitakridrinda have relatively thick peripheral bones on central hollow cavity of leg bones. Articulated and associated elements of manus/hand have thick bones. Metacarpal I is short and relatively narrow, metacarpal II is thickest and longest, and metacarpal III are thick and long but slightly less than metacarpal II. Manual phalange I of digit I is longest, phalange II-I and phalange II-II are thick and long, phalange III-I, pha- lange III-II and phalange III-III are short and expanded on proximal and distal ends. Manual ungual or claw I is thick, robust and slightly recurved downward. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: o = order | |||||
| Reference: Marsh 1875 | |||||
Age range: Late/Upper Maastrichtian or 70.60000 to 66.00000 Ma
Collections (3 total)
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late/Upper Maastrichtian | Pakistan (Balochistan) | Vitakrisaurus saraiki (53153 type locality: 79664 79670) |