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Tehuelchesaurus benitezii

Reptilia

Taxonomy
Tehuelchesaurus benitezii was named by Rich et al. (1999). Its type specimen is MPEF-PV 1125 and is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Estancia Fernández, which is in an Oxfordian/Tithonian lacustrine sandstone/mudstone in the Cañadón Calcáreo Formation of Argentina. It is the type species of Tehuelchesaurus.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1999Tehuelchesaurus benitezii Rich et al. p. 63 figs. 1, 4-14
2002Tehuelchesaurus benitezii Wilson p. 249
2004Tehuelchesaurus benitezii Upchurch et al. p. 263
2005Tehuelchesaurus benitezii Salgado and Coria p. 434
2011Tehuelchesaurus benitezii Carballido et al. p. 608
2012Tehuelchesaurus benitezii D'Emic
2014Tehuelchesaurus benitezii Mocho et al.
2015Tehuelchesaurus benitezi Salgado et al. p. 418

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Life
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
RankNameAuthor
Romeriida
Diapsida()
Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
Crocopoda
ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
Eucrocopoda
Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
Ornithodira
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauria()
Saurischia()
Sauropoda()
Gravisauria
Eusauropoda
Neosauropoda
Macronaria
Camarasauromorpha
genusTehuelchesaurus
speciesbenitezii

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.

Tehuelchesaurus benitezii Rich et al. 1999
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
J. L. Carballido et al. 2011The taxon can be diagnosed by the autapomorphic presence of two accessory laminae in the infradiapophyseal fossa of the middle dorsal vertebrae. The accessory lamina 1 runs posterodorsally from the paradiapophyseal lamina and merges dorsally with the accessory lamina 2, which in turn runs posteroventrally from this point to the posterior centrodiapophyseal lamina. Further apomorphies include the presence of an accessory and laterally oriented lamina on the lateral surface of the intrapostzygapophyseal lamina and the strongly anteroposteriorly expanded and very robust distal end of the humerus. Tehuelchesaurus further differs from all other sauropods in the unique combination of the following characters: absence of the prezygoparapophyseal lamina in the middle and posterior dorsal vertebrae (reverse of the plesiomorphic sauropodomorph condition; see discussion below); pres- ence of an accessory posterior centrodiapophyseal lamina, giving the impression of a ventrally bifurcated pcdl (convergently acquired in Titanosauria); a single intrapostzygapophyseal lamina in at least the mid-dorsals (uncertain in other dorsals; convergently present in diplodocids and some basal taxa) that supports the weakly developed hyposphene in middle and posterior dorsal vertebrae; neural spines of dorsal vertebrae longer anteroposteriorly than wide transversely (reversal to the ancestral sauropodomorph condition, also present in Jobaria (Sereno et al., 1999) and Galvesaurus (Barco, 2009); absence of lateral expansion in the dorsal end of the neural spine of dorsal vertebrae; absence of postspinal lamina in dorsal neural spines; greatest anteroposterior width of the acromion process of the scapula over the glenoid almost four times the minimum width of the shaft.
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteinfrao
Entire body: yesinfrao
Adult length: 10 to < 100infrao
Adult width: 10 to < 100infrao
Adult height: 10 to < 100infrao
Thickness: thickinfrao
Architecture: compact or denseinfrao
Form: sphericalinfrao
Ontogeny: accretion, modification of partsinfrao
Grouping: gregariousinfrao
Environment: terrestrialinfrao
Locomotion: actively mobileinfrao
Life habit: ground dwellinginfrao
Diet: herbivoreinfrao
Reproduction: oviparousinfrao
Dispersal: direct/internalinfrao
Dispersal 2: mobileinfrao
Created: 2004-12-14 12:49:10
Modified: 2004-12-14 14:49:10
Source: infrao = infraorder
Reference: Marsh 1875

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Oxfordian to the top of the Tithonian or 161.20000 to 145.00000 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Oxfordian - Tithonian161.2 - 145.0Argentina (Chubut) Camarasauridae indet. (type locality: 51938)