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Published on: May 31, 2014
New macronarian from the Middle Jurassic of Chongqing, China: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications for
Hui Dai1,2, Chao Tan1,2, Can Xiong1,2
1No. 208 Hydrogeological and Engineering Geological Team, Chongqing Bureau of Geological and Mineral Resource Exploration and Development, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Macronaria is a clade of gigantic body-sized sauropod dinosaurs widely distributed from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous globally. However, its origin, early diversification, and dispersal are still controversial. Here, we report a new macronarian Yuzhoulong qurenensis gen. et sp. nov. excavated from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Lower Shaximiao Formation. Yuzhoulong qurenensis bears a unique combination of features, such as two accessory fossae that exist on the posterior surface of dorsal diapophyses of anterior dorsal vertebrae. Results of phylogenetic analyses demonstrate it is one of the earliest-diverging macronarians. This new material represents a Middle Jurassic fossil record of macronarian sauropod worldwide and improves the understanding of the early diversity and dispersal of the Neosauropoda. This discovery further supports that sauropods achieved a more rapid and varied morphological diversity and palaeogeographical dispersal in the Middle Jurassic.
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