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A notable new genus and species of small titanosaur sauropods has been unearthed in Patagonia, Argentina.
Reconstruction of the life of titanomachya gimenezi. Image credit: Gabriel Díaz Yantén.
titanomachya gimenezi It roamed our planet during the late Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago.
The ancient species was a member of a group of titanosaur-derived sauropods called Lithostrotia and shared some characteristics with the family. Saltasauridae.
“Titanosaur sauropods were diverse in Late Cretaceous Patagonian ecosystems,” said CONICET postdoctoral researcher Dr. Agustín Pérez-Moreno and his colleagues.
“The current fossil record is strongly biased towards the Neuquén Group, best sampled in northern Patagonia, where two main lineages of titanosaurs, Colossosauria and Saltasauroidea, are recorded.”
“The fossil record in southern Patagonia (Austral Basin) includes colossal titanosaurs, such as Puertasaurus reuili and possibly Without glacieras well as the great saltosauroid Schrani battleship.”
titanomachya gimenezi It was a small titanosaur, between 6 and 10 tons of body mass.
“Estimates of less than 10 tons are rare among titanosaurs,” the paleontologists said.
“Within the Saltasauroidea family there are some examples.”
“The lightest titanosaurs are Magyarosaurus dacus and Lirainosaurus astibiae with a mass of less than one ton and two tons, respectively.”
“Among the Saltasauridae, the heaviest is Ophistocoelicaudia with a mass of 25 tons, while within the Saltasaurinae the body mass varies between five and six tons.”
The fossilized remains of titanomachya gimenezi were recovered from the outcrops of the La Colonia Formation in the province of Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina.
“The holotype of titanomachya gimenezi “It comes from the middle section of the La Colonia Formation, at levels similar to those of other dinosaurs (abelisaurids, hadrosaurs, ankylosaurs), turtles and mammals reported in this formation,” the researchers said.
Despite being represented solely by fossilized elements of its limbs, the new species exhibits a unique combination of characteristics for a Late Cretaceous titanosaur.
“The small adult size of titanomachya gimenezi places it in a range similar to Saltasaurus and Neuquensaurus but heavier,” the researchers said.
“Is astragalus “It shows an intermediate morphology between Colossosauria and Saltasauroidea, which allows an articulation between zeugopodium and autopodium similar to Colossosauria but with contributions from both the tibia and fibula.”
“More research is needed to fully understand the diversity and evolutionary significance of titanosaur sauropods in Patagonia during the Late Cretaceous epoch and to confirm the relationship between body mass and the unique talus morphology observed in titanomachya gimenezi.”
“In general, titanomachya gimenezi “It stands out as an intriguing specimen with its distinctive characteristics and occupies a significant place in the evolutionary panorama of sauropod dinosaurs in Patagonia during the Late Cretaceous era.”
The discovery of titanomachya gimenezi is described in a paper In the diary Historical biology.
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Agustín Pérez-Moreno et al. A new titanosaur from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian), Chubut Province, Argentina. Historical biology, published online April 10, 2024; doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2332997
