Notes on the axial skeleton of the titanosaur Bonitasaura salgadoi (Dinosauria-Sauropoda).

BIBLIOGRAFIA
Nominativo AutoriGALLINA P.A.
Anno2011
TitoloNotes on the axial skeleton of the titanosaur Bonitasaura salgadoi (Dinosauria-Sauropoda).
RivistaAN.ACAD.BRASIL CIENC.
Edizione2011 Mar
Serie Volume83(1):235-46
IllustrazioniFIGG. 6
Parole chiave / Key words Paleontologia, Vertebrata, Dinosauri, Cretaceous, Titanosauria, Nemegtosauridae, Bonitasaura salgadoi.
Riassunto / AbstractSauropod axial anatomy is particularly important in understanding morphological features and phylogenetic analyses. Spatial arrangement of zygapophyses and rib articulations, as well as their complex laminar development, help to recognize the relative position of isolated vertebral elements. The presence of anterior, mid and posterior elements along the cervical, dorsal and caudal series in Bonitasaura salgadoi allows the analysis of several anatomical characteristics. These include the pattern of neurocentral closure with unfused, partially fused and completely fused elements in a peculiar temporal sequence, as well as several neural spine modifications and the laminar arrangement. The variations in neural spine morphology include a lateral expansion of the distal tip in cervico-dorsal region, different lateral constituents of these lateral expansions, and a marked deviation in spine angulation. The spinal inclination allows the division into three easily recognizable vertebral regions separated by two landmarks, which adds support in the determination of an accurate vertebral position for isolated elements. Finally, an analysis of the vertebral laminae reveals the importance of examining vertebral series in order to recognize laminar homologies and developmental series. Two vertebral laminae are analyzed here.
Note GeograficheArgentina, Patagonia Region, Rio Negro Province, La Bonita hill quarry. Bajo de la Carpa Formation.

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