A new postcranial skeleton of an elasmosaurid plesiosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of central Chile and reassessment of Cimoliasaurus andium Deecke
Author
dc.contributor.author
Otero, Rodrigo A.
Author
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Soto Acuña, Sergio
es_CL
Author
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Vargas Milne, Alexander
es_CL
Author
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Rubilar Rogers, David
es_CL
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2014-12-11T14:26:47Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2014-12-11T14:26:47Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2014
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
Cretaceous Research 50 (2014) 318-331
en_US
Identifier
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DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2014.05.008
Identifier
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https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/119809
General note
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Artículo de publicación ISI
en_US
Abstract
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We describe a new specimen of an elasmosaurid plesiosaur from the upper Maastrichtian of central
Chile. The specimen includes a relatively complete dorso-caudal series, a few cervical vertebrae, and a
fragmentary pelvic girdle. The specimen is identified as a sub-adult non-artistonectine elasmosaurid
(Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) based on graphic bivariate analysis of the cervical vertebral proportions. The
caudal vertebrae have distinctive features such as neural arches that are recurved cranially, with pedicels
overlapping the dorso-posterior surface of the immediately anterior centrum, and terminal centra with
two pairs of deep dorsal articulations for the neural arches. These unusual features are present in several
late Maastrichtian adult specimens from the Quiriquina Formation of central Chile, and have been
included within the hypodigm of the historic taxon Cimoliasaurus andium Deecke (nomen dubium). The
specimen studied here likely represents the same taxon or a closely related form, showing slight
differences in both size and ontogenetic stage. The preserved elements of this new skeleton afford
comparison with several other late Maastrichtian specimens from Chile that were previously, albeit
tentatively, referred to “C. andium”. The similarity of these specimens suggests that the late Maastrichtian
elasmosaurid diversity of central Chile (excluding aristonectines) may be represented by taxa with low
morphological disparity, or by a single taxon.
en_US
Patrocinador
dc.description.sponsorship
Domeyko II UR-C12/1
grant “Red Paleontol ogica U-Chile” of the Universidad de Chile.
Additional support was provided by the Antarctic Ring Project
(Anillos de Ciencia Ant artica ACT-105, Conicyt-Chile).