Dzharatitanis
| Dzharatitanis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Holotype vertebra seen from three different angles | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Neosauropoda |
| Genus: | †Dzharatitanis Averianov & Sues, 2021 |
| Species: | †D. kingi
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| Binomial name | |
| †Dzharatitanis kingi Averianov & Sues, 2021
| |
Dzharatitanis (meaning "Dzharakuduk titan") is a genus of sauropod from the Bissekty Formation in Uzbekistan, dating to the Turonian age of the Late Cretaceous. The genus contains a single species, Dzharatitanis kingi, named after geologist Christopher King, who contributed to the Cretaceous geology of Asia. It is currently one of two known sauropods from the Bissekty Formation, alongside an indeterminate titanosaur.[1] In its original publication it was considered to be a member of Rebbachisauridae, but later papers considered it to be a titanosaur.[2]
Discovery and naming
The holotype was found in 1997 by Hans-Dieter Sues and David J. Ward during the URBAC (Uzbek/Russian/British/American/Canadian) expedition. It was classified as a titanosaur before being given a name on two occasions - firstly by Sues et al. (2015)[3] and then by Averianov and Sues (2017).[4] The genus Dzharatitanis was described in 2021 by Alexander Averianov and Hans-Dieter Sues. It was named after the Dzharakuduk locality in Uzbekistan and the titans in ancient Greek mythology. The genus was based on an anterior caudal vertebra (USNM 538127), likely representing the first caudal, that was originally described as belonging to an intermediate titanosaurian taxon.[1][3] The juvenile dorsal sauropod centrum USNM 538133 may also belong to this taxon.[1]
Classification
The phylogenetic analysis by Averianov and Sues places Dzharatitanis in the Rebbachisauridae, in an unresolved polytomy with Demandasaurus, Nigersaurus, Rayososaurus and Rebbachisaurus. The taxon shares with Demandasaurus and the unnamed rebbachisaur from the Wessex Formation a high spinodiapophyseal lamina on the lateral side of the neural spine, separated from the spinoprezygapophyseal lamina and spinopostzygapophyseal lamina, which may indicate a close relationship between these taxa.[1] However, a study published only a few months later disputed this classification, finding it to be a titanosaur instead, with close affinities to Lognkosauria.[2]
The below cladogram shows the proposed placement of Dzharatitanis within Rebbachisauridae, per the original study by Averianov and Sues.[3]
Because a conflicting study placed Dzharatitanis within Titanosauria,[2] a cladogram showing the relationship between Rebbachisauridae and Titanosauria is shown below.[5]
Within Titanosauria, the possible positions of Dzharatitanis and Ninjatitan are shown below:[2]
| Titanosauria |
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References
- ^ a b c d Averianov, A.; Sues, H.-D. (2021). "First rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur from Asia". PLoS ONE. 16 (2): e0246620. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0246620.
- ^ a b c d Lerzo, Lucas Nicolás; Carballido, José Luis; Gallina, Pablo Ariel (30 April 2021). "REBBACHISAURID SAUROPODS IN ASIA? A RE-EVALUATION OF THE PHYLOGENETIC POSITION OF DZHARATITANIS KINGI FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS OF UZBEKISTAN". Publicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina. 21 (1): 18–27. doi:10.5710//PEAPA.24.03.2021.389. ISSN 2469-0228.
- ^ a b c Sues, Hans-Dieter; Averianov, Alexander; Ridgely, Ryan C.; Witmer, Lawrence M. (2015-01-02). "Titanosauria (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (1): e889145. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.889145. ISSN 0272-4634.
- ^ Averianov, Alexander; Sues, Hans-Dieter (2017). "Review of Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs from Central Asia". Cretaceous Research. 69: 184–197. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.09.006. ISSN 0195-6671.
- ^ Mannion, P.D.; Upchurch, P.; Schwarz, D.; Wings, O. (2019). "Taxonomic affinities of the putative titanosaurs from the Late Jurassic Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications for eusauropod dinosaur evolution". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 185 (3): 784–909. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zly068. hdl:10044/1/64080.
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