Elasmosauridae, Vakil & Webb & Cook, 2021
|
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.26879/1095 |
|
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039687B5-D65C-FFA0-1CAE-2B204F5AFA6B |
|
treatment provided by |
Felipe |
|
scientific name |
Elasmosauridae |
| status |
|
Elasmosauridae gen. et sp. indet. (QM F2085)
Figure 8 View FIGURE 8
Material. Partial postcranial material; 22 dorsal vertebrae free of matrix of which most are articulated in series of 3 to 4 and one isolated vertebra.
Locality. Flinders River, about 4.8 km from Richmond.
Stratigraphic horizon. Toolebuc Formation (late Albian).
Description. All vertebrae are dorsals based on the shape of centra and position of rib facets, including 18 dorsal vertebrae with rib facets (diapophyses) borne wholly on the neural arches (CW = 92 – 116.8 mm; CL = 66.2 – 95.75 mm; CH = 79.95 – 106.5 mm) ( Figure 8E, F View FIGURE 8 ); three sacral vertebrae with kidney-shaped rib facets borne partly
VAKIL, WEBB, & COOK: PLESIOSAUR VERTEBRAE on the centrum and partly on the neural arches (CW = 102.9 – 96 mm; CL = 61.25 – 63.15 mm; CH = 71 – 75.55 mm) ( Figure 8C, D View FIGURE 8 ) and a single isolated pectoral vertebra, with rib facets borne partly on the centrum and partly on the neural arches (CW = 116.8 mm; CL = 79.05 mm; CH = 87.2 mm) ( Figure 8A, B View FIGURE 8 ) also occur. Despite retaining fragments of diapophyses, neural canal, and neural spines, these were primarily useful only in identifying the body region of the vertebrae in addition to their shape and position of rib facets (Otero et al., 2014; Sachs and Kear, 2017). However, they mostly were not measurable owing to incompleteness.
Remarks. The original sequence of vertebrae is lost; the current sequence is based on size of centra and position of rib facets utilising the original sequence of cojoined vertebrae where applicable ( Figure 8D View FIGURE 8 ). Based on the osteological immaturity of the vertebrae with open neurocentral sutures (Brown, 1981), the specimen appears to be a subadult-adult. Specimen QM F2085 was initially described by Longman (1935) as elasmosaurid vertebrae. Persson (1963) mentioned it as well, but neither Longman (1935) nor Persson (1963) carried out morphometric analysis.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.