Laplatasaurus
Encyclopedia
Laplatasaurus is a genus
of titanosaur
id sauropod dinosaur
that lived during the Late Cretaceous
in South America
.
The genus was named in 1927 by Friedrich von Huene
but without a description, so that it remained a nomen nudum
. In 1929 the type species
, Laplatasaurus aurakanicus, was described by von Huene. The generic name refers to La Plata
. The specific name is derived from the Auracanos or Mapuche
. By accident von Huene in 1929 also mentioned a "Laplatasaurus wichmannianus" but that was a lapsus calami for Antarctosaurus
wichmannianus. In 1933 however, he and Charles Alfred Matley
renamed Titanosaurus
madagascariensis to Laplatasaurus madagascariensis. This last species is today commonly referred to the original Titanosaurus.
Von Huene based Laplatasaurus on fragmentary material found in three locations in Argentina
, in strata of the Allen Formation
, dating from the Campanian
faunal stage
. It consisted of limb elements, some dorsal vertebrae and a series of caudal vertebrae. Part of the finds had earlier been referred by Richard Lydekker
to Titanosaurus australis. Von Huene never assigned a holotype
but in 1979 José Fernando Bonaparte chose MLP 26-306 as the lectotype
, a specimen consisting of a tibia
and a fibula that perhaps originate from different individuals.
Von Huene assigned those fossils to Laplatasaurus that seemed to indicate a rather large yet at the same time elegantly built sauropod. The about eighteen metres (60 ft) long Laplatasaurus was perhaps similar to Saltasaurus
. Osteoderms forming an armored plating on the back, have been referred to Laplatasaurus but the association is uncertain. These plates had much smaller ridges than those of Saltasaurus.
Von Huene placed Laplatasaurus in the Titanosauridae, which is still a common classification. In 1986 Jaime Eduardo Powell mentioned the species as a Titanosaurus aurakanicus, and in 2003 explicitly proposed this combination as a replacement name. Others however, see Laplatasaurus as valid genus.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of titanosaur
Titanosaur
Titanosaurs were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, which included Saltasaurus and Isisaurus. It includes some of the heaviest creatures ever to walk the earth, such as Argentinosaurus and Paralititan — which some believe have weighed up to 100 tonnes...
id sauropod dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
that lived during the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
The genus was named in 1927 by Friedrich von Huene
Friedrich von Huene
Friedrich von Huene was a German paleontologist who named more dinosaurs in the early 20th century than anyone else in Europe.-Biography:...
but without a description, so that it remained a nomen nudum
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
. In 1929 the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, Laplatasaurus aurakanicus, was described by von Huene. The generic name refers to La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
. The specific name is derived from the Auracanos or Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
. By accident von Huene in 1929 also mentioned a "Laplatasaurus wichmannianus" but that was a lapsus calami for Antarctosaurus
Antarctosaurus
Antarctosaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now South America. The type species, A. wichmannianus, was described by prolific German paleontologist Friedrich von Huene in 1929, who also described a second species in 1929. Three additional...
wichmannianus. In 1933 however, he and Charles Alfred Matley
Charles Alfred Matley
Charles Alfred Matley was a British paleontologist and geologist in India, the British West Indies and Wales.He married Sarah A. Loach in Birmingham in 1891....
renamed Titanosaurus
Titanosaurus
Titanosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur, first described by Lydekker in 1877. It is known from the Maastrichtian Lameta Formation of India...
madagascariensis to Laplatasaurus madagascariensis. This last species is today commonly referred to the original Titanosaurus.
Von Huene based Laplatasaurus on fragmentary material found in three locations in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, in strata of the Allen Formation
Allen Formation
The Allen Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous The Allen Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous The Allen Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the...
, dating from the Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
faunal stage
Faunal stage
In chronostratigraphy, a stage is a succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic timescale, which usually represents millions of years of deposition. A given stage of rock and the corresponding age of time will by convention have the same name, and the same boundaries.Rock...
. It consisted of limb elements, some dorsal vertebrae and a series of caudal vertebrae. Part of the finds had earlier been referred by Richard Lydekker
Richard Lydekker
Richard Lydekker was an English naturalist, geologist and writer of numerous books on natural history.-Biography:...
to Titanosaurus australis. Von Huene never assigned a holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
but in 1979 José Fernando Bonaparte chose MLP 26-306 as the lectotype
Lectotype
In botanical nomenclature and zoological nomenclature, a lectotype is a kind of name-bearing type. When a species was originally described on the basis of a name-bearing type consisting of multiple specimens, one of those may be designated as the lectotype...
, a specimen consisting of a tibia
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
and a fibula that perhaps originate from different individuals.
Von Huene assigned those fossils to Laplatasaurus that seemed to indicate a rather large yet at the same time elegantly built sauropod. The about eighteen metres (60 ft) long Laplatasaurus was perhaps similar to Saltasaurus
Saltasaurus
Saltasaurus is a genus of titanosaurid sauropod dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous Period. Relatively small among sauropods, though still massive by the standards of modern creatures, Saltasaurus was characterized by a diplodocid-like head...
. Osteoderms forming an armored plating on the back, have been referred to Laplatasaurus but the association is uncertain. These plates had much smaller ridges than those of Saltasaurus.
Von Huene placed Laplatasaurus in the Titanosauridae, which is still a common classification. In 1986 Jaime Eduardo Powell mentioned the species as a Titanosaurus aurakanicus, and in 2003 explicitly proposed this combination as a replacement name. Others however, see Laplatasaurus as valid genus.