Traukutitan
Encyclopedia
Traukutitan is a genus
of possible lognkosauria
n titanosaur
sauropod which lived during the late Cretaceous
(Santonian
age).
Fossils of Traukutitan were recovered from the lowermost section of the Bajo de la Carpa Formation
(Neuquén Group
) in North Patagonia
of Argentina
and described but not named in 1993 by Leonardo Salgado and Jorge Orlando Calvo. Traukutitan was named by Rubén Darío Juárez Valieri and Calvo in 2011
on the basis of holotype
MUCPv 204, a partial semi-articulated skeleton including both thigh bones
and thirteen vertebrae from the anterior
and middle tail. The type species
is Traukutitan eocaudata. The generic name refers to Trauku, the Araucania
n mountain spirit, usually represented like a giant, and titan
, the name of the Greek mythological giants. The specific name is derived from Greek eos, "dawn", and Latin
cauda, "tail", a reference to the basal
morphology
of the middle caudal vertebrae.
Traukutitan has been described as a "large titanosaurid". The articular morphology of the middle tail vertebrae is a flat instead of a convex face on the posterior
surface of their centra
.
The authors assigned Traukutitan to the Titanosauridae; it is a possible member of the Lognkosauria
.
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 possible lognkosauria
Lognkosauria
Lognkosauria is a group of giant long-necked sauropod dinosaurs within the clade Titanosauria, and includes some of the largest and heaviest dinosaurs to ever walk the earth.-Defining characteristics:...
n 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...
sauropod which lived during the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
(Santonian
Santonian
The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series. It spans the time between 85.8 ± 0.7 mya and 83.5 ± 0.7 mya...
age).
Fossils of Traukutitan were recovered from the lowermost section of the Bajo de la Carpa Formation
Bajo de la Carpa Formation
The Bajo de la Carpa Formation is a geologic formation that outcrops in Patagonia, in the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, Argentina. It is the first of two formations belonging to the Río Colorado Subgroup within the Neuquén Group...
(Neuquén Group
Neuquén Group
The Neuquén Group is a group of geologic formations found in Argentina. Rocks in the Neuquén Group fall within the Cenomanian to early Campanian stages of the Late Cretaceous Period, about 100 million to 80 million years in age...
) in North Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
of 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...
and described but not named in 1993 by Leonardo Salgado and Jorge Orlando Calvo. Traukutitan was named by Rubén Darío Juárez Valieri and Calvo in 2011
2011 in paleontology
-Lobopods:-Arachnids:-Insects:-Newly named jawless vertebrates:-Newly named acanthodian:-Newly named cartilaginous fishes:-Newly named bony fishes:-Newly named lepospondyls:-Newly named temnospondyls:-Newly named lissamphibians:...
on the basis of 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...
MUCPv 204, a partial semi-articulated skeleton including both thigh bones
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
and thirteen vertebrae from the anterior
Anatomical terms of location
Standard anatomical terms of location are designations employed in science that deal with the anatomy of animals to avoid ambiguities that might otherwise arise. They are not language-specific, and thus require no translation...
and middle tail. 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...
is Traukutitan eocaudata. The generic name refers to Trauku, the Araucania
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...
n mountain spirit, usually represented like a giant, and titan
Titan (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
, the name of the Greek mythological giants. The specific name is derived from Greek eos, "dawn", and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
cauda, "tail", a reference to the basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
of the middle caudal vertebrae.
Traukutitan has been described as a "large titanosaurid". The articular morphology of the middle tail vertebrae is a flat instead of a convex face on the posterior
Anatomical terms of location
Standard anatomical terms of location are designations employed in science that deal with the anatomy of animals to avoid ambiguities that might otherwise arise. They are not language-specific, and thus require no translation...
surface of their centra
Body of vertebra
The body is the largest part of a vertebra, and is more or less cylindrical in shape. For vertebrates other than humans, this structure is usually called a centrum....
.
The authors assigned Traukutitan to the Titanosauridae; it is a possible member of the Lognkosauria
Lognkosauria
Lognkosauria is a group of giant long-necked sauropod dinosaurs within the clade Titanosauria, and includes some of the largest and heaviest dinosaurs to ever walk the earth.-Defining characteristics:...
.