Jeffrey Alan Wilson | University of Michigan - Estados Unidos

Resumo

The proposed research project of Dr. J. Wilson is for a two-month stay in São Paulo state to collaborate with Dr. H. Zaher on the scientific issues raised in the proposal. The main focus of this project is the complete, detailed description of Tapuisaurus macedoi, a new Brazilian titanosaur (sauropod dinosaur), which is one of the few in the world to have a complete skull. The plan is to study these materials, which are housed at the Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP), as well as others housed in nearby museums. The expect result will be a description of this important taxon and a phylogenetic analysis documenting its relationship to other titanosaurs. Dr. Wilson is currently finishing a global project whose goal is to resolve titanosaur phytogeny for the first time. This project will be completed prior to arrival in Brazil, and it will provide and excellent source of character data for the phylogenetic analysis. (AU)