Influence of taphonomy on histological evidence for vertebral pneumaticity in an Upper Cretaceous titanosaur from South America

Author(s)

Aureliano, Tito ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Ghilardi, Aline M. ^{[2, 3]} ; Silva-Junior, Julian C. G. ^{[4, 5]} ; Martinelli, Agustin G. ^[6] ; Borges Ribeiro, Luiz Carlos ^[5] ; Marinho, Thiago ^[5] ; Fernandes, Marcelo A. ^[2] ; Ricardi-Branco, Fresia ^[1] ; Martin Sander, P. ^[7]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Geosci, Campinas - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Lab Paleoecol & Paleoichnol, Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Norte, Dept Geol, Natal, RN - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Paleontol Ribeirao Preto, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Triangulo Mineiro, Ctr Pesquisas Paleontol Llewellyn Ivor Price, Uberaba, MG - Brazil

^[6] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, Museo Argentina Ciencias Nat Bernardino Rivadavia, Secc Paleontol Vertebrados, Av Angel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, DF - Argentina

^[7] Univ Bonn, Div Paleontol, Nussallee 8, D-53115 Bonn - Germany

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: CRETACEOUS RESEARCH; v. 108, APR 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

There is a necessity to systematically sample taxa to enlighten our knowledge on the presence of histological correlates of avian-like air sacs among dinosaurs. This work expands the studies on the occurrence of pneumosteum in sauropods to the Brazilian lithostrotian titanosaur Uberabatitan ribeiroi. This confirms previous hypotheses on the insertion of an air sacs system on titanosaurian vertebrae based on external observation and CT-scans. We also highlight that diagenesis can obliterate traces of pneumosteal bone. Caution is required to have a good understanding of the diagenetic history of the studied specimens. This could avoid false negatives, especially when sampling pneumatic histological traces in stem taxa. Additionally, we describe a new workflow for manipulating CT-scan data using open-source software. The goal is to make this technology more accessible to research groups with limited funding and potentialize the achievement of more paleontological data. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/21094-7 - Meta-analytical phylogenetic review and biogeography of Titanosauriformes (Sauropoda, Dinosauria)
• Grantee: Julian Cristian Gonçalves da Silva Junior
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 16/20927-0 - STUDIES OF MODERN AND FOSSIL BIOCLAST ACCUMULATIONS RELATED TO CONTINENTAL AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS
• Grantee: Fresia Soledad Ricardi Torres Branco
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants