Mamenchisauridae

Mamenchisauridae
Skeleton reconstruction of Mamenchisaurus youngi in the Zigong Museum
Temporal occurrence
Middle Jura to Upper Jura
174.1 to 145 million years
Locations
People's Republic of China
Systematics
Dinosaur (dinosauria) Lizard dinosaur (Saurischia) Sauropods (Sauropoda) Eusauropoda Mamenchisauridae
Scientific name
Mamenchisauridae
CC Young & Chao , 1972

The Mamenchisauridae are a group of sauropod dinosaurs whose spatial and temporal distribution is limited to the Central and Upper Jurassic of China . These four-legged herbivores had the longest necks of all sauropods.

features

They were medium to large sauropods. The extremely long neck, consisting of at least 17 and in extreme cases 19 cervical vertebrae, was striking. The skull was very small in relation to the body; that of the Mamenchisaurus was slightly longer and thinner than that of the Camarasaurus and had spatulate teeth. The spinous processes of the vertebrae were relatively low, the ribs were greatly elongated. Key features of the group were also the four sacral vertebrae and the ninth and tenth vertebrae, which were fused together.

Systematics

The sauropods split into two specialized groups - the Diplodocoidea with shapes like Apatosaurus and Dicraeosaurus and the Macronaria with shapes like Brachiosaurus and Saltasaurus . Both groups are combined as Neosauropoda . The Mamenchisauridae splits off from the stem line that leads to the Neosauropoda, is therefore classified outside of the same and is therefore more original. Together with the Neosauropoda and various other original genera, the Mamenchisauridae form the group of the Eusauropoda .

Cladogram , simplified according to Sander and colleagues (2010):
Sauropoda    Antetonitrus        Vulcanodon        Spinophorosaurus   Eusauropoda   Shunosaurus        Barapasaurus        Patagosaurus         Mamenchisauridae    Mamenchisaurus      Omeisaurus        Cetiosaurus        Jobaria      Neosauropoda
Systematic position of the Mamenchisauridae

Taxonomy

The taxon Mamenchisauridae was established in 1972 by the Chinese paleontologists Yang Zhongjian and Zhao Xijin . Initially it contained only one genus ( monotypical ) with Mamenchisaurus . To date, at least seven different species have been attributed to Mamenchisaurus , but the validity of many of these species is debatable. For example, Paul Upchurch and colleagues (2004) note that Mamenchisaurus is a “paper corp taxon” - a genus to which a large number of fossil material is assigned without these assignments being adequately supported by anatomical features. A revision of the genre is necessary.

To date, various other genera have been assigned to the Mamenchisauridae, but these assignments are sometimes controversial. The other genera often listed within the Mamenchisauridae include Chuanjiesaurus , Eomamenchisaurus , Tienshanosaurus , Tonganosaurus , Omeisaurus and Yuanmousaurus .

With Qijianglong , another particularly long-necked Mamenchisauridae from China was described in January 2015.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} P. Martin Sander , Andreas Christian, Marcus Clauss, Regina Fechner, Carole T. Gee, Eva-Maria Griebeler, Hanns-Christian Gunga , Jürgen Hummel, Heinrich Mallison, Steven F. Perry, Holger Preuschoft, Oliver WM Rauhut , Kristian Remes, Thomas Tütken, Oliver Wings, Ulrich Witzel: Biology of the sauropod dinosaurs: the evolution of gigantism. In: Biological Reviews. Vol. 86, No. 1, 2011, ISSN  0006-3231 , pp. 117-155, doi : 10.1111 / j.1469-185X.2010.00137.x .
2. ↑ ^{a b} Ouyang Hui, Ye Yong: The first mamenchisaurian skeleton with complete skull Mamenchisaurus Youngi. Sichuan Science and Technology Press, Chengdu 2001, ISBN 7-5364-4871-6 , p. 90.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Toru Sekiya: Re-examination of Chuanjiesaurus anaensis (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Middle Jurassic Chuanjie Formation, Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, Southwest China. In: Memoir of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. No. 10, 2011, ISSN  1347-5622 , pp. 1–54, here p. 3, digitized version (PDF; 6.26) .
4. ↑ Lü Junchang, Li Tianguang, Zhong Shimin, Ji Qiang, Li Shaoxue: A New Mamenchisaurid Dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Yuanmou, Yunnan Province, China. In: Acta Geologica Sinica. English edition. Vol. 82, No. 1, 2008, ISSN  1000-9515 , pp. 17-26, doi : 10.1111 / j.1755-6724.2008.tb00320.x .
5. ^ CC Young, HC Chao: [Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis sp. nov.]. In: Szechuan Academica Sinica. Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology. Monographs. Series A, Vol. 8, 1972, pp. 1–30, (In Chinese language and writing; English translation: (PDF; 334.17 kB) ).
6. ^ Paul Upchurch , Paul M. Barrett , Peter Dodson : Sauropoda. In: David B. Weishampel , Peter Dodson, Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . 2nd edition. University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 2004, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 , pp. 259-324, here pp. 300-301.
7. ↑ Lida Xing, Tetsuto Miyashita, Jianping Zhang, Daqing Li, Yong Ye, Toru Sekiya, Fengping Wang, Philip J. Currie. A new sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China and the diversity, distribution, and relationships of mamenchisaurids. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2015; e889701 DOI: 10.1080 / 02724634.2014.889701