No abstract

No abstract

Small terrestrial non-eusuchian mesoeucrocodylians are common components of Cretaceous assemblages of Gondwanan provinces with notosuchians and araripesuchids as flagship taxa in South America, Africa and Madagascar, well into the Late Cretaceous. On the other hand, these are exceedingly rare in Laurasian landmasses during the Late Cretaceous. Small terrestrial mesoeucrocodylians from Europe were often referred to the genus Theriosuchus, a taxon with stratigraphic range extending from the Late Jurassic to the late Early Cretaceous. Theriosuchus is abundantly reported from various European localities, although Asiatic and possibly North American members are also known. It has often been closely associated with the first modern crocodilians, members of the Eusuchia, because of the presence of procoelous vertebrae, a widespread key character diagnosing the Eusuchia. Nevertheless, the relationships of Theriosuchus have not been explored in detail although one species, Theriosuchus pusillus, has been extensively described and referred in numerous works. Here, we describe a new basal mesoeucrocodylian, Theriosuchus sympiestodon sp. nov. from the Maastrichtian of the Haţeg Basin, Romania, suggesting a large temporal gap (about 58 myr) in the fossil record of the genus. Inclusion of the new taxon, along with Theriosuchus guimarotae, in a phylogenetic analysis confirms its referral to the genus Theriosuchus, within a monophyletic atoposaurid clade. Although phylogenetic resolution within this clade is still poor, the new taxon appears, on morphological grounds, to be most closely related to T. pusillus. The relationships of Atoposauridae within Mesoeucrocodylia and especially to Neosuchia are discussed in light of the results of the present contribution as well as from recent work. Our results raise the possibility that Atoposauridae might not be regarded as a derived neosuchian clade anymore, although further investigation of the neosuchian interrelationships is needed. Reports of isolated teeth referable to a closely related taxon from the Upper Cretaceous of Romania and France, together with the presence of Doratodon and Ischyrochampsa, indicate a previously unsuspected diverse assemblage of non-eusuchian mesoeucrocodylians in the Late Cretaceous European archipelago.

Sauropods were the largest terrestrial tetrapods (>10 5 kg) in Earth's history and grew at rates that rival those of extant mammals. Magyarosaurus dacus, a titanosaurian sauropod from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Romania, is known exclusively from small individuals (<10 3 kg) and conflicts with the idea that all sauropods were massive. The diminutive M. dacus was a classical example of island dwarfism (phyletic nanism) in dinosaurs, but a recent study suggested that the small Romanian titanosaurs actually represent juveniles of a larger-bodied taxon. Here we present strong histological evidence that M. dacus was indeed a dwarf (phyletic nanoid). Bone histological analysis of an ontogenetic series of Magyarosaurus limb bones indicates that even the smallest Magyarosaurus specimens exhibit a bone microstructure identical to fully mature or old individuals of other sauropod taxa. Comparison of histologies with large-bodied sauropods suggests that Magyarosaurus had an extremely reduced growth rate, but had retained high basal metabolic rates typical for sauropods. The uniquely decreased growth rate and diminutive body size in Magyarosaurus were adaptations to life on a Cretaceous island and show that sauropod dinosaurs were not exempt from general ecological principles limiting body size.bone histology | Sauropoda | secondary osteon | nanism | island fauna S auropod dinosaurs were the largest animals that ever roamed the surface of the Earth (1, 2). Gigantic size was acquired early in the evolutionary history of the group, in the Late Triassic (3). Recent studies of bone histology have shown that sauropods attained their gargantuan sizes by an evolutionary increase in their growth rate to levels comparable to those of extant endothermic mammals (4, 5). However, not all sauropods were multi-ton animals. Some titanosaurs are known to have had relatively small body sizes by sauropod standards; e.g., the South American Neuquensaurus australis reached a body length of about 7-9 m (6, 7), and its body mass is estimated at 3,500 kg. The recently described basal macronarian Europasaurus holgeri from the Late Jurassic of Germany (8) was even smaller, with a total estimated adult body length of approximately 6.2 m and a body mass of 800 kg.Another small-bodied titanosaurian sauropod, Magyarosaurus dacus, is known from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental formations of the Hat xeg Basin of Romania (9, 10). These strata contain an array of relatively small-bodied dinosaur taxa, including the basal hadrosaurid Telmatosaurus (11), and two species of the noniguanodontian euornithopod Zalmoxes (12). In a famous early evolutionary hypothesis involving dinosaurs, the small body size of these taxa prompted the brilliant Hungarian paleontologist Franz Baron Nopcsa to hypothesize that, like Mediterranean dwarf proboscideans (13), the Hat xeg dinosaurs evolved their diminutive body size on a paleo-island (14, 15). Later, however, rare larger titanosaur bones were recovered from the Hat xeg Basin as well and describ...

Islands are noted for the occurrence of aberrant, endemic, and dwarfed taxa (the "island effect"). Late Cretaceous vertebrate assemblages of Romania and elsewhere in Europe are classic examples of island faunas in the fossil record, and are characterized by dwarfed herbivorous dinosaurs and other endemic taxa that are noticeably primitive relative to their mainland contemporaries. Fossils of the predators inhabiting the European paleoislands, however, are exceptionally rare and fragmentary. We describe a new dromaeosaurid theropod, based on an articulated skeleton from the Maastrichtian of Romania, which represents the most complete predatory dinosaur from the middle to Late Cretaceous of Europe. This taxon is characterized by a peculiar body plan, most notably extensive fusion in the hand and distal hindlimb, a highly retroverted pelvis with enlarged femoral muscle attachments, and a pair of hyperextensive pedal claws. However, unlike the island-dwelling herbivorous dinosaurs, its closest relatives are contemporary similar-sized Laurasian taxa, indicating faunal connections between Asia and the European islands late into the Cretaceous. This theropod provides support for the aberrant nature of the Late Cretaceous European island-dwelling dinosaurs, but indicates that predators on these islands were not necessarily small, geographically endemic, or primitive.Dromaeosauridae | endemic | Europe | island fauna | Theropoda

Pterosaur remains from the Late Cretaceous of the Haţeg Basin of western Romania were reported by Nopcsa as early as 1899. Recent discoveries from the Late Maastrichtian Densuş-Ciula Formation include the giant azhdarchid Hatzegopteryx thambema, the holotype of which, consisting of skull elements and a humerus from the VĂlioara locality, is described in detail. A very large femur from the same formation at Tuştea is also described. The systematic position of Hatzegopteryx is discussed. The wing span of H. thambema is estimated to be close to that of Quetzalcoatlus northropi (≥12 m), but its skull is especially robust and may have been remarkably long (≥ 2.5 m). The skull bones of H. thambema consist of a very thin outer cortex enclosing an inner meshwork of extremely thin trabeculae surrounding very numerous small alveoli, an unusual structure reminiscent of expanded polystyrene. This peculiar structure, combining strength with lightness, can probably be considered as an adaptation to flight in a very large animal, through reduction of skull weight.

No abstract

No abstract