| “Gspsaurus” | |
|---|---|
| |
| Referred vertebrae | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Superorder: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Infraorder: | †Sauropoda |
| Family: | †Titanosauridae |
| Genus: | †“Gspsaurus” Malkani, 2014 vide Malkani, 2015 |
| Binomial name | |
| †“Gspsaurus pakistani” Malkani, 2021 | |
"Gspsaurus" (meaning "Geological Survey of Pakistan lizard") is an informally named dubious genus of extinct titanosaurian sauropod from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Pab Formation of Pakistan.[1][2][3] The type and only species is “G. pakistani”.[4]
Discovery and naming[]
The holotype, MSM-79-19 and MSM-80-19, consists of parts of the skull, including a rostrum, which were discovered in 2001 near Vitariki, by a team of palaeontologists from the Geological Survey of Pakistan; the majority of the remains were originally referred to the sympatric titanosaur Marisaurus jeffi,[5] which is known only from caudals. Malkani (2015) decided that the referral of the holotype of “Gspsaurus” was untenable due to lack of overlap with holotype of Marisaurus,[1] and found Marisaurus to be a possible synonym of “Gspsaurus”. However, Marisaurus was later found to be a different genus entirely, not even being in the same family as “Gspsaurus”.
“Gspsaurus” was informally named by Malkani (2014),[6] and again by Malkani (2015),[1] but the genus was not validly named until 2020,[7] and the type species was not named until 2021.[4]
One titanosaur specimen comprising a braincase (originally referred to the abelisaurid Vitakridrinda) and postcranial remains were originally named Maojandino alami by Malkani (2015),[1] but Malkani (2020) sank Maojandino as a junior synonym of “Gspsaurus”.[1][7]
More remains have since been described by Malkani (2021).[4]
Description[]
“Gspsaurus” was a medium sized sauropod, reaching up to 15 meters long when fully grown.[1]
Classification[]
Malkani (2015) initially classified “Gspsaurus” within the now redundant Gspsaurinae and Poripuchia, along with Saraikimasoom and Nicksaurus.[1] “Gspsaurus” is now classified as a member of the Titanosauriformes.[2][4]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Malkani, M.S., (2015). Dinosaurs, Mesoeucrocodiles, Pterosaurs, New Fauna and Flora from Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Information Release 823: 1-32.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Malkani, M. Sadiq (20 May 2019). "Titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs from Pakistan.". https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282295653.
- ↑ Malkani, M.S. (2006). "Biodiversity of saurischian dinosaurs from the Latest Cretaceous Park of Pakistan". Journal of Applied and Emerging Sciences 1 (3): 108–140.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Malkani, Muhammad Sadiq (2021). "Jurassic-Cretaceous and Cretaceous-Paleogene Transitions and Mesozoic Vertebrates from Pakistan". Open Journal of Geology 11 (08): 275–318. DOI:10.4236/ojg.2021.118016. ISSN 2161-7570.
- ↑ M. S. Malkani. (2004). Saurischian dinosaurs from Late Cretaceous of Pakistan. In S. S. Hussain & H. D. Akbar (eds.), 5th Pakistan Geological Congress, Islamabad. National Geological Society of Pakistan, Pakistan Museum of Natural History (Pakistan Science Foundation) 71-73.
- ↑ Malkani, M.S. (2014) Titanosaurian Sauropod Dinosaurs from the Latest Cretaceous of Pakistan. Abstract Volume of 2nd Symposium of IGCP 608 “Cretaceous Ecosystem of Asia and Pacific”, Tokyo, 4-6 September 2014, 108-111.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Malkani, M.S., (2020). First Skull of Medium Sized Titanosaur in Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent Found from the Latest Maastrichtian Vitakri Formation of Pakistan; Associated Cranial and Postcranial Skeletons of Gspsaurus pakistani (Poripuchia, Stocky Titanosauria, Sauropoda) from Pakistan and India. Open Journal of Geology 10(4): 448-489.