Rhomaleopakhus is a genus of mamenchisaurid sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Kalaza Formation of China. The type and only species is Rhomaleopakhus turpanensis.[1][2] [3]
Description[]
The genus name meaning is "strong forearm". Upchurch et al. note that the robustness of the forelimb convergently evolved in what are called the "Core Mamenchisaurus-like taxa" titanosaurs, and ceratopsids. They believe this correlates with a more flexed orientation of the forearm, an enhanced role of the forearm in feeding, and a more anterior shift in the center of mass. It is possible that CMTs and titanosaurs specialized in a feeding strategy that involved efficient locomotion between sparsely-located food sources.[4]
History and recovery[]
The specimen IVPP-V11121-1, an almost complete forelimb consisting of a humerus, ulna, radius, one carpal, and a virtually complete manus, was originally assigned to the coeval mamenchisaurid Hudiesaurus. However, in a 2021 reassessment of the latter genus, the forelimb was separated from its hypodigm and named the holotype of a new genus and species, Rhomaleopakhus turpanensis; the specific name refers to the Turpan Basin where the specimen was collected.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2021.1994414
- ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14772019.2020.1759706?journalCode=tjsp20
- ↑ https://novataxa.blogspot.com/2021/12/rhomaleopakhus.html
- ↑ https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Re-assessment_of_the_Late_Jurassic_eusauropod_dinosaur_i_Hudiesaurus_sinojapanorum_i_Dong_1997_from_the_Turpan_Basin_China_and_the_evolution_of_hyper-robust_antebrachia_in_sauropods/17175371