Re: Ichthyovenator, new spinosaurid from Early Cretaceous of Laos

[Robert Schenck <schenck.rob@gmail.com>]

Since Allain is involved in this, presumably there will be some
isotopic analysis to follow, he's done a lot of good work on that.
IIRC Allain was the one to demonstrate isotopically that Spinosaurids
were fish-eaters.

On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 6:24 PM, Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com> wrote:
> From: Ben Creisler
> bcreisler@gmail.com
>
> A new online paper:
>
> Ronan Allain, Tiengkham Xaisanavong, Philippe Richir and Bounsou
> Khentavong (2012)
> The first definitive Asian spinosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from
> the Early Cretaceous of Laos.
> Naturwissenschaften (advance online publication)
> 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s00114-012-0911-7
> http://www.springerlink.com/content/r5x213648388tt23/
>
>
> Spinosaurids are among the largest and most specialized carnivorous
> dinosaurs. The morphology of their crocodile-like skull, stomach
> contents, and oxygen isotopic composition of the bones suggest they
> had a predominantly piscivorous diet. Even if close relationships
> between spinosaurids and Middle Jurassic megalosaurs seem well
> established, very little is known about the transition from a
> generalized large basal tetanuran to the specialized morphology of
> spinosaurids. Spinosaurid remains were previously known from the Early
> to Late Cretaceous of North Africa, Europe, and South America. Here,
> we report the discovery of a new spinosaurid theropod from the late
> Early Cretaceous Savannakhet Basin in Laos, which is distinguished by
> an autapomorphic sinusoidal dorsosacral sail. This new taxon,
> Ichthyovenator laosensis gen. et sp. nov., includes well-preserved and
> partially articulated postcranial remains. Although possible
> spinosaurid teeth have been reported from various Early Cretaceous
> localities in Asia, the new taxon I. laosensis is the first definite
> record of Spinosauridae from Asia. Cladistic analysis identifies
> Ichthyovenator as a member of the sub-clade Baryonychinae and suggests
> a widespread distribution of this clade at the end of the Early
> Cretaceous. Chilantaisaurus tashouikensis from the Cretaceous of Inner
> Mongolia, and an ungual phalanx from the Upper Jurassic of Colorado
> are also referred to spinosaurids, extending both the stratigraphical
> and geographical range of this clade.



-- 
Robert J. Schenck
Kingsborough Community College
Physical Sciences Department
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