Panphagia (Triassic sauropodomorph) braincase

[Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com>]

From: Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com

A paper about Panphagia in the new JVP Memoir:


Ricardo N. Martínez, José A. Haro & Cecilia Apaldetti (2013)
Braincase of Panphagia protos (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha).
Basal sauropodomorphs and the vertebrate fossil record of the
Ischigualasto Formation (Late Triassic: Carnian-Norian) of Argentina.
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 12:  70-82
DOI:10.1080/02724634.2013.819009
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2013.819009#.UlTBoVB6YYE

We describe a partial braincase of the basal sauropodomorph Panphagia
protos from the Upper Triassic (mid-Carnian) horizons of the
Ischigualasto Formation. The disarticulated braincase from a subadult
individual includes one frontal, both parietals, one prootic, and the
supraoccipital. The frontal is longer anteroposteriorly than it is
wide transversely, has a small anterolateral process, and an elongate
oval depression for the olfactory bulb. The supraoccipital is broader
transversely than it is deep dorsoventrally and lacks a pronounced
median nuchal eminence. Some braincase features that characterize more
derived basal sauropodomorphs are not present in Panphagia, including
a broader frontal and reduced anterior tympanic and floccular
recesses. Panphagia appears to represent an early stage in the
evolution of sauropodomorph dinosaurs.