
The osteology of Diamantinasaurus matildae, the most complete Cretaceous sauropod described from Australia to date, is comprehensively reassessed. The preparation of additional material from the type locality, pertaining to the same individual as the holotype, sheds light on the morphology of the axial skeleton and provides additional information on the appendicular skeleton. The new material comprises two dorsal vertebrae, an incomplete sacrum (including four partial coalesced vertebrae), the right coracoid, the right radius, an additional manual phalanx, and a previously missing portion of the right fibula. In this study we identify thirteen autapomorphic characters of Diamantinasaurus, and an additional five characters that are locally autapomorphic within Titanosauriformes. This work provided an opportunity to revisit the phylogenetic placement of Diamantinasaurus. In two independent data matrices, Diamantinasaurus was recovered within Lithostrotia. One analysis resolved Diamantinasaurus as the sister taxon to the approximately coeval Tapuiasaurus from Brazil, whereas the second analysis recovered Diamantinasaurus as the sister taxon to Opisthocoelicaudia from the latest Cretaceous of Mongolia. The characters supporting the recovered relationships are analysed, and the palaeobiogeographical implications of the lithostrotian status of Diamantinasaurus are explored. A brief review of the body fossil record of Australian Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrates suggests close ties to South America in particular, and to Gondwana more generally.
Titanosauria, Palaeobiogeography, Palaeontology (incl. palynology), Lithostrotia, Australia, Geologi, Geology, Cretaceous
Titanosauria, Palaeobiogeography, Palaeontology (incl. palynology), Lithostrotia, Australia, Geologi, Geology, Cretaceous
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 105 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 1% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 1% |
