Revision of basal sauropods from the Middle Jurassic of Patagonia and the early evolution of eusauropods

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Oliver Rauhut, Ph.D.
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Paläontologie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2013 bis 2019
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 220632131

Sauropod dinosaurs represent one of the most important components of Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate faunas, yet their early evolution and diversification in the Jurassic is still poorly understood. Furthermore, most of the pertinent data so far comes from Early and Middle Jurassic rocks in eastern Asia. The only abundant basal sauropod material reported from the Western Hemisphere so far comes from the Middle Jurassic Cañadón Asfalto Formation of Chubut province, Argentina, from where two species, Patagosaurus fariasi and Volkheimeria chubutensis, have been described. Especially the first of these taxa has figured prominently in basal sauropod phylogenies. However, recent research suggests that more sauropods are represented in the original material referred to this species, and intensive fieldwork in the rocks that have yielded these materials has resulted in the recovery of a wealth of new material. Thus, the objective of this project is a revision of the original materials of Patagosaurus as well as an incorporation of new materials. The alpha taxonomy of the sauropods from the Cañadón Asfalto Formation will be established, detailed osteological descriptions of the different taxa provided and their significance for our understanding of early sauropod evolution will be evaluated.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen