A new large Pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, Colombia

A new fossil MP111209-1 found in the Barremian beds of Sáchica, a town near Villa de Leiva representing the more complete skeleton found in the region is described here. After a detailed study of its morphological characteristics, it is evident that the new specimen represents a new genus and specie...

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Main Authors: María Eurídice Páramo-Fonseca, Cristian David Benavides-Cabra, Ingry Esmirna Gutiérrez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2018-10-01
Series:Earth Sciences Research Journal
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Online Access:https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/69916
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author María Eurídice Páramo-Fonseca
Cristian David Benavides-Cabra
Ingry Esmirna Gutiérrez
author_facet María Eurídice Páramo-Fonseca
Cristian David Benavides-Cabra
Ingry Esmirna Gutiérrez
author_sort María Eurídice Páramo-Fonseca
collection DOAJ
description A new fossil MP111209-1 found in the Barremian beds of Sáchica, a town near Villa de Leiva representing the more complete skeleton found in the region is described here. After a detailed study of its morphological characteristics, it is evident that the new specimen represents a new genus and species of brachauchenine pliosaurid from Central Colombia that we named Sachicasaurus vitae gen. et sp. nov. Sachicasaurus is a large brachauchenine (almost 10 m in length) characterized by the following combination of characters: skull exceeding two meters in length,  transverse constriction in the rostrum, caniniform teeth present, pineal foramen in a very advanced position, palatines separated in the midline by the pterygoids, very short mandibular symphysis (bearing four teeth positions), reduced number of mandibular teeth (less than 20), slender hyoid bones, 12 cervical vertebrae, cervical centra showing ventral foramina, single rib facet in all cervical centra, at least 40 pre-caudal vertebrae, and ilium with a long posterior projection. Although it is difficult to clearly establish the phylogenetic position of Sachicasaurus viate within Brachaucheninae due to its combination of primitive and derived features, the morphological comparisons and the cladistic analysis show an evident phylogenetic proximity of Sachicasaurus to the Aptian-Albian genus Kronosaurus.
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spelling doaj-art-e9694f80f87d46b1a1f1ee1b96cf21752025-08-20T03:53:38ZengUniversidad Nacional de ColombiaEarth Sciences Research Journal1794-61902339-34592018-10-0122422323810.15446/esrj.v22n4.6991650223A new large Pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, ColombiaMaría Eurídice Páramo-Fonseca0Cristian David Benavides-CabraIngry Esmirna GutiérrezUniversidad Nacional de ColombiaA new fossil MP111209-1 found in the Barremian beds of Sáchica, a town near Villa de Leiva representing the more complete skeleton found in the region is described here. After a detailed study of its morphological characteristics, it is evident that the new specimen represents a new genus and species of brachauchenine pliosaurid from Central Colombia that we named Sachicasaurus vitae gen. et sp. nov. Sachicasaurus is a large brachauchenine (almost 10 m in length) characterized by the following combination of characters: skull exceeding two meters in length,  transverse constriction in the rostrum, caniniform teeth present, pineal foramen in a very advanced position, palatines separated in the midline by the pterygoids, very short mandibular symphysis (bearing four teeth positions), reduced number of mandibular teeth (less than 20), slender hyoid bones, 12 cervical vertebrae, cervical centra showing ventral foramina, single rib facet in all cervical centra, at least 40 pre-caudal vertebrae, and ilium with a long posterior projection. Although it is difficult to clearly establish the phylogenetic position of Sachicasaurus viate within Brachaucheninae due to its combination of primitive and derived features, the morphological comparisons and the cladistic analysis show an evident phylogenetic proximity of Sachicasaurus to the Aptian-Albian genus Kronosaurus.https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/69916PliosauridaeBrachaucheninaeLower CretaceousBarremianSáchicaColombia
spellingShingle María Eurídice Páramo-Fonseca
Cristian David Benavides-Cabra
Ingry Esmirna Gutiérrez
A new large Pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, Colombia
Earth Sciences Research Journal
Pliosauridae
Brachaucheninae
Lower Cretaceous
Barremian
Sáchica
Colombia
title A new large Pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, Colombia
title_full A new large Pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, Colombia
title_fullStr A new large Pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, Colombia
title_full_unstemmed A new large Pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, Colombia
title_short A new large Pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, Colombia
title_sort new large pliosaurid from the barremian lower cretaceous of sachica boyaca colombia
topic Pliosauridae
Brachaucheninae
Lower Cretaceous
Barremian
Sáchica
Colombia
url https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/69916
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