The cranial morphology of Tanystropheus hydroides (Tanystropheidae, Archosauromorpha) as revealed by synchrotron microtomography

PeerJ

article

Stephan N.F. Spiekman¹  James M. Neenan²  Nicholas C. Fraser³  Vincent Fernandez⁴  Olivier Rieppel⁶  Stefania Nosotti⁷  Torsten M. Scheyer¹ 

[1] University of Zurich, Palaeontological Institute and Museum;Oxford University Museum of Natural History;National Museums Scotland;European Synchrotron Radiation Facility;The Natural History Museum;Field Museum of Natural History;Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano

关键词: Tanystropheus;    Tanystropheidae;    Archosauromorpha;    Triassic;    Cranial anatomy;    Endocranial anatomy;    Functional morphology;    Aquatic adaptations;    Synchrotron microtomography;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.10299

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

The postcranial morphology of the extremely long-necked Tanystropheus hydroides is well-known, but observations of skull morphology were previously limited due to compression of the known specimens. Here we provide a detailed description of the skull of PIMUZ T 2790, including a partial endocast and endosseous labyrinth, based on synchrotron microtomographic data, and compare its morphology to that of other early Archosauromorpha. In many features, such as the wide and flattened snout and the configuration of the temporal and palatal regions, Tanystropheus hydroides differs strongly from other early archosauromorphs. The braincase possesses a combination of derived archosaur traits, such as the presence of a laterosphenoid and the ossification of the lateral wall of the braincase, but also differs from archosauriforms in the morphology of the ventral ramus of the opisthotic, the horizontal orientation of the parabasisphenoid, and the absence of a clearly defined crista prootica. Tanystropheus hydroides was a ram-feeder that likely caught its prey through a laterally directed snapping bite. Although the cranial morphology of other archosauromorph lineages is relatively well-represented, the skulls of most tanystropheid taxa remain poorly understood due to compressed and often fragmentary specimens. The recent descriptions of the skulls of Macrocnemus bassanii and now Tanystropheus hydroides reveal a large cranial disparity in the clade, reflecting wide ecological diversity, and highlighting the importance of non-archosauriform Archosauromorpha to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems during the Triassic.

【 授权许可】

CC BY