Influence of taphonomy on histological evidence for vertebral pneumaticity in an Upper Cretaceous titanosaur from South America. (April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Aureliano, Tito; Ghilardi, Aline M.; Silva-Junior, Julian C.G.; Martinelli, Agustín G.; Ribeiro, Luiz Carlos Borges; Marinho, Thiago; Fernandes, Marcelo A.; Ricardi-Branco, Fresia; Sander, P. Martin
• Is Part Of: Cretaceous research. Volume 108(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-04
• Subjects: Pneumosteum -- Diagenesis -- Histology -- Sauropoda -- Tomography; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Cretaceous -- Periodicals; 551.77
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104337
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0195-6671

Abstract

Abstract: There is a necessity to systematically sample taxa to enlighten our knowledge on the presence of histological correlates of avian-like air sacs among dinosaurs. This work expands the studies on the occurrence of pneumosteum in sauropods to the Brazilian lithostrotian titanosaur Uberabatitan ribeiroi . This confirms previous hypotheses on the insertion of an air sacs system on titanosaurian vertebrae based on external observation and CT-scans. We also highlight that diagenesis can obliterate traces of pneumosteal bone. Caution is required to have a good understanding of the diagenetic history of the studied specimens. This could avoid false negatives, especially when sampling pneumatic histological traces in stem taxa. Additionally, we describe a new workflow for manipulating CT-scan data using open-source software. The goal is to make this technology more accessible to research groups with limited funding and potentialize the achievement of more paleontological data. Highlights: A new workflow for CT-Scan imaging is presented. Pneumosteum is described in a cervical vertebra of a titanosaur. We corroborate previous hypotheses on the insertion of bird-like air sacs system on titanosaur vertebrae based on Ct-Scan. It is possible that the camellate architecture is directly influenced by the air-sacs system that surrounds the vertebra. A good understanding on the diagenesis of a specimen could avoid false negatives of pneumosteum.