Trachelosaurus fischeri Broili, 1918
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.1186/s13358-024-00309-6 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FF5D3B31-4D36-C576-4311-93E7FD1BFD8C |
treatment provided by |
Felipe |
scientific name |
Trachelosaurus fischeri Broili, 1918 |
status |
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Trachelosaurus fischeri Broili, 1918 3
1902 “ Protorosaurus -ähnli- v. Huene, p 8–10; Fig. 4 View Fig ches Reptil "
1917 Trachelosaurus Berliner & PÜtter, Fischeri * p. 767 *authorship
given to Broili & Fischer
2 While the original description was predominantly cited as if published in 1917, it was contained within a journal issue printed in 1918.
3 While the genus name could have been erected by either of the authors, the species name was given by F. Broili to commemorate E. Fischer, who died in 1914.
1918 Trachelosaurus Fischeri Broili & Fischer ,throughout text; Figs. 1–7 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig , 15; plates 31–32
1919 Trachelosaurus Fischeri Abel , p. 482–483
1920 Trachelosaurus Fischeri Abel , p. 375
1921 Trachelosaurus Edinger , p. 204
1922 Trachelosaurus Fischeri Cossmann , p. 91
1923 Trachelosaurus Nopcsa , p. 68
1924 Trachelosaurus von Arthaber , p. 442
1927 Trachelosaurus Fischeri Weigelt ,p. 54,118 (in the 1989 edition)
1928 Trachelosaurus Nopcsa , p. 172
1928 Trachelosaurus Fischeri Schmidt , p. 393;
Fig. 1104
1932 Trachelosaurus v. Zittel, p. 285
1933 Trachelosaurus Gadow ,p. 329
1935 Trachelosaurus fischeri Kuhn ,p. 28
1944 Trachelosaurus fischeri v. Huene, through-
out text
1948 Trachelosaurus v. Huene, p. 102
1951 Trachelosaurus Watson , p. 169
1952 Trachelosaurus Fischeri Lang & v. Huene, p. 15
1954 Trachelosaurus v. Huene, p. 229; Fig. 2d View Fig
1955 Trachelosaurus Vaughn ,p. 435–436, 448
1955 Trachelosaurus Peyer & Kuhn-Schnyder , p. 598
1956 Trachelosaurus v. Huene, p. 648, 683
1956 Trachelosaurus Romer , p. 432,657; Figs. 122L, 131D, 139O, 140X
1957 Trachelosaurus Watson , Fig. 23
1961b Trachelosaurus Kuhn ,p. 5
1963 Trachelosaurus fischeri Kuhn ,p. 3, 5–7
1967 Trachelosaurus fischeri Appleby et al. , p. 704
1969 Trachelosaurus Carroll , p. 166
1971 Trachelosaurus fischeri Kuhn ,p. 12; Figs. 20a/1, 41b/8
1973 Trachelosaurus Wild , p. 28
1975 Trachelosaurus fischeri Kuhn ,p. 8; Fig. 3 View Fig
1982 Trachelosaurus fischeri Mader , Table 2
1988 Trachelosaurus Carroll , p. 619
1988 Trachelosaurus Evans , p. 227–228
1994 Trachelosaurus Renesto , p. 286
1997 Trachelosaurus fischeri Benton & Allen , Table 1; text-Fig. 16
1997 Trachelosaurus Jalil , throughout text
1999 Trachelosaurus Borsuk-Białynicka et al. , p. 182; Table 1
2000 Trachelosaurus fischeri Rieppel , p. 110
2003 Trachelosaurus Rieppel et al. , throughout text
2008 Trachelosaurus Hone & Benton , throughout text
2009 Trachelosaurus Gottmann-Quesada & Sander , throughout text
2015 Trachelosaurus fischeri Hauschke & Mertmann ,
p. 344
2016 Trachelosaurus Ezcurra , p. 311
2018 Trachelosaurus Hauschke , p. 286
2018 Trachelosaurus fischeri Schoch ,p. 108, 111
2019 Trachelosaurus fischeri Schoch ,p. 58
2021 Trachelosaurus fischeri Hauschke et al. , p. 333,
388
2021 Trachelosaurus fischeri Spiekman et al. ,
throughout text
2022 Trachelosaurus fischeri Ezcurra et al. , p. 5
Holotype. MLU.GeoS.1612, a partially disarticulated skeleton comprising a few isolated skull remains, including a right premaxilla, much of the presacral vertebral column, two sacral vertebrae, several caudal vertebrae, an extensive gastral basket, a right ilium, right? pubis, left? femur, and at least one probable metatarsal.
Diagnosis. A tanysaurian archosauromorph that is defined by the following combination of features (autapomorphies among Triassic archosauromorphs indicated by an asterisk): elongate vertebral column that consists of at least 21 cervical and 27 dorsal vertebrae; neural spines on both the cervical and dorsal vertebrae that are transversely expanded at their distal ends with strongly developed rugosities*; cervical ribs with bifurcating shafts that are short, not or barely extending beyond the length of its corresponding vertebra*; anterior to mid-dorsal vertebrae with very wide, ‘wing-like’ transverse processes; a barrel-shaped torso formed by widely rounded, almost uniformly holocephalous dorsal ribs; an ilium without a preacetabular process; and a stocky femur without a curved shaft.
Horizon. Te type and only specimen of Trachelosaurus fischeri was found in a platy sandstone unit within the Chirotheriensandstein, upper part of the Solling Formation (topmost Middle Buntsandstein, probably of earliest Anisian age, see Schoch, 2019; Bachmann et al., 2021).
Locality. Merkel’s quarry, Bernburg an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany.
Ontogenetic assessment. Trachelosaurus fischeri is currently known from a single specimen, MLU. GeoS.1612, comprising one individual (see below). In both the anteriormost cervical vertebra and mid-dorsal vertebrae, the neural arches and centra are unfused or disarticulated. Furthermore, the proximal and distal ends of the femur are poorly ossified. Tese features are often indicative of skeletal immaturity in diapsids ( Griffin et al., 2021). However, they can also represent typical paedomorphic traits related to aquatic adaptations seen in skeletally mature marine reptiles, including Dinocephalosaurus orientalis ( Griffin et al., 2021; Rieppel, 1989; Spiekman et al., 2024). Considering the presence of several features indicative of an aquatic lifestyle in Trachelosaurus fischeri (high presacral vertebral count, straight femur, and absence of preacetabular process of the ilium), and its close affinities to the marine Dinocephalosaurus orientalis (see below), the latter interpretation is very likely. Terefore, these features are not reliable indicators of relative ontogenetic age for this individual. Te presence of strongly rugose neural spines on the presacral vertebrae could represent some indication of maturity, but this cannot be stated confidently.
Remarks. Te most recent definition of Tanystropheidae Camp, 1945 was formulated by Dilkes (1998, page 529): “the most recent common ancestor of Macrocnemus , Tanystropheus , and Langobardisaurus and all of its descendants”. Considering the discovery of many new tanystropheid taxa in recent years, as well as the results of our phylogenetic analyses and the novel definitions of Tanysauria clade nov. and Trachelosauridae Abel, 1919 , we propose a revised definition for Tanystropheidae that is stem-based: the most inclusive clade containing Tanystropheus longobardicus ( Bassani, 1886) but not Trachelosaurus fischeri Broili, 1918 , Dinocephalosaurus orientalis Li, 2003 , Protorosaurus speneri von Meyer, 1832 , or Prolacerta broomi Parrington, 1935 . Tis is a maximum clade definition.
Phylocode registration number. Tanystropheidae is identified in the international clade names repository as registration number 1040.
Description
MLU.GeoS.1612 consists of seven slabs that can be fitted together to form a single block ( Fig. 2B View Fig ). Te majority of the remains of Trachelosaurus fischeri , including virtually all pre-caudal axial elements, are closely associated in MLU.GeoS.1612.A-B ( Fig. 3 View Fig ). Additional remains, including cranial elements and a partial gastral basket, are scattered across MLU.GeoS.1612.C-G ( Fig. 4 View Fig ). Te slabs additionally preserve indeterminate remains of actinopterygian fishes, as well as several footprints resembling Capitosauroides bernburgensis and a tetrapod ichnotaxon possibly produced by therapsid trackmakers that was described from an unknown locality in the same area ( Buchwitz et al., 2020; Haubold, 1971). Te discovery of several tetrapod footprints while examining the slabs (in addition to those previously reported by Broili & Fischer, 1918) requires a more detailed description and analysis that are outside the scope of the present work ( Fig. 2B View Fig ).
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