Normanniasaurus

Normanniasaurus; Temporal range: Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:	†Sauropoda
Clade:	†Macronaria
Clade:	†Titanosauria
Genus:	†Normanniasaurus; Le Loeuff, Suteethorn & Buffetaut, 2013
Type species
	†Normanniasaurus genceyi; Le Loeuff, Suteethorn & Buffetaut, 2013

Normanniasaurus (

sauropod known from the Early Cretaceous (Albian stage) Poudingue Ferrugineux of Seine-Maritime, northwestern France

.

Discovery and naming

Normanniasaurus was first described and named by Jean Le Loeuff, Suravech Suteethorn and Eric Buffetaut in

period, although the referred specimen is apparently from a younger level of the Albian.^[2]

Description

Normanniasaurus is known from vertebrae and parts of the axial skeleton. It can be distinguished from other Albian sauropods of Western Europe.[2]

Distinguishing characteristics

Below is a list of

autapomorphies found by Le Loeuff et al. when evaluating the holotype of Normanniasaurus:^[2]

presacral vertebrae with a hyposphene-hypantrum attachment;
a cancellous internal texture of presacral vertebrae;
deeply procoelous anterior caudal vertebrae, with antepostzygapophysial foramen, deep post- and prespinal fossae, and an axially elongated neural spine;
amphicoelous middle caudal vertebrae, with a neural arch attached cranially;
a dorsal projection of the spinoprezygapophysial lamina in the mid-caudals;
and an ilium with a blade craniolaterally expanded.

Classification

Normanniasaurus is a basal titanosaurian. It shares several primitive characters with slightly younger basal titanosaurians such as Epachthosaurus and Andesaurus.^[2]

Biogeography

The late Early Cretaceous radiation of basal Titanosauria in South America, Europe and Africa is unusual.^[2]

In Europe, Albian sauropods are still poorly known. Isolated discoveries (from Cambridgeshire, northern France, and southern France) indicate that European titanosaurs coexisted in the Albian with other groups of sauropods.^[2]

References

^ Buffetaut, E., (1984), "Une vertèbre de dinosaurien sauropode dans le Crétacé du Cap de la Hève (Normandie)", Actes du Muséum d’Histoire naturelle de Rouen, 7: 215-221
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Le Loeuff, J.; Suteethorn, S.; Buffetaut, E. (2013). "A new sauropod dinosaur from the Albian of Le Havre (Normandy, France)" (PDF). Oryctos. 10: 23–30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-01-24.

[buffetaut1984-1] Buffetaut, E., (1984), "Une vertèbre de dinosaurien sauropode dans le Crétacé du Cap de la Hève (Normandie)", Actes du Muséum d’Histoire naturelle de Rouen, 7: 215-221

[buffetaut2013-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Le Loeuff, J.; Suteethorn, S.; Buffetaut, E. (2013). "A new sauropod dinosaur from the Albian of Le Havre (Normandy, France)" (PDF). Oryctos. 10: 23–30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-01-24.

[2]