Epachthosaurus [SEP] parent taxon
complete, well-preserved, and articulated skeleton only missing the skull, neck, four or five cranial dorsal vertebrae, and several distal caudals.
Classification.
"Epachthosaurus" is considered to be the most basal titanosaurian known with procoelous caudal vertebrae.
Below is a phylogenetical cladogram showing the position of "Epachthosaurus" within Titanosauria:
Paleoecology.
"Epachthosaurus" is known from the early Late Cretaceous of the Bajo Barreal Formation. Other fauna from the formation include the basal chelid turtles "Bonapartemys" and "
Epachthosaurus
Epachthosaurus (meaning "heavy lizard") was a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. It was a titanosaurid sauropod. Its fossils have been found in Central and Northern Patagonia in South America.
Description.
The autapomorphies that distinguish "Epachthosaurus" from other genera are: middle and caudal dorsal vertebrae with unique articular processes extending ventrolaterally from the hyposphene; a strongly developed intraprezygapophyseal lamina, and processes projecting laterally from the dorsal portion of the spinodiapophyseal lamina; hyposphene-hypantrum articulations in caudals 1–14; and a