Dinosaurs (Reptilia, Archosauria) at Museo De La Plata, Argentina: Annotated Catalogue of the Type Material and Antarctic Specimens
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Palaeontologia Electronica palaeo-electronica.org Dinosaurs (Reptilia, Archosauria) at Museo de La Plata, Argentina: annotated catalogue of the type material and Antarctic specimens Alejandro Otero and Marcelo Reguero ABSTRACT A commented-illustrated catalogue of non-avian dinosaurs housed at Museo de La Plata, Argentina is presented. This represents the first commented catalogue of the La Plata Museum dinosaurs to be published. This includes the type material as well as Antarctic specimens. The arrangement of the material was made in a phylogenetic fashion, including systematic rank, type material, referred specimens, geographic and stratigraphic location, and comments/remarks, when necessary. A total of 13 type specimens of non-avian dinosaurs are housed at the collection of Museo de La Plata, including eight sauropods, one theropod, one ornithischian, and three ichnotaxa. There are four Antarctic specimens, one of which is a holotype, whereas other corresponds to the first sauropod dinosaur registered for that continent. Alejandro Otero. División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata. Paseo del Bosque s/n (1900), La Plata, Argentina. [email protected] Marcelo Reguero. División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata. Paseo del Bosque s/n (1900), La Plata, Argentina. [email protected] Keywords: Saurischia; Ornithischia; Holotype; Lectotype; Patagonia; Antarctica INTRODUCTION housed at the DPV collection, reaching more than 600 individual bones. These include 13 type mate- The Museo de La Plata (MLP), constructed in rial and otherwise important dinosaur specimens, 1884, is one of the oldest museums of natural his- which include ornithischians (e.g., ornithopods, tory of South America. The collection of the ankylosaurs), saurischians (e.g., theropods, sau- División Paleontología de Vertebrados (DPV) was ropodomorphs), as well as three ichnospecies created in 1877 when the museum’s future Direc- included (see Table 1 for a summary of the taxa tor, Dr. Francisco Pascasio Moreno, donated presented). 15,000 pieces. In addition to those original bones, Many fossil vertebrate catalogues of the numerous dinosaur materials from Argentina and Museo de La Plata were previously published, Antarctica (Figure 1) have been collected and mostly devoted to mammals (Mercerat, 1891, accessioned during more than a century and PE Article Number: 16.1.3T Copyright: Palaeontological Association March 2013 Submission: 14 September 2012. Acceptance: 6 March 2013 Otero, Alejandro and Reguero, Marcelo. 2013. Dinosaurs (Reptilia, Archosauria) at Museo de La Plata, Argentina: annotated catalogue of the type material and Antarctic specimens, Palaeontologia Electronica Vol. 16, Issue 1; 3T; 24p; palaeo-electronica.org/content/2013-technical/410-museo-de-la-plata-catalogue OTERO & REGUERO: MUSEO DE LA PLATA CATALOGUE 12 South America 60° 150°W 90°W 30°W 600 km Pacific N Ocean 180° 0° Antarcca Atlanc 70° Ocean 150°E Indic 30°E 1 Ocean 90°E Neuquén Río Negro Vega Island 20 km 7 2 3 6 Chubut 4 64° Prince Gustavo Canal 5 Seymour James Ross Island (Marambio) Island Santa Cruz 8 Snow Hill 64°30’S Island Tierra 58°W 57°W del Fuego FIGURE 1. Location map showing the distribution of the occurrence of the materials mentioned in this contribution. 1. Detail of Patagonia. 2. Detail of Antarctic Peninsula. Abbreviations: 1: Neuquensaurus australis, N. robustus, Laplata- saurus araukanicus, Microcoelus patagonicus, “Titanosaurus” nanus; 2: Amygdalodon patagonicus; 3: Genyodectes serus; 4: Argyrosaurus superbus; 5: Wildeichnus navesi, Sarmientichnus scagliai, Delatorrichnus goyenechei; 6: Ant- arctopelta oliveroi and MLP 11-II-20-1; 7: MLP 99-I-10-1; 8: MLP 96-I-6-2. 1895; Roth, 1898; Cabrera, 1926, 1927, 1929; presented in his Catalogue of South American fos- Berta and Marshall, 1978; Bond, 1986; Mones, sils a resume of the dinosaurs collected to that 1986; Prevosti and Reguero, 2000) and birds time. Finally, Otero (2010) presented all the avail- (Acosta Hospitaleche et al., 2001). Regarding non- able appendicular material of Neuquensaurus avian dinosaurs, no published catalogue actually housed at MLP as an Appendix. The only cata- exists for the Museo de La Plata. Lydekker (1893) logue that has been done for the MLP dinosaurs and Huene (1929) presented seminal papers was performed in 1973 by sauropod specialist where all knowledge of that time about dinosaurs John McIntosh who created a hand-written cata- was virtually enclosed there. More recently, Bona- logue of all the dinosaurs housed at MLP to that parte and Gasparini (1979) published a taxonomic moment. However, the catalogue was never pub- contribution in which they specified lectotypes for lished. some sauropods housed at MLP. Mones (1986) 2 PALAEO-ELECTRONICA.ORG TABLE 1. Summary of the taxa presented in this contribution. Denotes missing at present. Type/referred Systematic rank Collection number Horizon Locality Age material Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Sauropoda Amygdalodon MLP 46-VIII-21-1/2 Cerro Carnerero Cañadón Puelman, Late Toarcian to Posterior dorsal patagonicus Formation southwest from Cerro Early Aalenian vertebra (lectotype) Carnerero, Sierra del Cerro Negro, Chubut Province, Argentina Laplatasaurus MLP-CS 1128, MLP- Anacleto Formation, Rio Cinco Saltos and Lago Lower Right tibia and right araukanicus CS 1127 Colorado Subgroup Pellegrini, Rio Negro Campanian fibula (lectotype) Province, Argentina Microcoelus MLP-Ly 23 Bajo de La Carpa Right bank of the Río Santonian Anterior dorsal patagonicus Formation, Río Colorado Neuquén, close to the vertebra (holotype) Subgroup city of Neuquén, Neuquén Province, Argentina “Titanosaurus” MLP-Ly 18/19 Bajo de La Carpa Right bank of the Río Santonian Incomplete cervical nanus Formation, Río Colorado Neuquén, close to the and dorsal vertebrae Subgroup city of Neuquén, (holotype) Neuquén Province, Argentina Argyrosaurus MLP 77-V-29-1 Bajo Barreal Formation, Left bank (northwest) of Campanian– Complete left forlimb superbus Chubut Group the Río Chico, near Maastrichtian (holotype) Pampa Pelada, northeast of Lake Colhué Huapi, Chubut Province, Argentina Antarctosaurus MLP 26-316 Plottier Formation, Aguada del Caño, Coniacian– Two femora, two giganteus Neuquén Subgroup, Neuquén Province, Santonian fragments of a pubis, Neuquén Group Argentina distal end of a tibia, two incomplete caudal vertebrae as well as indeterminate fragments (holotype) Lithostrotia indet. MLP 11-II-20-1 Santa Marta Formation Santa Marta Cove, Upper Incomplete caudal northern James Ross Campanian vertebra Island, Antarctica Neuquensaurus MLP-Ly 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 Anacleto Formation Neuquén Province Lower Sacrum and caudal australis Campanian vertebrae (holotype) Neuquensaurus MLP-CS 1095, MLP- Anacleto Formation Neuquén Province Lower Right ulna, left ulna, robustus nomen CS 1480, MLP-CS Campanian left radius, left femur dubium 1171, MLP-CS 1094 (lectotype) The purpose of this contribution is to release BRIEF HISTORY an accurate, figured, and updated commented cat- After the creation of the Museo de La Plata in alogue of the type material and Antarctic dinosaurs 1884, its director, Dr. Francisco Pascasio Moreno, housed at the collection of the División Paleon- invited the Argentinean naturalist Florentino tología de Vertebrados at Museo de La Plata. Ameghino to work in the Institution. Between his According to the Recommendation 72F of the private collection (which was moved to La Plata), International Code of Zoological Nomenclature there were few bones collected from the current (ICZN), the objective of this paper is to ensure an city of General Roca (Río Negro Province). Those explicit labeling with an accurate format. bones, later attributable to the genus “Titanosau- rus,” constituted the first dinosaurs remains housed 3 OTERO & REGUERO: MUSEO DE LA PLATA CATALOGUE TABLE 1 (continued). Type/referred Systematic rank Collection number Horizon Locality Age material Theropoda Genyodectes MLP 26-39 Cerro Barcino Formation Cañadón Grande, Aptian-Albian Incomplete portions serus Department of Paso de of premaxillae, Indios, Chubut maxillae, dentaries, Province, Argentina supradentaries, splenial, and tooth (holotype) Ornithischia Ankylosauria Antarctopelta MLP 86-X-28-1 Gamma Member of the Santa Marta Cove, Upper Partial skeleton, oliveroi Santa Marta Formation, North James Ross Campanian including cranial Marambio Group Island, Antarctica remains (holotype) Ornithopoda Hadrosauridae MLP 99-I-10-1 Sandwich Bluff Member of Eastern flank of Upper-lower Cheek tooth* indet. the López de Bertodano Sandwich Bluff, Vega Maastrichtian Formation island, Antarctica Hadrosauridae MLP 96-I-6-2 Unit K1B 9 of the López Seymour (Marambio) Upper-lower Distal end of indet. de Bertodano Formation Island, Antarctica Maastrichtian metatarsal Ichnospecies Theropoda Wildeichnus MLP 60-X-31-5 La Matilde Formation Laguna Manantiales Middle Jurassic- Cast of an isolated navesi ranch, Santa Cruz lower Upper left pes (holotype) Province, Argentina Jurassic Sarmientichnus MLP 60-X-31-1A La Matilde Formation Laguna Manantiales Middle Jurassic- Impression of an scagliai ranch, Santa Cruz lower Upper isolated right foot Province, Argentina Jurassic (holotype) Ornithischia Delatorrichnus MLP 60-X-31-6 La Matilde Formation Laguna Manantiales Middle Jurassic- Trackway with manus goyenechei ranch, Santa Cruz lower Upper and pes impressions Province, Argentina Jurassic (holotype) in a South American scientific institution (Salgado, Lydekker were “Titanosaurus” australis 2007, p. 5). (=Neuquensaurus