Nasutuceratops Titusi, a New Basal Centrosaurine Dinosaur
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NASUTUCERATOPS TITUSI, A NEW BASAL CENTROSAURINE DINOSAUR (ORNITHISCHIA: CERATOPSIDAE) FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS KAIPAROWITS FORMATION, SOUTHERN UTAH by Eric Karl Lund A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geology Department of Geology and Geophysics University of Utah December 2010 Copyright © Eric Karl Lund 2010 All rights reserved The University of Utah Graduate School STATEMENT OF THESIS APPROVAL The thesis of Eric Karl Lund has been approved by the following supervisory committee members: December 11, Scott D. Sampson , Chair 2009 Date Approved December 11, Allan A. Ekdale , Member 2009 Date Approved December 11, Marjorie A. Chan , Member 2009 Date Approved and by D. Kip Solomon , Chair of the Department of Geology and Geophysics and by Charles A. Wight, Dean of The Graduate School. ABSTRACT Remains of a previously unknown horned dinosaur were recently recovered from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Kaiparowits Formation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, southern Utah. These exceptionally preserved materials, including a nearly complete skull with multiple postcranial elements, represent a new genus and species of centrosaurine ceratopsid dinosaur, Nasutuceratops titusi n. gen. et n. sp. The new Utah taxon is placed within Centrosaurinae on the basis of multiple synapomorphies, including delta-shaped rostral; subcircular, hypertrophied narial region; thin, pronounced premaxillary septum; narial spine composed of processes from nasal and premaxilla; expanded and thickened ventral angle on premaxilla; and subrectangular, stepped squamosal. Autapomorhies of this taxon include ectonaris comprises 75% of preorbital skull length; nasals pneumatic; premaxilla-maxilla contact hyper-robust; double faceted, medially directed flange on maxilla contributing to short hard palette; and supraorbital horncores rostrolaterally directed, rostrally curved, torsionally twisted, and relatively enormous. A phylogenetic analysis of Centrosaurinae places Nasutuceratops as the sister taxon to Avaceratops lammersi from the late Campanian of Montana. Nasutuceratops titusi provides insights into the base of Centrosaurinae and suggests the existence of a previously unknown clade of short-snouted, long-horned centrosaurines in the southern Western Interior Basin (WIB) of North America. Nasutuceratops also provides strong support for hypothesis of dinosaur provinciality in late Campanian WIB. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 Taxonomic Background ...........................................................................................1 New Dinosaurs from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah ..........6 Geologic Setting.....................................................................................................10 New Ceratopsid Dinosaur from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah ....................................................................................................20 INSTITUTIONAL ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................23 MATERIALS AND METHODS .......................................................................................24 SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY .................................................................................25 DESCRIPTION..................................................................................................................27 Craniofacial Skeleton .............................................................................................27 Circumnarial Region ..............................................................................................31 Circumorbital Regions ...........................................................................................52 Parietosquamosal Frill ...........................................................................................60 Mandible ................................................................................................................75 Postcranial Skeleton ...............................................................................................75 Integument .............................................................................................................87 PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS ........................................................................................92 Methods..................................................................................................................92 Results ....................................................................................................................95 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................97 Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Implications .............................................................97 Functional Hypotheses .........................................................................................102 Stratigraphic, Biogeographic and Evolutionary Implications ..............................104 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................112 APPENDICES A GLOSSARY OF TERMS ................................................................................115 B CHARACTER LIST AND CHARACTER STATES ......................................119 C CHARACTER STATE MATRIX ...................................................................131 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................147 v LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1 Diversity of ceratopsid skulls ....................................................................................2 2 Cladistic relationships of Ceratopsia ........................................................................3 3 Subfamilies of Ceratopsidae, Centrosaurinae and Chasmosaurinae .........................4 4 Map of the Western Interior Basin (WIB) ................................................................7 5 Generalized locality map of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument ..........9 6 Composite measured section of the Kaiparowits Formation ..................................11 7 Photograph of the pebble conglomerate lithofacies in the Kaiparowits Formation ...............................................................................................................14 8 Photograph of the major sandstone lithofacies in the Kaiparowits Formation ......15 9 Photograph of the minor sandstone with interbedded mudstone lithofacies in the Kaiparowits Formation ................................................................................17 10 Photograph of the siltstone and mudstone lithofacies in the Kaiparowits Formation ...............................................................................................................18 11 Photograph of the noncoalified organic mudstone lithofacies in the Kaiparowits Formation ................................................................................................................19 12 Generalized holotype quarry map for Nasutuceratops titusi gen. et sp. nov. .........21 13 Dorsal and lateral views of Nasutuceratops titusi gen. et sp. nov.with reconstruction ..........................................................................................................28 14 Skeletal reconstruction of Nasutuceratops titusi gen. et sp. nov. ...........................29 15 Photograph with reconstruction of the circumnarial region ...................................30 16 Photograph with reconstruction of the rostral scar on the premaxilla .................32 17 Photographs of the holotype premaxillae ............................................................34 18 Photographs of the referred left premaxilla .........................................................35 19 Photographs of the referred right premaxilla .......................................................36 20 Photographs of the holotype left maxilla .............................................................40 21 Photographs of the referred right maxilla ............................................................41 22 Photographs of the double faceted medial flange of the holotype and referred maxillae ................................................................................................................43 23 Photographs of the holotype nasals......................................................................46 24 Photograph of the caudal margin of the holotype nasals .....................................49 25 Photographs of the referred nasal ........................................................................51 26 Photographs of the cornual sinuses in the holotype skull ....................................56 27 Photograph with reconstruction of the fragmentary holotype jugal ....................58 28 Photographs of the holotype epijugal ..................................................................59