New specimens of the early Permian apex predator Varanops brevirostris at Richards Spur, Oklahoma, with histological information about its growth pattern
An articulated pelvic region and additional isolated material of Varanops brevirostris, which are indistinguishable from those of the generotype from the Cacops bonebed, demonstrate the presence of this large varanopid at the Richards Spur locality. The articulated specimen includes lumbar, sacral,...
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PeerJ Inc.
2023-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/14898.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797420861655875584 |
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| author | Tea Maho Joseph J. Bevitt Robert R. Reisz |
| author_facet | Tea Maho Joseph J. Bevitt Robert R. Reisz |
| author_sort | Tea Maho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An articulated pelvic region and additional isolated material of Varanops brevirostris, which are indistinguishable from those of the generotype from the Cacops bonebed, demonstrate the presence of this large varanopid at the Richards Spur locality. The articulated specimen includes lumbar, sacral, and anterior caudal vertebrae, partial pelvis, femur, and proximal part of tibia, confirming the autapomorphies previously suggested for this species. These include the presence of distinct blade-like shapes of the neural spines in the sacral region, the presence of deeply excavated pubis, and the presence of a distinct transverse ridge on the ventral surface of the femur distal to the intertrochanteric fossa. It has also been found that the transverse ridges and grooves become larger during ontogeny since the juvenile specimen did not exhibit a well-developed ridge. Histological analysis of isolated limb bones and neutron computed tomography (nCT) of the articulated specimen indicate that the latter likely belonged to an adult individual. This is in contrast to the other varanopid at Richards Spur, the significantly smaller, more gracile predator Mesenosaurus efremovi, which also shows the presence of growth lines and the external fundamental system with an estimated minimum age of fourteen. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:07:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-bc9608e6ab2d4bccbaef1b20e70f36c42023-12-03T09:21:40ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592023-02-0111e1489810.7717/peerj.14898New specimens of the early Permian apex predator Varanops brevirostris at Richards Spur, Oklahoma, with histological information about its growth patternTea Maho0Joseph J. Bevitt1Robert R. Reisz2University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, CanadaAustralian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, New South Wales, AustraliaUniversity of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, CanadaAn articulated pelvic region and additional isolated material of Varanops brevirostris, which are indistinguishable from those of the generotype from the Cacops bonebed, demonstrate the presence of this large varanopid at the Richards Spur locality. The articulated specimen includes lumbar, sacral, and anterior caudal vertebrae, partial pelvis, femur, and proximal part of tibia, confirming the autapomorphies previously suggested for this species. These include the presence of distinct blade-like shapes of the neural spines in the sacral region, the presence of deeply excavated pubis, and the presence of a distinct transverse ridge on the ventral surface of the femur distal to the intertrochanteric fossa. It has also been found that the transverse ridges and grooves become larger during ontogeny since the juvenile specimen did not exhibit a well-developed ridge. Histological analysis of isolated limb bones and neutron computed tomography (nCT) of the articulated specimen indicate that the latter likely belonged to an adult individual. This is in contrast to the other varanopid at Richards Spur, the significantly smaller, more gracile predator Mesenosaurus efremovi, which also shows the presence of growth lines and the external fundamental system with an estimated minimum age of fourteen.https://peerj.com/articles/14898.pdfHistologyPermianComputed tomographyVaranopidPostcranial anatomyAge determination |
| spellingShingle | Tea Maho Joseph J. Bevitt Robert R. Reisz New specimens of the early Permian apex predator Varanops brevirostris at Richards Spur, Oklahoma, with histological information about its growth pattern PeerJ Histology Permian Computed tomography Varanopid Postcranial anatomy Age determination |
| title | New specimens of the early Permian apex predator Varanops brevirostris at Richards Spur, Oklahoma, with histological information about its growth pattern |
| title_full | New specimens of the early Permian apex predator Varanops brevirostris at Richards Spur, Oklahoma, with histological information about its growth pattern |
| title_fullStr | New specimens of the early Permian apex predator Varanops brevirostris at Richards Spur, Oklahoma, with histological information about its growth pattern |
| title_full_unstemmed | New specimens of the early Permian apex predator Varanops brevirostris at Richards Spur, Oklahoma, with histological information about its growth pattern |
| title_short | New specimens of the early Permian apex predator Varanops brevirostris at Richards Spur, Oklahoma, with histological information about its growth pattern |
| title_sort | new specimens of the early permian apex predator varanops brevirostris at richards spur oklahoma with histological information about its growth pattern |
| topic | Histology Permian Computed tomography Varanopid Postcranial anatomy Age determination |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/14898.pdf |
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