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New aristonectine elasmosaurid plesiosaur specimens from the Early Maastrichtian of Angola and comments on paedomorphism in plesiosaurs

Araujo, R. ; Polcyn, M. J. ; Lindgren, Johan LU ; Jacobs, L. L. ; Schulp, A. S. ; Mateus, O. ; Olimpio Goncalves, A. and Morais, M-L. (2015) In Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie en Mijnbouw 94(1). p.93-108
Abstract
New elasmosaurid plesiosaur specimens are described from the Early Maastrichtian of Angola. Phylogenetic analyses reconstruct the Angolan taxon as an aristonectine elasmosaurid and the sister taxon of an unnamed form of similar age from New Zealand. Comparisons also indicate a close relationship with an unnamed form previously described from Patagonia. All of these specimens exhibit an ostensibly osteologically immature external morphology, but histological analysis of the Angolan material suggests an adult with paedomorphic traits. By extension, the similarity of the Angolan, New Zealand and Patagonian material indicates that these specimens represent a widespread paedomorphic yet unnamed taxon.
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Paedomorphism, plesiosaurs, marine reptiles, Africa, Cretaceous, histology
in
Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie en Mijnbouw
volume
94
issue
1
pages
93 - 108
publisher
VEENMAN DRUKKERS
external identifiers
  • wos:000350989700010
  • scopus:84951812231
ISSN
0016-7746
DOI
10.1017/njg.2014.43
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7159f742-5f62-48a8-b3fe-9d09c3af2c02 (old id 5293782)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:42:05
date last changed
2022-03-29 08:54:21
@article{7159f742-5f62-48a8-b3fe-9d09c3af2c02,
  abstract     = {{New elasmosaurid plesiosaur specimens are described from the Early Maastrichtian of Angola. Phylogenetic analyses reconstruct the Angolan taxon as an aristonectine elasmosaurid and the sister taxon of an unnamed form of similar age from New Zealand. Comparisons also indicate a close relationship with an unnamed form previously described from Patagonia. All of these specimens exhibit an ostensibly osteologically immature external morphology, but histological analysis of the Angolan material suggests an adult with paedomorphic traits. By extension, the similarity of the Angolan, New Zealand and Patagonian material indicates that these specimens represent a widespread paedomorphic yet unnamed taxon.}},
  author       = {{Araujo, R. and Polcyn, M. J. and Lindgren, Johan and Jacobs, L. L. and Schulp, A. S. and Mateus, O. and Olimpio Goncalves, A. and Morais, M-L.}},
  issn         = {{0016-7746}},
  keywords     = {{Paedomorphism; plesiosaurs; marine reptiles; Africa; Cretaceous; histology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{93--108}},
  publisher    = {{VEENMAN DRUKKERS}},
  series       = {{Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie en Mijnbouw}},
  title        = {{New aristonectine elasmosaurid plesiosaur specimens from the Early Maastrichtian of Angola and comments on paedomorphism in plesiosaurs}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/njg.2014.43}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/njg.2014.43}},
  volume       = {{94}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}