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Fostoria (Cretaceous iguanodontian, Australia) paleoneurology (free pdf)
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Ben Creisler
Mar 19, 2025, 1:10:04 PMMar 19
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
A new paper:
Insights into the paleoneurology and endocranial anatomy of ornithopod dinosaurs come largely from Northern Hemisphere taxa. The recently described non-hadrosaurid iguanodontian Fostoria dhimbangunmal from the Cenomanian of eastern Australia includes a partial skull that offers novel insights into its endocranial anatomy (i.e., the cavity housing the brain). Here, we describe the paleoneurology of F. dhimbangunmal based on a digital cranial endocast obtained from computed tomography. The endocast is mostly complete; however, it is diagenetically dorsoventrally compressed and its ventral limits are not preserved. The endocranial anatomy of F. dhimbangunmal is generally consistent with that of other non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians, including a well-developed olfactory apparatus, suggesting a good sense of smell. In contrast to hadrosaurids and some non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians, F. dhimbangunmal possesses the ancestral flexure condition, in which cranial and pontine flexure angles are subequal. The cerebrum makes up a significant portion of the endocast volume; however, the cerebral hemispheres are not as enlarged or bulbous as seen in hadrosaurids. The forebrain of F. dhimbangunmal did not fill the braincase to the same extent as in hadrosaurids. A distinct vacuity in the supraoccipital of F. dhimbangunmal may represent a new autapomorphy. This study provides the first insights into the neuroanatomy of an Australian iguanodontian dinosaur.
Free pdf:
Olivia Devereaux, Matthew C. Herne, Nicolás E. Campione & Phil R. Bell (2025)
Paleoneurology of the iguanodontian Fostoria dhimbangunmal from the mid-Cretaceous of Australia
Journal of Paleontology (advance online publication)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2024.38
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/paleoneurology-of-the-iguanodontian-fostoria-dhimbangunmal-from-the-midcretaceous-of-australia/33C3B975F46499FCCC838F7EBE973F5A
Olivia Devereaux, Matthew C. Herne, Nicolás E. Campione & Phil R. Bell (2025)
Paleoneurology of the iguanodontian Fostoria dhimbangunmal from the mid-Cretaceous of Australia
Journal of Paleontology (advance online publication)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2024.38
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/paleoneurology-of-the-iguanodontian-fostoria-dhimbangunmal-from-the-midcretaceous-of-australia/33C3B975F46499FCCC838F7EBE973F5A
Insights into the paleoneurology and endocranial anatomy of ornithopod dinosaurs come largely from Northern Hemisphere taxa. The recently described non-hadrosaurid iguanodontian Fostoria dhimbangunmal from the Cenomanian of eastern Australia includes a partial skull that offers novel insights into its endocranial anatomy (i.e., the cavity housing the brain). Here, we describe the paleoneurology of F. dhimbangunmal based on a digital cranial endocast obtained from computed tomography. The endocast is mostly complete; however, it is diagenetically dorsoventrally compressed and its ventral limits are not preserved. The endocranial anatomy of F. dhimbangunmal is generally consistent with that of other non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians, including a well-developed olfactory apparatus, suggesting a good sense of smell. In contrast to hadrosaurids and some non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians, F. dhimbangunmal possesses the ancestral flexure condition, in which cranial and pontine flexure angles are subequal. The cerebrum makes up a significant portion of the endocast volume; however, the cerebral hemispheres are not as enlarged or bulbous as seen in hadrosaurids. The forebrain of F. dhimbangunmal did not fill the braincase to the same extent as in hadrosaurids. A distinct vacuity in the supraoccipital of F. dhimbangunmal may represent a new autapomorphy. This study provides the first insights into the neuroanatomy of an Australian iguanodontian dinosaur.
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