First Skull of Medium Sized Titanosaur in Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent Found from the Latest Maastrichtian Vitakri Formation of Pakistan; Associated Cranial and Postcranial Skeletons of <i>Gspsaurus pakistani</i> (Poripuchia, Stocky Titanosauria, Sauropoda) from Pakistan and India

Abstract

Titanosaurs' crania are rare in the global world. Further titanosaur crania associated with postcrania are again negligible which prevented for its higher and lower level phylogenetic studies. The titanosaur skulls were also extraordinarily rare in Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, but the recent discoveries of holotypic skull, braincase and associated postcranial skeleton of Gspsaurus pakistani is anatomical wealth. Further its exemplar' skeletons from Top Kinwa and Mari Bohri of Pakistan and Chota Simla from India provide more information which can be used for comparison. Here the holotypic partial skull with braincase and associated postcranial skeleton and also its exemplars and referred materials with key elements of Gspsaurus pakistani are being presented which have international significance and contribute to understanding the evolutionary relationships, higher and lower level phylogenetic studies and paleobiogeographic history of the vertebrates of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.

Jurassic-Cretaceous and Cretaceous-Paleogene Transitions and Mesozoic Vertebrates from Pakistan

“…6). It can be seen in Figures 1-4 of [11]. This holotype is the best preserved and also the one with the largest amount of diagnostic features.…”

“…This holotype is the best preserved and also the one with the largest amount of diagnostic features. The holotypic snout and associated posterior skull and postcrania consists of articulated upper and lower jaws with teeth, palatal processes, palatal bones like posterior vomerine, fused palatine and pterygoid, and associated left quadrate, partial quadratojugal and possibly lowermost portion of squamosal, braincase including decurved and much taller left and right Paroccipital processes and broad occipital condyle, cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, and neural arches, left and right scapulae, sternal plate or ilia, radius, left femur, left Referred specimens: Many referred skeletons and assemblages from Top Kinwa 16 at latitude 29˚41'17"N and longitude 69˚24'00"E, Mari Bohri 15 locality at latitude 29˚42'08"N; longitude 69˚15'08"E, south Kinwa 4s locality at latitude 29˚41'00"N and longitude 69˚23'09"E, and mid Bor 2 locality at latitude 29˚41'12.8''N, and longitude 69˚23'07''E of Pakistan and one skeleton from Chhota Simla locality of India were reported in [11].…”

“…Brohisaurus is the only one Titanosauriformes reported from the Kirthar basin (Figure 1) of Pakistan while Gspsaurus [11], Saraikimasoom [12], Pakisaurus [13] and Sulaimanisaurus [13] were found from the Sulaiman basin (Figure 4).…”

“…Diagnosis: The Brohisaurus kirthari share with Titanosauriformes (Sauropoda) as elliptical femoral cross section and pneumatic cavities in the ribs. The Brohisaurus kirthari characterized simple slightly convexo-convex (biconvex) ribs; well developed scar on proximal fibula for attachment of tibia; single neural spine (not bifid); tube like relatively small ellipsoidal armor osteoderm while Saraikimasoom vitakri has small and also large ellipsoidal osteoderm [12] and Gspsaurus pakistani has mosaic type platy and also ellipsoidal osteoderm [11].…”

“…The four titanosaur taxa like Gspsaurus pakistani [11] and Saraikimasoom vitakri [12] of stocky poripuchian titanosaurs and Pakisaurus balochistani [13] and Isisaurus colberti [13] of slender poripuchian titanosaurs were recognized out of the total 9 titanosaur taxa from the latest Maastrichtian terrestrial Vitakri Formation of Pakistan and coeval 6 titanosaur taxa from India [11] [12] [13].…”