Aepisaurus

Aepisaurus (/ˌiːpɪˈsɔːrəs/; derived from the Greek: αἰπεινός, aipeinós - 'lofty/high' and σαυρος, sauros - 'lizard', i.e. "lofty lizard") was a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Grès vert of Départment du Vaucluse, France, around 100.5 million years ago. It is an obscure genus from an unknown family, represented by a single humerus, now partly lost. Despite its lack of popularity, or perhaps because of it, it has been misspelled several ways in the scientific literature, with multiple dates given to the year of description as well.

Aepisaurus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 100.5 Ma
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Limb bone of Aepisaurus.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Suborder: †Sauropodomorpha
Clade: †Sauropoda
Genus: †Aepisaurus
Gervais, 1852
Species:
†A. elephantinus
Binomial name
†Aepisaurus elephantinus
Gervais, 1852

History

French paleontologist Paul Gervais described the new genus[1] based on a humerus found at Mont Ventoux, near Bédoin, by Prosper Renaux (1793–1852) in 1841.[2] The bone was 90 cm (35.43 in) long, 33 cm (13 in) wide at the proximal end, 15 cm (5.91 in) wide in the middle, and 25 cm (9.84 cm) wide at the distal end. From the same locality, he referred a conical tooth he thought could belong to a larger second species, and from elsewhere added to A. sp. (a practice used to denote that the remains belong to a certain genus, but the species is not known) a partial humerus and ulna.[1] The proximal part of the humerus of Aepisaurus elephantinus is housed in the University of Montpellier (BED01). A plaster cast of the complete specimen is also displayed in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris (MNHN 1868–242).[2]

Since the appearance of Titanosauridae, it has typically been referred to that family because the slender humerus resembles that of Laplatasaurus.[3] However, as noted by McIntosh (1990), the bone is also like that of Camarasaurus and some brachiosaurids.[4]

Le Loeuff (1993), in his review of European titanosaurs, could not locate the type specimen, and found that the illustration of it did not allow it to be placed with any sauropod group. Based on proportions, it could not be placed with camarasaurids or titanosaurids.[5] The additional remains referred to it by Gervais were removed, and in the case of the tooth, probably belonged to a crocodilian.[5] Although McIntosh considered the genus to be Sauropoda incertae sedis (uncertain placement),[4] the latest review agreed with Le Loeuff and listed the genus as a dubious sauropod.[6]

Paleobiology

As a sauropod, Aepisaurus would have been a large quadrupedal herbivore.[6]

Misspellings and other errata

The date of description is given as 1853 by Glut (1997) and some online sources,[7] although the Paleobiology Database and both editions of The Dinosauria use 1852.[4][6]

The genus is commonly misspelled Aepysaurus; both editions of The Dinosauria and a major review use this misspelling.[4][6][8] Increasing the confusion, Friedrich von Huene once (1932) used Aepyosaurus,[9] and Glut incorrectly gives the species as A. elephantius.[7]

References
  1. Gervais, P. (1852). Zoologie et paléontologie française (animaux vertébrés) (1st edition). A. Bertrand:Paris, 271 p. [French]
  2. Brignon, A. (2018). New historical data on the first dinosaurs found in France. BSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin 189:4 https://doi.org/10.1051/bsgf/2018003
  3. von Huene, F. (1927). Short review of the present knowledge of the Sauropoda. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 9(1):121-126.
  4. McIntosh, J.S. (1990). Sauropoda. In: Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P., and Osmólska, H. (eds.). The Dinosauria. University of California Press:Berkeley 345-401.
  5. Le Loeuff, J. (1993). European titanosaurids. Revue de Paléobiologie, Volume Spéciale 7:105-117.
  6. Upchurch, P.M., Barrett, P.M., and Dodson, P. (2004). Sauropoda. In: Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P., and Osmólska, H. (eds.). The Dinosauria (2nd edition). University of California Press:Berkeley 259-322.
  7. Glut, D.F. (1997). Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. 1076 p.
  8. Steel, R. (1970). Part 14. Saurischia. Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie/Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology. Part 14. Gustav Fischer Verlag:Stuttgart p. 1-87.
  9. von Huene, F. (1932). Die fossile Reptil-Ordnung Saurischia, ihte Entwicklung und Geschichte. Monographien zur Geologie und Palaeontologie 1(4). 361 p. [German]
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