Sarahsaurus aurifontanalis is the most recent sauropodomorph dinosaur to be discovered and named from the Early Jurassic of North America. The dinosaur is represented by a mostly complete and articulated holotype specimen that preserves a unique manual phalangeal count of 2-3-4-2-2 and accessory pubic foramen adjacent to the obturator foramen. The holotype of Sarahsaurus comprises a braincase and isolated cranial elements, but the skull previously referred to this taxon, MCZ 8893, can only be provisionally referred to Sarahsaurus until additional crania are found associated with postcranial material. Sarahsaurus comes from the middle third of the Kayenta Formation, which is considered to be Early Jurassic in age despite the absence of a radiometric date from that unit. A new technique used to obtain a U-Pb radiometric date from the type quarry of Sarahsaurus in the Kayenta Formation was influenced by secondary uranium enrichment in the open system of the fossil bone. That suggests that uranium within the Kayenta Formation may be the result of the movement of groundwater during the Laramide orogeny in the Late Cretaceous and Early Eocene, and lends support to the hypothesis that the uplift of the Colorado Plateau began relatively early in Late Cretaceous to the Eocene. / text

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-02-16T14:09:38Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) 1.UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE PERNAMBUCO - PDF.pdf: 2290380 bytes, checksum: 779f1a4fa95fe4cc4bf311af3f117d25 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-16T14:09:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) 1.UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE PERNAMBUCO - PDF.pdf: 2290380 bytes, checksum: 779f1a4fa95fe4cc4bf311af3f117d25 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-04 / CAPES / Apresentamos uma descrição detalhada da morfologia e osteohistologia de pequenos ossos de Arcosauromorpha encontrados da Zona de Associação de Hyperodapedon, referente à Sequência Santa Maria II, Supersequência Santa Maria, Triássico Superior do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O material é composto por ossos de tamanho reduzido, com dimensões menores do que 57mm, encontrados associados in situ. O espécime é composto por um úmero e um metatarsal III direitos, extremidade proximal de uma falange ungueal, um arco neural quase completo de uma vértebra pré-sacral e um centro vertebral pré-sacral. Comparações morfológicas entre UFSM11326 e outros organismos do Triássico mostraram se tratar de um dinossauriano, com possível associação ao grupo Sauropodomorpha. São elas: morfologia da crista deltopeitoral do úmero apresentando prolongamento do cume na crista deltoide; eixo de torção das porções proximal e distal do úmero; morfologia do metatarsal III, apresentando ângulo de torção entre as extremidades proximal e distal superior a 60° e presença do ombro medial; posições da diapófise, parapófise e das infracavidades diapofisiais restantes no arco neural. Este grupo de arcossauros já foi registrado anteriormente em estratos triássicos da Supersequência Santa Maria. As análises do fechamento das suturas do arco neural indicaram um indivíduo jovem, com suturas abertas em forma de zíper. As sessões finas da diáfise do úmero e do metatarsal III, corroboram este estado ontogenético, indicando se tratar de um espécime em fase inicial de desenvolvimento. Exibiu um complexo ósseo fibrolamelar (comum em espécimes dinossaurianos), composto por ósteons primários, sem ocorrência de marcas de crescimento (LAGs ou annuli), áreas extensas de reabsorção ou a presença de lamelas circunferenciais externas (external fundamental system = EFS). Este padrão evidencia uma estratégia de crescimento rápido, sustentado por elevadas taxas metabólicas, superiores a dos répteis modernos, e comparáveis com aquelas já encontradas para este grupo de arcossauros. Definimos portanto que UFSM11326 corresponde a um Sauropodomorpha jovem, sem a conclusão de seu crescimento assintótico, com elevados níveis de deposição óssea e consequente crescimento acelerado até o momento de sua morte. / Here we present a detailed description of the morphology and osteohistology of small bones of Arcosauromorpha found at the Hyperodapedon Association Zone, referring to the Santa Maria II Sequence, Santa Maria Supersequence, Upper Triassic of Rio Grande do Sul States, Brazil. The material consists of small sized bone (dimensions smaller than 57mm) found associated in situ. The specimen consists of a right humerus and metatarsal III, proximal extremity of an ungueal phalanx, an almost complete neural arch of a pre-sacral vertebra, and a pre-sacral vertebral center. Morphological comparisons between UFSM11326 and other organisms from Triassic revealed that it is a dinosaurian, possibly related to Sauropodomorpha group. The similarities include the morphology of the deltopectoral humerus crest that has an extension of the deltoid crest; twist axis from proximal and distal portions of the humerus; morphology of metatarsal III with torsion angle between the proximal and distal extremities greater than 60° and medial shoulder; positions of the infracavities of the apophysis, parapophysis and diapophysal remaining at neural arch. This archosaurs group has already been registered previously in Triassic strata of the Santa Maria Supersequence. The analyses of the closure of the sutures of the neural arch indicate it to be a young individual with open sutures zipper-shaped. The final sessions of the humeral diaphysis and metarsal III corroborate this ontogenetic state, showing it to be a specimen at an early stage of development. A fibrolamellar bone complex that is common in dinosaurian specimens is present, composed of primary osteons, without occurrence of growth marks (LAGs or annuli), extensive reabsorption areas or external circumferential lamellas (external fundamental system = EFS). This pattern shows a rapid growth strategy, supported by high metabolic rates that are greater than in modern reptiles and comparable with those already found to this archosaurs group. We conclude that UFSM11326 corresponds to a young Sauropodomorpha without completing its asymptotic growth and with high levels of bone deposition and subsequent rapid growth until the moment of his death.