October 21, 2016:
The taxonomic status of specimens referred to Tarchia kielanae, T. gigantea, and Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani has been contested. The holotype of T. kielanae, Zaklad Paleobiologii (Institute of Paleobiology)-Polish Academy of Sciences (ZPAL) MgD I/111, is redescribed. It has features common to both Palaeontological Institute-Russian Academy of Sciences (PIN) 3142/250, long considered Tarchia, and to M. ramachandrani but which are lacking in Saichania chulsanensis. The specimen PIN 3142/250 is not referable to Saichania but instead represents a new species, Tarchia teresae sp. nov. Similarly, the holotype skull of M. ramachandrani is not referable to T. kielanae, so Minotaurasaurus is a valid taxon. Tarchia is more derived than either Saichania or Minotaurasaurus while sharing features of both.
Paul Penkalski and Tatiana Tumanova (2016)
The cranial morphology and taxonomic status of Tarchia (Dinosauria: Ankylosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia.
Cretaceous Research (advance online publication)
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2016.10.004
|