Cranial anatomy, taxonomic implications and palaeopathology of an Upper Jurassic Pliosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from Westbury, Wiltshire, UK
Cranial anatomy, taxonomic implications and palaeopathology of an Upper Jurassic Pliosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from Westbury, Wiltshire, UK
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来自英国威尔特郡韦斯特伯里的上侏罗世上龙（爬行动物：蜥脚类）的颅骨解剖学、分类学意义和古病理学
DOI：
10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01151.x
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发表时间：
2012
期刊：
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
M. Benton
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
J. Sassoon;L. Noè;M. Benton
摘要：晚侏罗世巨型海生爬行动物的完整头骨非常罕见，因此在英国Wiltshire Westbury的Kimmeridge Clay Formation （Kimmeridgian）中发现的1.8 m长的上龙头骨是一个重要的发现。该标本显示了大部分颅骨和下颌解剖结构，以及一系列病理状况。它以前被称为短棘上龙，但它只能被可靠地称为上龙属，因为该属内的物种目前需要审查。这个新标本，连同来自同一地点的另一个标本，也被称为P. brachyspondylus，将在系统修订中起到至关重要的作用，并且很可能发现上龙属包括几个属。这两个韦斯特伯里上龙标本有许多共同的特征，包括牙齿的形状，但在嘴部和顶冠上的显著差异表明两性异形；目前的标本可能是雌性。这只动物的体型、缝合融合的程度和病理学表明，这是一只衰老的个体。关节关节盂的糜烂性关节状况导致颌骨长时间错位，产生一系列相关的骨和牙齿病变。下颌关节的进一步损伤可能是死因。
Abstract: Complete skulls of giant marine reptiles of the Late Jurassic are rare, and so the discovery of the 1.8‐m‐long skull of a pliosaur from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Kimmeridgian) of Westbury, Wiltshire, UK, is an important find. The specimen shows most of the cranial and mandibular anatomy, as well as a series of pathological conditions. It was previously referred to Pliosaurus brachyspondylus, but it can be referred reliably only to the genus Pliosaurus, because species within the genus are currently in need of review. The new specimen, together with another from the same locality, also referred to P. brachyspondylus, will be crucial in that systematic revision, and it is likely that the genus Pliosaurus will be found to include several genera. The two Westbury Pliosaurus specimens share many features, including the form of the teeth, but marked differences in the snout and parietal crest suggest sexual dimorphism; the present specimen is probably female. The large size of the animal, the extent of sutural fusion and the pathologies suggest this is an ageing individual. An erosive arthrotic condition of the articular glenoids led to prolonged jaw misalignment, generating a suite of associated bone and dental pathologies. Further damage to the jaw joint may have been the cause of death.