Epachthosaurus
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Epachthosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 95–90 Ma |
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| Cast mounted in rearing pose, Museo Egidio Feruglio | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Neosauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Clade: | †Titanosauria |
| Clade: | †Lithostrotia |
| Genus: |
†Epachthosaurus Powell, 1990 |
| Type species | |
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Epachthosaurus sciuttoi Powell, 1990 |
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Epachthosaurus (meaning "heavy lizard") was a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. It was a titanosaurid sauropod. Its fossils have been found in Central and Northern Patagonia in South America.
The autapomorphies that distinguish Epachthosaurus from other genera are: middle and caudal dorsal vertebrae with unique articular processes extending ventrolaterally from the hyposphene; a strongly developed intraprezygapophyseal lamina, and processes projecting laterally from the dorsal portion of the spinodiapophyseal lamina; hyposphene-hypantrum articulations in caudals 1–14; and a pedal phalangeal formula of 2-2-3-2-0. The genus shares the following apomorphies with various titanosaurians: caudal vertebrae with ventrally expanded posterior centrodiapophyseal laminae; six sacral vertebrae; an ossified ligament or tendon above the sacral neural spines; procoelous proximal, middle, and distal caudal centra with well-developed distal articular condyles; semilunar sternal plates with cranioventral ridges; humeri with squared proximolateral margins and proximolateral processes; unossified carpals; greatly reduced manual phalanges; nearly horizontal, craniolaterally expanded iliac preacetabular processes; pubes proximodistally longer than ischia; and transversely expanded ischia.
The type species, E. sciuttoi, was described by Powell in 1990. The bones assigned to it by Powell in 1990 were, originally, assigned to Antarctosaurus sp., and then to Argyrosaurus superbus?, before being named as a new taxon.
The holotype specimen is MACN-CH 1317, which consists of an incomplete caudal vertebra.Another specimen, the paratype MACN-CH 18689, consists of a cast of six articulated caudal vertebrae, the partial sacrum, and a fragmentary pubic peduncle from the right ilium.
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