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Fused mid‐caudal vertebrae in the titanosaur Uberabatitan ribeiroi from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and other bone lesions

2015; Wiley; Volume: 48; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/let.12117

1502-3931

Agustín G. Martinelli, Vicente P. A. Teixeira, Thiago da Silva Marinho, Pedro Henrique Morais Fonseca, Camila Lourencini Cavellani, Adauto Araújo, Luiz Carlos Borges Ribeiro, Mara Lúcia Fonseca Ferraz,

Evolution and Paleontology Studies

Bone pathology in the titanosaur dinosaur Uberabatitan ribeiroi from the Marília Formation (Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous) of Uberaba city (Minas Gerais State, Brazil) is analysed here. They include two fused procoelous mid-caudal vertebrae (CPPLIP-1020) and a haemal arch (CPPLIP-1006) of the middle section of the tail with a healing fracture callus. The analyses of the caudal vertebrae CPPLIP-1020 of Uberabatitan permit us to recognize the following signs, based on CT scan and external macroscopic observations: (1) ossified longitudinal tendons; (2) likely ossified intervertebral disc, producing fused vertebral bodies; (3) fused right zygapophyseal process with a laterally developed osteophyte affecting this joint; (4) osteophytes and exostoses at different portions of the vertebrae; (5) cloacae, bone erosion and likely internal infection. According to all the processes observed in these caudals, we could not discard at least two possibilities for the diagnosis of the fused vertebrae. It could be the result of a spondyloarthropathy process (considering most of the observed signs) or possibly have been associated with an infection (e.g. discospondylitis/infections spondylitis or septic arthritis). The bone lesion record in Uberabatitan ribeiroi from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil increases the range of study of titanosaur dinosaurs, which although have a large fossil record, have few pathological studies.