Kingdom Animalia Suborder †Sauropodomorpha Clade †Macronaria Scientific name Somphospondyli Higher classification Titanosauriformes | Clade Dinosauria Clade †Neosauropoda Clade †Camarasauromorpha Phylum Chordata Order Saurischia | |
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Lower classifications Titanosaur, Saltasaurus, Argentinosaurus, Alamosaurus | ||
Somphospondylans are an extinct clade of titanosauriform sauropods that lived throughout the world since the Late Jurassic. The group can be defined as "the most inclusive clade that includes Saltasaurus loricatus but excludes Brachiosaurus altithorax". Features found as diagnostic of this clade by Mannion et al. (2013) include the possession of at least 15 cervical vertebrae; a bevelled radius bone end; sacral vertebrae with camellate internal texture; convex posterior articular surfaces of middle to posterior caudal vertebrae; biconvex distal caudal vertebrae; humerus anterolateral corner "squared"; among multiple others.
References
Somphospondyli Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA