Kaijutitan, a basal titanosaur NOT from Japan

[MoarCrossovers]

A new titanosaur genus has been discovered and named Kaijutitan maui. Despite being named after the famous giant monsters of Japanese fame, it wad discovered in the Sierra Barrosa Formation in Argentina, in rocks dating back to the Early Cretaceous. A picture showing a reconstruction of what the animal may have looked like has been provided.



Paper (paywall): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667118304816?fbclid=IwAR03hAEaunMtjwg2p7R_5_gObRGxPELyoMp_f-50IHrKEM9FQ3w3Z6Fqjss

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

These days its seems like the priority is too find a really unique name and then attach it to any dinosaur, no matter how good the remains are. The focus is no longer on the remains themselves.

[TaranUlas]

Eh, while I can agree with that, in this case, the holotype appears to be reasonably there. This is not Thanos levels of holotype thankfully.

Holotype. MAU-Pv-CM-522. (Fig. 2-10) Incomplete neurocranium MAU-Pv-CM-522/1
119 composed of supraoccipital, exoccipitals, left paraoccipital process, left exoccipital120 opisthotic-prootic complex, left laterosphenoid and orbitosphenoid, basioccipital121 basiesphenoid complex; MAU-Pv-CM-522/2, anterior cervical vertebra; MAU-Pv-CM122 522/9, incomplete posterior cervical vertebra; proximal fragment of cervical rib; MAU-Pv123 CM-522/6, fragments from cervical ribs; MAU-Pv-CM-522/11, left second dorsal rib;
124 MAU-Pv-CM-522/8, incomplete dorsal rib; MAU-Pv-CM-522/18, fragment of dorsal rib;
125 MAU-Pv-CM-522/35, anterior caudal vertebra; MAU-Pv-CM-522/17, left sternal plate;
126 MAU-Pv-CM-522/19 incomplete left coracoid; MAU-Pv-CM-522/10, incomplete left
127 scapula; MAU-Pv-CM-522/21, incomplete left humerus?; MAU-Pv-CM-522/34, right
128 humerus; MAU-Pv-CM-522/12, left ulna; MAU-Pv-CM-522/30, incomplete right ulna;
129 MAU-Pv-CM-522/31, incomplete right radius?, MAU-Pv-CM-522/32, right metacarpal II;
130 MAU-Pv-CM-522/33, right metacarpal III; MAU-Pv-CM-522/25, a fragment of ilium?;
131 MAU-Pv-CM-522/29, incomplete right femur; MAU-Pv-CM-522/28, right tibia; MAU-Pv132 CM-522/13, left astragalus, MAU-Pv-CM-522/3, right distal epiphysis of metatarsal II;
133 MAU-Pv-CM-522/5, and indeterminate remains.

That's what the holotype consists of and thus what our remains of this creature are so far.


It looks interesting. I'll need to read the paper further before I make up my mind on it being legit, but if it isn't, the lack of holotype remains is not why.