Dataset Information

Ornithopod diversity in the Griman Creek Formation (Cenomanian), New South Wales, Australia.

ABSTRACT: During the Early Cretaceous, dinosaur communities of the Australian-Antarctic rift system (Eumeralla and Wonthaggi formations) cropping out in Victoria were apparently dominated by a diverse small-bodied 'basal ornithopod' fauna. Further north, in Queensland (Winton and Mackunda formations), poorly-represented small-bodied ornithopods coexisted with large-bodied iguanodontians. Our understanding of the ornithopod diversity from the region between the Australian-Antarctic rift and Queensland, represented by Lightning Ridge in central-northern New South Wales (Griman Creek Formation), has been superficial. Here, we re-investigate the ornithopod diversity at Lightning Ridge based on new craniodental remains. Our findings indicate a diverse ornithopod fauna consisting of two-to-three small-bodied non-iguanodontian ornithopods (including Weewarrasaurus pobeni gen. et sp. nov.), at least one indeterminate iguanodontian, and a possible ankylopollexian. These results support those of previous studies that favour a general abundance of small-bodied basal ornithopods in Early to mid-Cretaceous high-latitude localities of southeastern Australia. Although these localities are not necessarily time-equivalent, increasing evidence indicates that Lightning Ridge formed a 'meeting point' between the basal ornithopod-dominated localities in Victoria and the sauropod-iguanodontian faunas in Queensland to the north.

SUBMITTER: Bell PR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6284429 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Ornithopod diversity in the Griman Creek Formation (Cenomanian), New South Wales, Australia.

Bell Phil R PR Herne Matthew C MC Brougham Tom T Smith Elizabeth T ET

PeerJ 20181204

During the Early Cretaceous, dinosaur communities of the Australian-Antarctic rift system (Eumeralla and Wonthaggi formations) cropping out in Victoria were apparently dominated by a diverse small-bodied 'basal ornithopod' fauna. Further north, in Queensland (Winton and Mackunda formations), poorly-represented small-bodied ornithopods coexisted with large-bodied iguanodontians. Our understanding of the ornithopod diversity from the region between the Australian-Antarctic rift and Queensland, rep ...[more]

PMID: 30533306

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Dataset Information

Ornithopod diversity in the Griman Creek Formation (Cenomanian), New South Wales, Australia.

Publications

Ornithopod diversity in the Griman Creek Formation (Cenomanian), New South Wales, Australia.

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