NEW MATERIAL OF AN EARLY CRETACEOUS TITANOSAURID-SAUROPOD DINOSAUR FROM MALAWI

Compared to their Late Jurassic record, sauropod dinosaurs are poorly known in the Cretaceous Period between 144 Ma and the terminal Cretace ous extinction event at 66 Ma. The Titanosauridae are the most widespr ead and common of Cretaceous sauropods. The titanosaurid species from the Dinosaur Beds of Malawi, Africa, here referred to Malawisaurus dix eyi comb. nov., has procoelous anterior caudal vertebrae, a characteri stic of the family, but middle and distal caudals with gently biconcav e ends. Caudal neural spines are low, a feature that is shared with So uth American Saltasaurus and North American Alamosaurus. A premaxilla of Malawisaurus, the first known for the family, is primitive in havin g the external nares placed far anterior, demonstrating that this tita nosaurid has a blunter snout than other sauropods. Flattened teeth in Malawisaurus suggest that pencil-shaped teeth may have evolved more th an once within the Sauropoda. Titanosaurids probably originated at a t ime when other sauropod families were differentiating in the Late Jura ssic. The Titanosauridae is the longest lived group of sauropods.