New Information on the Cranial Anatomy of Acrocanthosaurus atokensis and Its Implications for the Phylogeny of Allosauroidea (Dinosauria Theropoda) 英文参考文献.docVIP

NewInformationontheCranialAnatomyof AcrocanthosaurusatokensisandItsImplicationsforthe PhylogenyofAllosauroidea(Dinosauria:Theropoda) DrewR.Eddy*¤,JuliaA.Clarke¤ DepartmentofMarine,Earth,andAtmosphericSciences,NorthCarolinaStateUniversity,Raleigh,NorthCarolina,UnitedStatesofAmerica Abstract Background:Allosauroideahasacontentioustaxonomicandsystematichistory.Withinthisgroupoftheropoddinosaurs, considerabledebatehassurroundedthephylogeneticpositionofthelarge-bodiedallosauroidAcrocanthosaurusatokensis fromtheLowerCretaceousAntlersFormationofNorthAmerica.SeveralprioranalysesrecoverAcrocanthosaurusatokensis as sister taxon to the smaller-bodied Allosaurus fragilis known from North America and Europe, and others nest Acrocanthosaurus atokensis within Carcharodontosauridae, a large-bodied group of allosauroids that attained a cosmopolitandistributionduringtheEarlyCretaceous. Methodology/Principal Findings: Re-evaluation of a well-preserved skull of Acrocanthosaurus atokensis (NCSM 14345) provides new information regarding the palatal complex and inner surfaces of the skull and mandible. Previously inaccessible internal views and articular surfaces of nearly every element of the skull are described. Twenty-four new morphological characters areidentified as variablein Allosauroidea, combined with153 previouslypublished characters, andevaluatedforeighteenterminaltaxa.Systematicanalysisofthisdatasetrecoversasinglemostparsimonioustopology placingAcrocanthosaurusatokensisasamemberofAllosauroidea,inagreementwithseveralrecentanalysesthatnestthe taxonwellwithinCarcharodontosauridae. Conclusions/Significance:AreviseddiagnosisofAcrocanthosaurusatokensisfindsthatthespeciesisdistinguishedbyfour primarycharacters, including:presenceofaknobonthelateral surangularshelf;enlargedposterior surangularforamen; supraoccipitalprotrudingasadouble-bossposteriortothenuchalcrest;andpneumaticrecesswithinthemedialsurfaceof the quadrate. Furthermore, the recovered phylogeny more closely agrees