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Re: Picture this time - "titanosauriform" femora



Mike Lima wrote:

>As far as I can tell the "lateral bulge" is present in
>both Dicraeosaurids and Diplodocids as well.

Salgado et al. (1997) tried to quantify the development of this feature
(char. 19, "prominent lateral bulge in femur below great trochanter") as
follows: "the distance from a straight line that contains the greater
trochanter and the lateral point of the femoral shaft where it reaches its
minimum transverse width... up to a parallel that comprises the outest point
of the lateral bulge ... is greater than 30 percent the minimum transverse
width of the shaft" (p. 16).
Thus, it is possible for a non-titanosauriform sauropod to have a femur with
sligthly developed bulge (rather than a straigth lateral margin of the
femur) with the above mentioned distance not exceeding 30 percent the
minimum transverse width of the shaft  (i.e., not as prominent as the bulges
of titanosauriforms).

All the best,

Matías Soto

Reference: Salgado, L.; Coria, R.A. & Calvo, J.O. 1997. Evolution of
titanosaurid sauropods. I: Phylogenetic analysis based on the postcranial
evidence. Ameghiniana 34(1): 3-32, Buenos Aires.