Tengrisaurus

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = Valanginian-Hauterivian
~{{fossilrange|135|130}}

| image =

| image_caption =

| taxon = Tengrisaurus

| authority = Averianov & Skutschas, 2017

| type_species = {{extinct}}Tengrisaurus starkovi

| type_species_authority = Averianov & Skutschas, 2017

}}

Tengrisaurus (meaning "Tengri lizard") is a genus of lithostrotian sauropod, from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian{{cite journal |first1=A.O. |last1=Averianov |first2=A.V. |last2=Sizov |first3=D.V. |last3=Grigoriev |first4=E.B.

|last4=Pestchevitskaya |first5=D.D. |last5=Vitenko |first6=P.P. |last6=Skutschas |year=2022 |title=New data on dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous Murtoi Formation of Transbaikalia, Russia |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=138 |page=105287 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105287|bibcode=2022CrRes.13805287A }}) Murtoi Formation, Russia. It was described in 2017 by Averianov & Skutschas. The type species is T. starkovi.{{cite journal |last1=Averianov | first1 = A. |last2=Skutschas | first2 = P.|year=2017 |title=A new lithostrotian titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Transbaikalia, Russia |journal=Biological Communications |volume=62 |issue=1 |pages=6–18 |doi=10.21638/11701/spbu03.2017.102 |url=https://biocomm.spbu.ru/article/view/4/9|doi-access=free }} New remains were described in 2021 by Averianov, Sizov & Skutschas.{{Cite journal|last1=Averianov |first1=A. O. |last2=Sizov |first2=A. V. |last3=Skutschas |first3=P. P. |title=Gondwanan affinities of Tengrisaurus, Early Cretaceous titanosaur from Transbaikalia, Russia (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=122 |year=2021 |pages=Article 104731 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104731 |bibcode=2021CrRes.12204731A |s2cid=233539964 }}

Description

Tengrisaurus starkovi is based on three caudal vertebrae. The genus is characterized by strongly procoelous anterior and middle caudal vertebrae, with strongly developed pre-epipophyses, highly pneumatic neural spine, and solid bone structure of the centrum.

Classification

Averianov and Efimov (2018) recovered Tengrisaurus as a lithostrotian titanosaur. They found Lithostrotia to be divided into two main lineages, one containing Saltasauridae, the other containing Lognkosauria, with Tengrisaurus belonging to the former. The following cladogram follows their analysis.{{cite journal |url=https://biocomm.spbu.ru/article/view/1077/2900 |title=The oldest titanosaurian sauropod of the Northern Hemisphere |journal=Biological Communications |last1=Averianov |first1=Alexander |last2=Efimov |first2=Vladimir |year=2018 |volume=63 |issue=6 |pages=145–162 |doi=10.21638/spbu03.2018.301|doi-access=free |hdl=11701/15099 |hdl-access=free }}

{{clade|style=font-size:95%; line-height:95%;

|label1=Lithostrotia

|1={{clade

|1=Malawisaurus

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Aeolosaurus

|2=Nemegtosaurus

|3=Rapetosaurus

|4=Tapuiasaurus

|5=Tengrisaurus

|6={{clade