Consideraciones sobre las láminas neurales de los dinosaurios saurópodos y su significado morfofuncional

Abstract

Considerations on the neural laminae of the sauropod dinosaurs and their morpho-functional meaning. The axial skeleton of sauropod dinosaurs is distinguished by the presence of vertebral laminae that connect different points between the neural arch and the centrum. Previous exhaustive studies have conferred phylogenetic value to the array and organization of these structures. These studies among others, have also explored the function of the laminae. Many authors suggested that the characteristic cross-shaped transverse section of the sauropod dorsal neural spine (resulting of the axial prespinal and postspinal laminae, and the lateral structures formed by the fusion of the spinodiapophyseal and spinopostzygapophyseal laminae) is a function of four large pneumatic grooves. In this study, we associate the pattern of the sauropod (specially of the titanosaur) neural laminae with soft anatomy structures, such as aerial diverticula and interneural and other epaxial muscles; we consider surfaces and spaces bounded by these laminae, and how they vary in the dorsal sequence. The inferred musculature, specially the transversospinalis group, is based on myology of extant lepidosauriomorphs and archosauriomorphs.