Input Data

Input data includes osteocyte lacuna measurements for extant birds, extinct dinosaurs, and humans (human data from McCreadie et al., 2004). Also included: avian life history attributes, avian phylogeny employed in this study, and R script

Anatomy of <i>Colymbosaurus megadeirus</i> (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation of the U.K., and high diversity among Late Jurassic plesiosauroids

<div><p>ABSTRACT</p><p>We describe the syntype postcranial skeletons of the cryptoclidid plesiosauroid <i>Colymbosaurus megadeirus</i>. <i>C. megadeirus</i> is the type species of <i>Colymbosaurus</i>, and one other valid species, <i>C. svalbardensis</i>, is known. Although it is in widespread usage, <i>C. trochanterius</i> is a not valid species, although the presence of an anteroposteriorly oriented ridge bisecting the distal surfaces of the holotype humerus allows its referral to <i>Colymbosaurus</i> sp. Some specimens previously referred to <i>C. trochanterius</i>, including the holotype of ‘<i>Plesiosaurus</i>’ <i>manselii</i>, lack this feature, or show other differences from our hypodigm, suggesting that they are taxonomically distinct from <i>Colymbosaurus</i>, and countering previous suggestions that the Kimmeridge Clay Formation represents a depauperate plesiosauroid fauna. Substantial differences between the atlas-axis complexes and cervical vertebrae of <i>Kimmerosaurus langhami</i>, ‘<i>Plesiosaurus</i>’ <i>manselii</i>, <i>C. megadeirus</i>, and specimens referred here to cf. <i>Spitrasaurus</i> indicate that at least four plesiosauroid taxa were present in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation. This proposition is also supported by coracoid morphotypes, and demonstrates that Late Jurassic plesiosauroids were taxonomically diverse. Most Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous cryptoclidids belong to a monophyletic Colymbosaurinae, but <i>Kimmerosaurus</i> and its sister taxon <i>Tatenectes</i> originated independently from Middle Jurassic cryptoclidids.</p><p>SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVP</p></div

Piranga 241960

Piranga 24196

Quiscalus 241885

Quiscalus 24188

Accipiter striatus femur 242034

Accipiter striatus femur 24203

Dromaius R1717 pedal phalanx

Dromaius R1717 pedal phalan

Dinosaur lacuna images

File contains images of thin sections of dinosaur bones analyzed in this study. Measured lacunae were labeled using ImageJ. Abbreviations: fem = femur, long = photograph of a longitudinally oriented thin section, tib = tibia, xs = photograph of a thin section representing part of a cross section of a bone

Otus 241793 femur

Otus 241793 femu

Appendix S1. Character_list_with_figures

Appendix S1 includes our character list, explanations of character modifications, optimizations for each character, character illustrations, and an extended discussion of c characters related to the cartid arterial system

Dromaius R1717 ischium

Dromaius R1717 ischiu