Sauroposeidon proteles

D, Michael D. & Emic, 2012, The early evolution of titanosauriform sauropod dinosaurs, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166 (3), pp. 624-671 : 635

SAUROPOSEIDON PROTELES

Sauroposeidon proteles was named by Wedel et al. (2000a) on the basis of four mid-cervical vertebrae from the Early Cretaceous Antlers Formation of Oklahoma, USA. Wedel et al. (2000a, b), and Wedel & Cifelli (2005) tentatively referred a cervical vertebral centrum from the penecontemporaneous Cloverly Formation of Wyoming to Sauroposeidon proteles . Revision of the Cloverly Formation sauropod material has confirmed this referral (D’Emic, in press; D’Emic & Foreman, 2012), as well as provided a basis for referral of material from the Cloverly Formation and the Twin Mountains Formation of Texas (material formerly referred to as ‘ Paluxysaurus jonesi ’). Autapomorphies, the absence of meaningful differences, and their similar age support referral of Paluxysaurus and the Cloverly Formation sauropod material to Sauroposeidon proteles , so all three sets of exemplars were used for scoring that taxon in this analysis.