The Enigmatic Chilesaurus and the evolution of ornithischian dinosaurs

Chilesaurus diegosuarezi (MACN)

Chilesaurus diegosuarezi is a bizarre dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic of southern Chile. Holotype specimen (SNGM-1935) consists of a nearly complete, articulated skeleton, approximately 1.6 m long. Four other partial skeletons (specimens SNGM-1936, SNGM-1937, SNGM-1938, SNGM-1888) were collected in the lower beds of Toqui Formation. All the preserved specimens of Chilesaurus show ventrally flexed arms with the hands oriented backwards, an arrangement that closely resembles the resting posture similar described in Mei long, Sinornithoides youngi, and Albinykus baatar. 

Chilesaurus possesses a number of surprisingly plesiomorphic traits on the hindlimbs, especially in the ankle and foot, which resemble basal sauropodomorphs; but the pubis closely resembles that of basal ornithischians. The bizarre anatomy of Chilesaurus raises interesting questions about its phylogenetic relationships. The features supporting the basal position of Chilesaurus within Tetanurae are: scapular blade elongate and strap-like; distal carpal semilunate; and manual digit III reduced.

Chilesaurus holotype cast (MACN)

But the position of Chilesaurus within within Tetanurae conflicts with the presence of several highly derived coelurosaurian features (e.g., opisthopubic pelvis, large supratrochanteric process on ilium, reduced supracetabular crest) which are present in combination with a number of surprisingly plesiomorphic traits present in basal sauropodomorphs.

Ornithischian features of Chilesaurus (From Baron and Barret, 2017)

Chilesaurus also shows several characters typical of ornithischians. The features include a premaxilla with an edentulous anterior region;  loss of recurvature in maxillary and dentary teeth; a postacetabular process that is 25–35% of the total anteroposterior length of the ilium; possession of a retroverted pubis; a pubis with a rod-like pubic shaft; a pubic symphysis that is restricted to the distal end of the pubis; and a femur that is straightened in anterior view.

The unique combination of ‘primitive’ and ‘derived’ characters for Chilesaurus has the potential to illuminate the order in which traditional ornithischian synapomorphies were acquired. For instance, Chilesaurus lacks a predentary bone, one of the features previously regarded as a fundamental ornithischian feature, although it possesses a retroverted pubis, suggesting that opisthopuby preceded the evolution of some craniodental modifications. Opisthopuby has also been related to herbivory, as it has been suggested that pubic retroversion might be related to the evolution of a more complex, longer digestive tract (Baron and Barret, 2017).

References:

Baron MG, Barrett PM. 2017, A dinosaur missing-link? Chilesaurus and the early evolution of ornithischian dinosaurs. Biol. Lett. 13: 20170220. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2017.0220

Nicolás R. Chimento, Federico L. Agnolin, Fernando E. Novas, Martín D. Ezcurra, Leonardo Salgado, Marcelo P. Isasi, Manuel Suárez, Rita De La Cruz, David Rubilar-Rogers & Alexander O. Vargas (2017) Forelimb posture in Chilesaurus diegosuarezi (Dinosauria, Theropoda) and its behavioral and phylogenetic implications. Ameghiniana doi: 10.5710/AMGH.11.06.2017.3088

Novas, F.E., Salgado, L., Suarez, M., Agnolín, F.L., Ezcurra, M.D., Chimento, N.R., de la Cruz, R., Isasi, M.P., Vargas, A.O., and Rubilar-Rogers, D. 2015. An enigmatic plant-eating theropod from the Late Jurassic period of Chile. Nature 522: 331-334. doi:10.1038/nature14307