The vertebrate Fauna of the Judith River formation, Montana
Author
Sahni, Ashok
text
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
1972
147
6
319
416
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.3382461
fd03f669-c046-46cd-861a-6bf56b7fc989
http://hdl.handle.net/2246/1099
3382461
Opisthotriton kayi
Auffenberg, 1961
ATLAS
: The cotyles of a partial atlas, AMNH 8481, are round in shape and are separated by a short intercotyle process. The posterior cotyle is round and is incompletely filled in with bone. The ventral side of the vertebra is marked by a depression, which is deeper on the anterior side and bounded by two ridges that meet along the midline. The atlas of
Opisthotriton
can be distinguished from that of
Prodesmodon
by its larger size, rounded cotyles, and more prominent intercotylar process.
DORSAL
VERTEBRAE: A dorsal vertebra of
Opisthotriton kayi
has been described in great detail by
Estes (1964
, pp. 82-83). TheJudith River Formation specimens are of the same size or slightly smaller than AMNH 8112 from the Lance Formation, but are otherwise morphologically indistinguishable.
DENTARY: Unfortunately, specimen AMNH 8485 is fragmentary and without teeth. The tooth bases indicate that the teeth are pleurodont and extend close to the lingual edge of the tooth-bearing border. The anterior part of Meckel's fossa has been broken and the divergence between the dorsal and ventral border of the fossa is not so great as in
Habrosaurus
.