Preliminary bone histological analysis of Lystrosaurus (Therapsida: Dicynodontia) from the Lower Triassic of North China, and its implication for lifestyle and environments after the end-Permian extinction
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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Preliminary bone histological analysis of Lystrosaurus (Therapsida: Dicynodontia) from the Lower Triassic of North China, and its implication for lifestyle and environments after the end-Permian extinction
Description:
<jats:p><jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>represents one of the most successful dicynodonts, a survivor of the end-Permian mass extinction that remained abundant in the Early Triassic, but many aspects of its paleobiology are still controversial. The bone histology of<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>species from South Africa and India has provided important information on their growth strategy and lifestyle, but until recently no data was available on the bone histology of<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>from China. Here, we report on the bone microstructure of seven<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>individuals from the Lower Triassic of Xinjiang, providing the first such data for the Chinese<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>species. Our samples indicate that the microstructure of<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>limb bones from China is characterized by fibrolamellar bone tissue similar to those from South Africa and India. Three ontogenetic stages were identified: juvenile, early subadult, and late subadult based on lines of arrested growth (LAGs) and bone tissue changes. Bone histology supports a rapid growth strategy for<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>during early ontogeny. Unlike Early Triassic<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>from South Africa, lines of arrested growth are common in our specimens, suggesting that many individuals of Chinese<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>had reached the subadult stage and were interrupted in growth. The differences in bone histology between<jats:italic>Lystrosaurus</jats:italic>from South Africa and China may indicate different environmental conditions in these two regions.</jats:p>