Pronunciation: prad-han-ee-uh
Meaning: for Dhuiya Pradhan
Author/s: Kutty et al. (2007)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Andhra Pradesh, India
Discovery Chart Position: #617
Pradhania gracilis
Known only from fragmentary remains, Pradhania was originally pencilled in as a four-meter-long sauropodomorph,
with only Saturnalia and Pantydraco occupying more basal positions within the same clade. The latest round of analysis by Fernando Novas in 2011 recovered Pradhania as a possible member of Massospondylidae, a group of more derived sauropodomorphs closely related to Massospondylus, although that is based on just two features: one in its lower jaw (the end of the dentary or tooth-bearing bone curves downwards at the end) and one in its neck vertebrae (4 times longer than they are high and with short spines on top). Novas himself concedes that its "probable" affinities need further testing.
Pradhania was discovered in the same place at the same time and named in the same paper as fellow sauropodomorph and possible massospondylid Lamplughsaura, but is much smaller and more lightly built by comparison, despite being an adult. A very prominent horizontal ridge running along the middle of its maxilla (the tooth-bearing bone of the upper jaw), the extremely elongated neck vertebrae, spatulate teeth with fine serrations, and large curved finger claws also differentiate the former from the latter.
Pradhania was discovered in the same place at the same time and named in the same paper as fellow sauropodomorph and possible massospondylid Lamplughsaura, but is much smaller and more lightly built by comparison, despite being an adult. A very prominent horizontal ridge running along the middle of its maxilla (the tooth-bearing bone of the upper jaw), the extremely elongated neck vertebrae, spatulate teeth with fine serrations, and large curved finger claws also differentiate the former from the latter.
Etymology
Pradhania is named in honour of Indian fossil collector Dhuiya Pradhan of the Indian Statistical Institute.
The species epithet, gracilis, means "slender" in Latin.
Discovery
The remains of Pradhania were discovered in the Dharmaram Formation, just North of Krishnapur village in the Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh, southern India, by Dhuiya Pradhan.
The holotype (ISI R265) is the fragmentary skeleton of a near-adult specimen, consisting of a few skull
elements, vertebrae (two from the neck and one from the hip), and a very incomplete left
hand, found in close association on the surface.
Preparators
Dhuiya Pradhan of the Indian Statistical Institute.
