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Funding Information: The authors thank the editors of Derbyana, especially its Editor-in-Chief Silvio T. Hiruma, for the invitation to participate in this volume dedicated to “Advances in Paleontology”. This contribution results from FAPESP grant 2020/07997-4, to which most of the authors are affiliated. We also thank the Derbyana ad-hoc reviewers, Drs. Agustin Martinelli and Fabiano Iori, for their helpful comments to the manuscript. FIGURE 6 – Cumulative chronological distribution of the tetrapod fossil record in the Bauru Basin of São Paulo (1913-2022) compared to science and technology funding metrics and events: A – For all tetrapods; grey bars indicate total records of tables 1-5; green line indicates taxonomic richness (grey lines in Tables 1-5); pink line indicates FAPESP budget in billions of reais between 1976 and 2021 (FAPESP 2022); blue line indicates CNPq, CAPES, and FINEP budget in millions of reais between 1996 and 2018 (ESCOBAR 2019). Events indicated by arrows correspond, in chronological sequence, to the foundations of USP, “Instituto Geográfico e Geológico”, FAPESP, Unicamp, UNESP, “Instituto Geológico”, and Monte Alto Museum of Paleontology, the implementations of the Qualis list, the Lattes curriculum, the CAPES Portal de Periódicos, and the CNPq “grant”, the foundation of the Marília Museum of Paleontology, the release of the first MCT/CNPq public call for “Strengthening National Paleontology”, and the foundation of “Pedro Candolo” Museum of Paleontology. B – Separately for each recorded tetrapod group, coloured lines indicate total of records in tables 1-5 of Anura = light blue, Crocodyliformes = red, Mammalia = purple, Sauropoda = green, Squamata = yellow, Testudines = orange, and Theropoda = dark blue. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers. The Bauru Basin bears one of the best sampled tetrapod paleofaunas of Brazil, with about 70% of this diversity collected from its deposits in São Paulo. Its fossils are known since the beginning of the 20th century, coming from all stratigraphic units of the Basin cropping-out in the state, i.e., Santo Anastácio, Araçatuba, Adamantina (alternatively divided into Vale do Rio do Peixe, Presidente Prudente, and São José do Rio Preto formations), and Marília formations. Identified taxa include rare anurans, mammals, and squamates, an important set of testudines, theropods (including birds), and sauropods, in addition to one of the most diverse crocodyliform faunas known worldwide. This congregates more than fifty unique taxonomic entities, including 42 formally described species. Based on biostratigraphic correlations (including tetrapods), on few absolute ages, and other sources of evidence, the Bauru Basin deposits in São Paulo seem to be chronologically restricted to the Late Cretaceous, but further investigation is much needed. Finally, the history of research with such fossils highlights the importance of public funding for research and decentralization of university education for the advancement of science. publishersversion published

Baurutitan britoi Kellner, Campos & Trotta, 2005 Syn. Trigonosaurus pricei Campos et al., 2005 (a complete list of synonyms is provided on the supplementary) Type-species: Baurutitan britoi Kellner, Campos & Trotta, 2005 Holotype: MCT 1490-R (Series C): last sacral vertebra articulated with a sequence of eighteen caudal vertebrae. Referred specimens: MCT 1488-R (Series B; holotype of T. pricei): five cervical and 10 trunk vertebrae; sacrum and ilium. Forty-four specimens, possibly constituting a single individual, recovered from BR-262 locality, including: CPPLIP-035 (middle cervical vertebrae), CPPLIP-039 (middle cervical vertebrae), CPPLIP-040 (posterior cervical vertebrae), CPPLIP-049 (posterior cervical vertebrae), CPPLIP-014 (cervical rib), CPPLIP- 110 (anterior trunk vertebra), CPPLIP-036 (anterior trunk vertebra), CPPLIP-103 (middle trunk vertebra), CPPLIP-111 (middle trunk vertebra), CPPLIP-037 (middle trunk vertebrae), CPPLIP-458 (middle trunk vertebrae), CPPLIP-43 (posterior trunk neural spine), CPPLIP-044 (trunk rib fragment), CPPLIP-097 (trunk rib fragment), CPPLIP-108 (trunk rib fragment), CPPLIP-109 (trunk rib fragment), CPPLIP-102 (anterior caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-046 (middle caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-047 (middle caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-061 (middle caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-096 (middle caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-091 (posterior caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-093 (middle caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-094 (posterior caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-095 (posterior caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-045 (posterior caudal vertebra), CPPLIP-055 (anterior chevron), CPPLIP-056 (anterior chevron), CPPLIP-098 (anterior chevron), CPPLIP-099 (anterior chevron), CPPLIP-112 (anterior chevron), CPPLIP-188 (anterior chevron), CPPLIP-057 (posterior chevron), CPPLIP-100 (posterior chevron), CPPLIP-038 (right scapula), CPPLIP-140 (right coracoid), CPPLIP-138 (right sternal plate), CPPLIP-007 (fragment of left humerus), CPPLIP-008 (right humerus), CPPLIP-010 (right metacarpal I), CPPLIP-042 (left ischium fragment), CPPLIP-069 (right ischium), CPPLIP-011 (left metatarsal II), CPPLIP-054 (left metatarsal III). Type-locality and horizon: MCT 1490-R was collected from the Serra da Galga Formation (Soares et al., 2021), in the site known as “Caieira”, “Quarry 1”, or “Ponto 1 do Price”, Serra do Veadinho area, near Peirópolis, Uberaba-MG (Campos & Kellner, 1999; Martinelli & Teixeira, 2015). Revised diagnosis: titanosaur diagnosed based on a set of autapomorphic features, i.e.: expanded postzygodiapophyseal laminae on mid-posterior cervical vertebrae (newly proposed here) and first caudal vertebra with strongly pointed and laterally directed processes intercepting the spinoprezygapophyseal lamina (Kellner, Campos & Trotta, 2005). Reassessment of MCT 1719-R The redefinition of the specimens referred to Ba. britoi implies that MCT 1719-R cannot be associated to that taxon, as these caudal vertebrae clearly differ from those of MCT 1490-R and the BR-262 specimens. As discussed above, the BR-262 caudal neural spines lean posteriorly, as also seen in Ba. britoi (Kellner, Campos & Trotta, 2005, figs. 8, 12, 16 and 19), but not in MCT 1719-R, the spines of which lean gently anteriorly or stand nearly vertical (Figs. 21, 22). MCT 1719-R also lacks another trait shared between Ba. britoi and the BR-262 specimens: transverse processes that turn into a lateral ridge on the middle of the series. Below, we further revise the features of MCT 1719-R that Campos et al. (2005) used to diagnose T. pricei. Campos et al. (2005) proposed that the centra of the anterior tail vertebrae possess thin ventral margins that broaden towards the top and transverse processes with pronounced dorsal depressions, two in the anterior (2–5) and one in the middle caudal vertebrae. The 2 nd caudal vertebra possesses a deep muscular scar on its lateral face, followed by centra with lateral faces more deeply excavated than those at a similar serial position in Gondwanatitan faustoi (Kellner & Azevedo, 1999; fig. 6), Panamericansaurus schroederi (Porfiri & Calvo, 2010; fig. 3), and U. ribeiroi (Silva Junior et al., 2022; fig. 10). Also, anteriorly extended caudal prezygapophyses, with wide (dorsoventrally expanded) articular faces, are unique to MCT 1719-R among titanosaurs from the Serra da Galga Formation. These are about 70% the centrum length in middle caudal vertebrae, a proportion similar to that found on some Aeolosaurini, such as Aeolosaurus rionegrinus (72%; Powell, 1987) and Arrudatitan maximus (76%; Santucci & Arruda-Campos, 2011). The latter also shares wide articular facets (Santucci & Arruda-Campos, 2011; fig. 4) with MCT 1719-R, as well as with Punatitan coughlini (Hechenleitner et al., 2020). As mentioned by Campos et al. (2005), MCT 1719-R has articular surfaces for the haemal arches that are strongly developed from the third caudal vertebra until the last preserved element (20 th caudal vertebra). Although suggested as a unique feature of MCT 1719-R, a similar condition is present in Rocasaurus muniozi (Salgado & Azpilicueta, 2000; figs. 6 and 8) and U. ribeiroi (Silva Junior et al., 2022; fig. 10). Finally, the presence of well-developed transverse processes along the anterior and middle (1–20) caudal vertebrae was also proposed as unique to MCT 1719-R (Campos et al., 2005). In fact, some other titanosaurs— e.g., Ar. maximus (Santucci & Arruda-Campos, 2011; fig. 4) and U. ribeiroi (Silva Junior et al., 2022; fig. 9)—possess transverse processes as long as those of MCT 1719-R (Figs. 21 and 22), almost reaching the posterior margin of the condyles, although less developed in more posterior vertebrae. Yet, those of MCT 1719-R are unique because they are strongly expanded dorsoventrally, to almost half the centrum height, including those of middle caudal vertebrae. As for the persistence of the transverse processes minimally until the twentieth caudal vertebra; this feature is also present in Overosaurus paradosorum (Coria et al., 2013; fig. 6) and P. coughlini (Hechenleitner et al., 2020; fig. 2). Our comparative review has shown the presence of yet another unique feature of MCT 1719-R: the presence of deep postzygapophyseal-centrodiapophyseal fossae, expanding anteromedially on the dorsal margin of the neural arch (Figs. 21, 22). This condition differs from that of other titanosaurs, in which this fossa is present but does not expand medially, as for instance in Ba. britoi (Fig. 20D: Kellner, Campos & Trotta, 2005; fig. 18), U. ribeiroi (Silva Junior et al., 2019; fig. 9), and the BR-262 specimens. Awell-developed postzygapophyseal-centrodiapophyseal fossa is also present in Adamantisaurus mezzalirai (Santucci & Bertini, 2006; plate 1), but restricted to the most anterior vertebrae and not as deep as in MCT 1719-R. Deep postzygapophyseal-centrodiapophyseal fossae are also present in Narambuenatitan palomoi (Filippi, García & Garrido, 2011; fig. 8) and Mendozasaurus neguyelap (González Riga et al., 2018; fig. 9), although these are dorsoventrally expanded in the former, reaching the neural canal, and limited medially by a centropostzygapophyseal lamina in the latter. In conclusion, the uniqueness of MCT 1719-R among Bauru Group and other South American titanosaurs, including the presence of autapomorphic features (see below), warrants the proposition of a new taxon to accommodate the specimen., Published as part of Silva Junior, Julian C. G., Martinelli, Agustín G., Marinho, Thiago S., da Silva, João Ismael & Langer, Max C., 2022, New specimens of Baurutitan britoi and a taxonomic reassessment of the titanosaur dinosaur fauna (Sauropoda) from the Serra da Galga Formation (Late Cretaceous) of Brazil, pp. 1-44 in PeerJ (e 14333) (e 14333) 10 on pages 31-35, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14333, http://zenodo.org/record/7437091, {"references":["Kellner AW, Campos DDA, Trotta MNF. 2005. Description of a titanosaurid caudal series from the Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous of Brazil. Arquivos do Museu Nacional 63 (3): 529 - 564.","Campos DDA, Kellner AW, Bertini RJ, Santucci RM. 2005. On a titanosaurid (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) vertebral column from the Bauru group, Late Cretaceous of Brazil. Arquivos do Museu Nacional 63 (3): 565 - 593.","Soares MVT, Basilici G, Marinho TS, Martinelli AG, Marconato A, Mountney NP, Ribeiro LCB. 2021. Sedimentology of a distributive fluvial system: the Serra da Galga Formation, a new lithostratigraphic unit (Upper Cretaceous, Bauru Basin, Brazil). Geological Journal 56 (2): 951 - 975 DOI 10.1002 / gj. 3987.","Campos DDA, Kellner AW. 1999. On some sauropod (Titanosauridae) pelves from the continental Cretaceous of Brazil. National Science Museum Monographs 15: 143 - 166.","Martinelli AG, Teixeira VP. 2015. The Late Cretaceous vertebrate record from the Bauru group in the Triangulo Mineiro, southeastern Brazil. Boletin Geologico y Minero 126 (1): 129 - 158.","Kellner AW, Azevedo SD. 1999. A new sauropod dinosaur (Titanosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil. National Science Museum Monographs 15 (111): e 142.","Porfiri J, Calvo JO. 2010. Panamericansaurus schroederi gen. nov. sp. nov. un nuevo Sauropoda (Titanosauridae-Aeolosaurini) de la Provincia del Neuquen, Cretacico Superior de Patagonia, Argentina. Brazilian Geographical Journal: Geosciences and Humanities Research Medium 1 (1): 4.","Silva Junior JC, Martinelli AG, Iori FV, Marinho TS, Hechenleitner EM, Langer MC. 2022. Reassessment of Aeolosaurus maximus, a titanosaur dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Southeastern Brazil. Historical Biology 34 (3): 403 - 411 DOI 10.1080 / 08912963.2021.1920016.","Powell JE. 1987. The Late Cretaceous fauna of Los Alamitos, Patagonia, Argentina part VI - The Titanosaurids. Revista del Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales, n. s. 3: 147 - 153.","Santucci RM, Arruda-Campos AD. 2011. A new sauropod (Macronaria, Titanosauria) from the Adamantina Formation, Bauru Group, Upper Cretaceous of Brazil and the phylogenetic relationships of Aeolosaurini. Zootaxa 3085 (1): 1 - 33 DOI 10.11646 / zootaxa. 3085.1.1.","Hechenleitner EM, Leuzinger L, Martinelli AG, Rocher S, Fiorelli LE, Taborda JR, Salgado L. 2020. Two Late Cretaceous sauropods reveal titanosaurian dispersal across South America. Communications Biology 3 (1): 1 - 13 DOI 10.1038 / s 42003 - 020 - 01338 - w.","Salgado L, Azpilicueta C. 2000. Un nuevo saltasaurino (Sauropoda, Titanosauridae) de la provincia de Rio Negro (Formacion Allen, Cretacico Superior), Patagonia, Argentina. Ameghiniana 37 (3): 259 - 264.","Coria RA, Filippi LS, Chiappe LM, Garcia R, Arcucci AB. 2013. Overosaurus paradasorum gen. et sp. nov., a new sauropod dinosaur (Titanosauria: Lithostrotia) from the Late Cretaceous of Neuquen, Patagonia, Argentina. Zootaxa 3683 (4): 357 - 376 DOI 10.11646 / zootaxa. 3683.4.2.","Silva Junior JCG, Marinho TS, Martinelli AG, Langer MC. 2019. Osteology and systematics of Uberabatitan ribeiroi (Dinosauria; Sauropoda): a Late Cretaceous titanosaur from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Zootaxa 4577 (3): 401 - 438 DOI 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4577.3.1.","Santucci RM, Bertini RJ. 2006. A new titanosaur from western Sao Paulo state, upper Cretaceous Bauru Group, south-east Brazil. Palaeontology 49 (1): 59 - 66 DOI 10.1111 / j. 1475 - 4983.2005.00527. x.","Filippi LS, Garcia RA, Garrido AC. 2011. A new titanosaur sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of North Patagonia, Argentina. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56 (3): 505 - 520 DOI 10.4202 / app. 2010.0019.","Gonzalez Riga BJ, Mannion PD, Poropat SF, Ortiz David LD, Coria JP. 2018. Osteology of the Late Cretaceous Argentinean sauropod dinosaur Mendozasaurus neguyelap: implications for basal titanosaur relationships. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 184 (1): 136 - 181 DOI 10.1093 / zoolinnean / zlx 103."]}

Caieiria allocaudata gen. et sp. nov. Etymology: The generic name derives from “Caieira”, the site where the type-specimen was unearthed. The specific name employs the word allos (Greek for strange) and cauda (Latin for tail), in reference to the unique anatomy of the animal’ s tail vertebrae. Holotype: MCT 1719-R, 10 anterior to middle caudal vertebrae. Type-locality and horizon: MCT 1719-R was collected in the site known as “Caieira”, or “Quarry 1”, Serra do Veadinho area, near Peirópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil (Campos & Kellner, 1999). The bearing sandstones belong to the Serra da Galga Formation, Bauru Group (Martinelli et al., 2019; Soares et al., 2020, 2021). Diagnosis: Caieiria allocaudata can be distinguished from Baurutitan britoi, Uberabatitan ribeiroi, and Gondwanatitan faustoi by the presence of caudal vertebrae with robust and dorsoventrally expanded transverse processes, almost half the centrum height (modified from Campos et al., 2005), and anterior caudal vertebrae with a deep postzygapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossa (newly proposed here). Phylogenetic analysis For the first iteration we added the BR-262 specimens, plus the holotypes of Ba. britoi, T. pricei, and C. allocaudata to the matrix. This resulted in 1,620 most parsimonious trees (MPTs) of 1,504 steps. The strict consensus tree (Fig. 23B) shows Gondwanatitan faustoi, the BR-262 specimens, plus the holotypes of Ba. britoi and T. pricei, within a polytomy along with a clade including C. allocaudata and Bravasaurus arrierosorum. In the entire set of MPTs, four possible arrangements for this polytomy were found, as seen in Fig. 23C. Caieira allocaudata and Br. arrierosorum form a minimal clade in all alternative arrangements, sister to either G. faustoi or to a clade congregating the other Serra da Galga Formation titanosaurs. Alternatively, G. faustoi was recovered either within or as sister-taxon to the specimens assigned here to Ba. britoi. The second iteration was performed with the coding of the BR-262 specimens and the holotypes of Ba. britoi and T. pricei combined. This resulted in 1,500 MPTs of 1,502 steps. The strict consensus tree (Fig. 23A) shows Ba. britoi in a polytomy with G. faustoi and a clade including C. allocaudata and Br. arrierosorum. The clade congregating these four taxa is supported by a single synapomorphy: middle to posterior trunk vertebrae with pneumatic fossae located on the dorsal margin of the centra (Ch. 189), as seen in Ba. britoi and Br. arrierosorum. The clade composed of C. allocaudata and Br. arrierosorum is also united by a single synapomorphy: posteriormost anterior and middle caudal vertebrae with vertical neural spines (Ch. 257). With additional specimens (MCT 1488-R and BR-262), the phylogenetic results confirm the position of Ba. britoi as an Aeolosaurini, as proposed by Hechenleitner et al. (2020) and Silva Junior et al. (2022). Previously, Ba. britoi was recovered either as a Lithostrostia indet. (Carballido et al., 2017; Filippi, Salgado & Garrido, 2019) or as a Saltasaurinae-like taxon (e.g., Santucci & Arruda-Campos, 2011; França et al., 2016; Gorscak et al., 2017; Carballido et al., 2020). As for the now defunct T. pricei, besides its recent association to Aeolosaurini (Hechenleitner et al., 2020; Silva Junior et al., 2022), it has been previously recovered in disparate positions within Lithostrotia (e.g., Bandeira et al., 2016; Martínez et al., 2016; Gorscak & O’ Connor, 2019). The affinity of C. allocaudata also to Aeolosaurini reinforces that this clade dominated the Late Cretaceous sauropod fauna of the Bauru Basin. This is the case not only of the Serra da Galga Formation, with Ba. britoi, U. ribeiroi, and C. allocaudata, but also of the Adamantina Formation, with Ar. maximus and G. faustoi (Santucci & Arruda-Campos, 2011; Silva Junior et al., 2022).