Volkheimeria

Volkheimeria is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaurs that lived in what is now Argentina during the Early Jurassic, 178–179 million years ago. Its type and only species is Volkheimeria chubutensis. Discovery and naming The only known specimen of Volkheimeria was discovered at the site of Cerro Cóndor Sur, roughly a kilometer west of the village of Cerro Cóndor in Chubut Province, Argentina. In 1979, José Bonaparte described it as representing a new genus and species, Volkheimeria chubutensis, alongside two other species discovered in the same strata, Piatnitzkysaurus floresi and Patagosaurus fariasi. The genus name Volkheimeria honors the Argentinean paleontologist Wolfgang Volkheimer. Fossil record Only a single specimen of Volkheimeria chubutensis is known: the holotype PVL 4077, a partial skeleton from the Cañadón Asfalto Formation of Argentina. This specimen consists of a partial cervical vertebra, two complete and two partial dorsal vertebrae, part of the sacrum, several incomplete caudal vertebrae, partial ilia, a pubis, an ischium, a femur, and a tibia. The specimen was not fully grown, but had probably reached sexual maturity. An isolated tooth found in the Cañadón Asfalto Formation, MPEF-PV 10860, may belong to Volkheimeria, though this cannot be proven without more complete specimens. Description The size of a fully-grown Volkheimeria is not known, as it is only known from an immature specimen.