Fig. 3: Phylogenetic relationships of Qunkasaura pintiquiniestra.

Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of Qunkasaura pintiquiniestra gen. et sp. nov. and other lithostrotian titanosaurs, and phylogenetic distribution of some distinct morphologies for anterior caudal vertebrae within Lithostrotia. Topology corresponds to a strict consensus without pruning ‘wild taxa’ from trees obtained with IWA and based on Mocho et al.39 dataset. The box next to each taxon demarcates its temporal range (including stratigraphic uncertainty). Drawings of anterior caudal vertebrae from Malawisaurus dixeyi69, Rinconsaurus caudamirus70, Aeolosurus rionegrinus30, Overosaurus paradasorum41, Lohuecotitan pandafilandi, Neuquensaurus australis31 and Qunkasaura pintiquiniestra. Green shading represents: (i) period when the Apulian route connected northeast Africa and southwest Europe; (ii) separation between South America and Africa, and (iii) isolation of Indo-Madagascar49,51,52.