Description
Lamplughsaura is said to be a large, heavily built sauropodomorph, with the largest known specimen reaching 10 m (33 ft) in body length. The skull of Lamplughsaura is 27 cm (11 in) long, 15.6 cm (6.1 in) wide at the postorbital region, and 14 cm (5.5 in) high, which is significantly larger than the skulls of Plateosaurus and Riojasaurus.[1]
It can be distinguished from other sauropodomorphs as the teeth possess coarse denticles on the mesial edges in small amounts or are completely absent, the posteiror cervical vertebrae have vertically oriented ligamentous furrows on the cranial and caudal surfaces with the spine table being transversely expanded, the caudal neural spines are shorter than the transverse processes, resulting in the neural spines disappearing towards the tip of the tail, the caudal neural spines have a craniodorsally directed spur (proximal caudal vertebrae) or a distinct process (midcaudal vertebrae), the descending caudal flanges of the distal tibial end cover 66% of the transverse width of the ankle, and the ungual phalanx of the manual digit I is plesiomorphic as it has a general shape that tapers gradually towards the tip and is not received.[1]
Ontogeny
The cranial elements of Lamplughsaura were discovered in a disarticulated position, which suggests skeletal immaturity, although the neurocentral sutures of the caudal vertebrae are fused, which suggests that the specimens come from subadult individuals.[1]
