Biology:Volgatitan

Volgatitan; Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, Hauterivian PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
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	Skeletal diagram, known material in white
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:	†Sauropoda
Clade:	†Macronaria
Clade:	†Titanosauria
Clade:	†Lithostrotia
Genus:	†Volgatitan; Averianov & Efimov, 2018
Species:	†V. simbirskiensis
Binomial name
	†Volgatitan simbirskiensis; Averianov & Efimov, 2018

Short description: Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Volgatitan (meaning "Volga giant") is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia . The type and only species is Volgatitan simbirskiensis, known from seven caudal vertebrae from a single individual. It is the oldest known titanosaur from the northern hemisphere, and is considered important for being related to the Lognkosauria, a group known only from South America later in the Late Cretaceous.^[1] It was first described in November 2018 by Russian palaeontologists Alexander Averianov and Vladimir Efimov.^[1]^[2] It is estimated to have weighed about 17.3 metric tons (19.1 short tons).^[1]

Classification

Averianov and Efimov recovered Volgatitan as a lithostrotian titanosaur. They found Lithostrotia to be divided into two main lineages, one containing Saltasauridae, the other containing Lognkosauria, with Volgatitan belonging to the latter. The following cladogram follows their analysis.^[1]

Lithostrotia

Malawisaurus