A revision ofTitanosaurusLydekker (dinosauria ‐ sauropoda), the first dinosaur genus with a ‘Gondwanan’ distribution

Synopsis Titanosaurs represent approximately one‐third of sauropod diversity and were geographically widespread throughout the Cretaceous, especially on southern continents. Titanosaurs evolved numerous appendicular synapomorphies that account for their specialised ‘wide‐gauge’ limb posture, which can be recognised in their trackways. The macronarian origin of titanosaurs is only recently agreed upon and aspects of their inter‐relationships remain poorly understood. Titanosauria is named for the poorly known genus Titanosaurus, which was coined by Lydekker in 1877 on the basis of a partial femur and two incomplete caudal vertebrae. Fourteen species have since been referred to Titanosaurus, which distribute the genus across Argentina, Europe, Madagascar, India and Laos, and throughout 60 million years of the Cretaceous. Despite its centrality to titanosaur systematics and biogeography, the genus Titanosaurus has never been revised. A re‐evaluation of all Titanosaurus species recognises as diagnostic only f...