***Vectipelta*** (anlamı: "Wight Adası kalkanı"), İngiltere'nin Erken Kretase yaşlı Wessex Formasyonu'ndan çıkarılan soyu tükenmiş bir ankilozor dinozor cinsidir. Cins, birkaç osteoderm içeren parçalı bir iskeletten bilinen tek bir türü, ***V. barretti***, içerir. Tanımından önce tarihsel olarak "Kargı ucu ankylosaur" olarak biliniyordu.

Keşif ve adlandırma
-------------------

*Vectipelta* holotip örnekleri, IWCMS 1996.153 ve IWCMS 2021.75, Kasım 1993'te (dokuz omur Gavin Leng tarafından) ve Mart 1994'te (Lin Spearpoint tarafından) İngiltere'nin Wight Adası'ndaki Chilton Chine yakınlarındaki Wessex Formasyonu çökellerinde keşfedildi. Holotip, birçok servikal, dorsal, sakral ve kaudal omurları, parçalı göğüs ve pelvik kuşakları, ön ve arka bacakların elemanlarını ve birkaç osteodermi içeren parçalı bir iskeletten oluşur. İlk başta kalıntılar *Polacanthus'a* atfedildi.

Fosil materyali ilk olarak Thomas J. Raven tarafından bir doktora tezinde tanımlanmış ve 2019 ve 2021'de yeni bir taksonu temsil ettiği sonucuna varılmıştır Parafiletik bir Nodosauridae öneren Mayıs 2023 tarihli bir çalışma, filogenetik veri kümesine "Kargı ucu ankylosaur"u dahil etti, ancak ek bilgilerde ona "Polywotsit" vekil adı (geçici) verildi.

Haziran 2023'te Pond *ve ark.* bu fosil kalıntılarına dayanarak *Vectipelta barretti'yi* yeni bir ankylosaurian cinsi ve türü olarak tanımladı. "*Vectipelta*" cins adı, Wight Adası'nın Latince adı olan "Vectis"ten türetilmiştir. Tür adı olan "*barretti*", Doğal Tarih Müzesi'nden paleontolog Paul Barrett'e aittir.

*Vectipelta*, 142 yıl içinde Wight Adası'nda tanımlanan ilk ankilozordur, bu da daha önce *Polacanthus* ve *Hylaeosaurus'a* atanan sayısız örneğin aslında birden fazla taksayı temsil edebileceğini düşündürmektedir.

Sınıflandırma
-------------

Pond *et al*. (2023) *Vectipelta*{'}yı, *Dongyangopelta* ve *Zhejiangosaurus*{'}un oluşturduğu klada kardeş takson olarak buldu (bu kladın Ankylosauridae'ye kardeş olması ve geleneksel Nodosauridae'nin parafiletikliğiyle beraber). Bu dinozor, Wealden Group':ta bulunan *Polacanthus* ve *Hylaeosaurus*{'}la sadece uzaktan akrabaydı. Onların filogenetik analiz sonuçları aşağıdaki kladogramda gösterilmiştir (Wealden Group ankylosaurları vurgulanmıştır):


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| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | 

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| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|   | *Sarcolestes* |
|   |
|   | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|   | *Cedarpelta* |
|   |
|   | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Polacanthidae | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|   | *Hoplitosaurus* |
|   |
|   | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|   | *Polacanthus* |
|   |
|   | *Niobrarasaurus* |
|   |

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|   |
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| --- | --- |
|   | *Hylaeosaurus* |
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|   | *Gastonia* |
|   |

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|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | 

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| --- | --- |
|   | Panoplosauridae |
|   |
|   | Struthiosauridae |
|   |

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|   |
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|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|   | *Borealopelta* |
|   |
|   | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|   | ***Vectipelta*** |
|   |
|   | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|   | *Zhejiangosaurus* |
|   |
|   | *Dongyangopelta* |
|   |

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|   |

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|   |
|   | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|   | Ankylosauridae |
|   |

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| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ankylosauria | 

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| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Sarcolestes* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Cedarpelta* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Polacanthidae | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Hoplitosaurus* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Polacanthus* |
|  |
|  | *Niobrarasaurus* |
|  |

 |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Hylaeosaurus* |
|  |
|  | *Gastonia* |
|  |

 |
|  |

 |
|  |

 |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | Panoplosauridae |
|  |
|  | Struthiosauridae |
|  |

 |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Borealopelta* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | ***Vectipelta*** |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Zhejiangosaurus* |
|  |
|  | *Dongyangopelta* |
|  |

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|  |

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|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | Ankylosauridae |
|  |

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|  |

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|  |

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|  |

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|  |

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|  |

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|  |

Ekoloji
-------

Wessex Formasyonu, olasılıkla birkaç milyon yıllık önemli bir süreyi kapsar ve bundan ötürü, oluşumdan bilinen tüm hayvanların çağdaş olması muhtemel değildir. *Vectipelta* muhtemelen *Polacanthus'*tan milyonlarca yıl daha yaşlıdır.

Kaynakça
--------

1. 1 2 3 4 5 6  Pond (1 Ocak 2023). "*Vectipelta barretti*, a new ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, UK". *Journal of Systematic Palaeontology* (İngilizce). **21** (1). doi:10.1080/14772019.2023.2210577. ISSN 1477-2019.
2. ↑  "New armored dinosaur named for museum professor". *phys.org* (İngilizce). 15 Haziran 2023 tarihinde kaynağından arşivlendi. Erişim tarihi: 15 Haziran 2023.
3. ↑  Robert Bedlow, 1994, "Novice fossil hunter digs up a dinosaur", *The Daily Telegraph* April 6th 1994, London
4. ↑  Stuart Pond, Sarah Strachan, Darren Naish & Martin Simpson, 2015, "A critical new *Polacanthus* specimen from the Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight", *SVPCA Talks* 2015: 61
5. ↑  *The taxonomic, phylogenetic, biogeographic and macroevolutionary history of the armoured dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora)* (PDF) (PhD tez). University of Brighton. 2019. 27 Haziran 2022 tarihinde kaynağından arşivlendi (PDF). Erişim tarihi: 22 Haziran 2023.
6. ↑  Thomas J. Raven (2021) The taxonomic, phylogenetic, biogeographic and macroevolutionary history of the armoured dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) 27 Haziran 2022 tarihinde Wayback Machine sitesinde arşivlendi. (PhD thesis)
7. ↑  Raven (2023). "The phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the armoured dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora)". *Journal of Systematic Palaeontology*. **21** (1). doi:10.1080/14772019.2023.2205433.