Abelichnus

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Abelichnus
Temporal range: Early-Late Cretaceous,
?Albian–Cenomanian
Trace fossil classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Ichnogenus: Abelichnus
Calvo, 1991
Type ichnospecies
Abelichnus astigarrae
Calvo, 1991

Abelichnus is an extinct ichnogenus of dinosaur footprint from the Candeleros Formation and the Rio Limay Formation. The type ichnospecies, Abelichnus astigerrae, was first discovered in Argentina in 1987 and was recorded as the biggest known dinosaur footprint ever discovered. [1] Abelichnus probably grew to a size of 12.5-13 meters (41-42 ft) long. [2]

Description

In 1999 Calvo suggested that some theropod trackways and isolated tracks (which he made the basis of the ichnotaxon Abelichnus astigarrae in 1991) belonged to Giganotosaurus , based on their large size - these were discovered at Lake Ezequiel Ramos Mexia in 1987 by A. Delgado. The largest tracks are 50 cm (20 in) long with a pace of 130 cm (51 in), and the smallest is 36 cm (14 in) long with a pace of 100 cm (39 in). The tracks are tridactyl (three-toed) and have large and coarse digits, with prominent claw impressions. Impressions of the digits occupy most of the track-length, and one track has a thin heel. Though the tracks were found in a higher stratigraphic level than the main fossils of Giganotosaurus, they were from the same strata as the Giganotosaurus tooth MUCPv-52 and some sauropod dinosaurs that are also known from the same strata as Giganotosaurus. [3]

Taxonomy

Possible trackmakers of Abelichnus could have been Abelisaurus or Carnotaurus , [4] although according to Calvo (1999), Giganotosaurus was the track maker. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Giganotosaurus</i> Carcharodontosaurid dinosaur genus from the late Cretaceous period

Giganotosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina, during the early Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 99.6 to 95 million years ago. The holotype specimen was discovered in the Candeleros Formation of Patagonia in 1993 and is almost 70% complete. The animal was named Giganotosaurus carolinii in 1995; the genus name translates to "giant southern lizard", and the specific name honors the discoverer, Ruben Carolini. A dentary bone, a tooth, and some tracks, discovered before the holotype, were later assigned to this animal. The genus attracted much interest and became part of a scientific debate about the maximum sizes of theropod dinosaurs.

<i>Limaysaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Limaysaurus is a genus represented by a single species of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaurs, which lived during the mid-Cretaceous period, about 99.6 to 97 million years ago, in the Cenomanian, in what is now South America.

<i>Andesaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

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<i>Anabisetia</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Anabisetia is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of Patagonia, South America. It was a small bipedal herbivore, around 2 metres long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candeleros Formation</span> Geologic formation in Argentina

The Candeleros Formation is a geologic formation that crops out in the Río Negro, Neuquén, and Mendoza provinces of northern Patagonia, Argentina. It is the oldest formation in the Neuquén Group and belongs to the Rio Limay Subgroup. Formerly that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Candeleros Formation was known as the Candeleros Member.

<i>Grallator</i> Ichnogenus of dinosaur footprints

Grallator ["GRA-luh-tor"] is an ichnogenus which covers a common type of small, three-toed print made by a variety of bipedal theropod dinosaurs. Grallator-type footprints have been found in formations dating from the Early Triassic through to the early Cretaceous periods. They are found in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil and China, but are most abundant on the east coast of North America, especially the Triassic and Early Jurassic formations of the northern part of the Newark Supergroup. The name Grallator translates into "stilt walker", although the actual length and form of the trackmaking legs varied by species, usually unidentified. The related term "Grallae" is an ancient name for the presumed group of long-legged wading birds, such as storks and herons. These footprints were given this name by their discoverer, Edward Hitchcock, in 1858.

The Huincul Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous age of the Neuquén Basin that outcrops in the Mendoza, Río Negro and Neuquén Provinces of northern Patagonia, Argentina. It is the second formation in the Río Limay Subgroup, the oldest subgroup within the Neuquén Group. Formerly that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Huincul Formation was known as the Huincul Member.

The Portezuelo Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous age, outcropping in the Mendoza, Río Negro and Neuquén provinces of Argentina. It is the fourth-oldest formation in the Neuquén Group and the older of the two formations in the Río Neuquén Subgroup. Formerly, that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Portezuelo Formation was known as the Portezuelo Member.

The Plottier Formation is a geologic formation that outcrops in the Argentine Patagonian provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén. It is the younger of two formations belonging to the Río Neuquén Subgroup within the Neuquén Group of the Neuquén Basin, with the oldest rocks dating from the late Coniacian and its youngest maybe from the very start of the Santonian. Formerly, that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Plottier Formation was known as the Plottier Member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anacleto Formation</span> Geologic formation in Argentina

The Anacleto Formation is a geologic formation with outcrops in the Argentine Patagonian provinces of Mendoza, Río Negro, and Neuquén. It is the youngest formation within the Neuquén Group and belongs to the Río Colorado Subgroup. Formerly that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Anacleto Formation was known as the Anacleto Member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urbión Group</span>

The Urbión Group is a geological group in Castile and León and La Rioja, Spain whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous (late Hauterivian to late Barremian. The formations of the group comprise a sequence of brown limestones in a matrix of black silt, sandstones, claystones and conglomerates deposited under terrestrial conditions, in alluvial fan and fluvial environments.

The Tera Group is a geological group in the Cameros Basin and Sierra de la Demanda in Burgos, Spain. The group contains several formations whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enciso Group</span> Spanish geological formation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villa El Chocón</span> Municipality and village in Neuquén Province, Argentina

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Sousaichnium is an ichnogenus of dinosaur footprint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge O. Calvo</span> Argentine geologist and paleontologist (1961–2023)

Jorge Orlando Calvo was an Argentine geologist and paleontologist working for "Centro de Investigaciones Paleontológicas Lago Barreales".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum</span> Science museum, Local museum in Neuquén Province, Argentina

The Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum (MEB) in Villa El Chocón, Neuquén Province, Argentina, is a municipal museum dedicated to the paleontology, archaeology and history of Villa El Chocón and its surroundings.

<i>Huinculsaurus</i> Genus of noasaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period

Huinculsaurus is a genus of noasaurid dinosaur from the Huincul Formation in Neuquén Province, Argentina. The type and only species is Huinculsaurus montesi. It was probably around 3 metres (9.8 ft) when fully grown, although this is only speculation since no fully mature specimens are currently known.

<i>Overoraptor</i> Extinct genus of theropod dinosaurs

Overoraptor is an extinct genus of paravian theropod of uncertain affinities from the Late Cretaceous Huincul Formation of Argentinian Patagonia. The genus contains a single species, O. chimentoi, known from several bones of the hands, feet, and hips alongside some vertebrae.

<i>Bonaparteichnium</i> Dinosaur footprint

Bonaparteichnium is a dinosaur ichnogenus known from the Candeleros Formation of Neuquén Province, Argentina. It was named by Jorge O. Calvo in a 1991 paper, alongside the other ornithopod ichnogenera Sousaichnium and Limayichnus. The name of the genus honours Argentinian palaeontology José Bonaparte for his contributions to palaeontology in Argentina. The taxon was named for a 60cm footprint of a bipedal ornithopod; the heel of the track is 28cm long, making it 45% of the track. This length, above that expect for an ornithopod foot, along with the width and robustness of the heel, was the distinguishing trait cited in naming the specimen as a new ichnospecies, and is the basis of the species name tali, referring to word "talon" which means heel. In a 1999 paper Calvo would revise his opinion and consider his three ichnogenera to be synonyms. He noted the extreme similarity of the front half of the foot between Bonaparteichnium and Limayichnus, and that the length and size of a heel in a track is dependent on the method of walking; a bipedal animal walking abnormally low to the ground would produce a track such as that used to name Bonaparteichnium even in lack of a large heel as a genuine anatomical feature. He referred to B. tali as a nomen vanum. In a literature review of hadrosaur ichnotaxa, Ignacio Díaz-Martínez and colleagues considered it a nomen dubium as opposed to referring the specimen to Limayichnus, as they also considered that taxon dubious. They noted that Bonaparteichnium can also be considered a taphotaxon, a term proposed by Spencer G. Lucas to refer to invalid taxa who were thought distinct due to taphonomic distortions.

References

  1. Calvo, J. O. (1991). Huellas de dinosaurios en la Formación Río Limay (Albiano-Cenomaniano?), Picun Leufú, Provincia de Neuquén, Republica Argentina. (Ornithischia-Saurischia: Sauropoda-Theropoda) [Dinosaur footprints in the Río Limay Formation (Albian-Cenomanian?), Picun Leufú, Neuquén Province, Argentine Republic. (Ornithischia-Saurischia: Sauropoda-Theropoda)]. Ameghiniana 28(3-4):241-258
  2. Calvo, Jorge Orlando; Rivera, Cynthia (2018). "Huellas de dinosaurios en la costa oeste del embalse Ezequiel Ramos Mexía y alrededores (Cretácico Superior, Provincia de Neuquén, República Argentina)". Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana. 70 (2): 449 ‒ 497. doi: 10.18268/BSGM2018v70n2a11 .
  3. 1 2 Calvo, J. O. (1999). "Dinosaurs and other vertebrates of the Lake Ezequiel Ramos Mexía area, Neuquén-Patagonia, Argentina". National Science Museum Monographs. 15: 13–45.
  4. Lockley, Martin and Hunt, Adrian. Dinosaur Tracks of Western North America. Columbia University Press. 1999.