Elemgasem

Last updated

Elemgasem
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (TuronianConiacian)
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Elemgasem nubilus.jpg
Hypothetical life restoration based on relatives
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Abelisauridae
Clade: Brachyrostra
Genus: Elemgasem
Baiano et al., 2022
Species:
E. nubilus
Binomial name
Elemgasem nubilus
Baiano et al., 2022

Elemgasem (after a Tehuelche god of the same name) is an extinct genus of brachyrostran abelisaurid from the Late Cretaceous Portezuelo Formation of Patagonia, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Elemgasem nubilus. The cladistic position of Elemgasem within Brachyrostra is uncertain, given that phylogenetic analyses recover it as either a sister taxon to Furileusauria or in several positions within this clade. [1]

Contents

Discovery and naming

The Elemgasem holotype specimen, MCF-PVPH-380, was discovered in 2002 in layers of the Sierra del Portezuelo locality of the Portezuelo Formation, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Cutral Có, Neuquén Province, Argentina. The holotype consists of partial axial and appendicular elements, including cervical and caudal vertebrae, right femur, left tibia, right and left fibula, left astragalus-calcaneum, metatarsals, and various pedal phalanges. [1]

In 2022, Baiano et al. described Elemgasem as a new genus and species of brachyrostran abelisaurid. The generic name, "Elemgasem", references a Tehuelche deity of the same name; according to mythology, Elemgasem is the owner of animals and father of the southern viscacha with the power to petrify others and himself, as well as the inhabitant of the mountains and sky. The specific name, "nubilus", means "foggy day" in Latin, in reference to the unusual foggy climate during the expedition that discovered the Elemgasem holotype. [1]

Pathology

Life restoration of abelisaurids from which pathological bones have been described. Elemgasem is B. Pathological abelisaurids.png
Life restoration of abelisaurids from which pathological bones have been described. Elemgasem is B.

The holotype tail vertebrae of Elemgasem demonstrate spondyloarthropathy (vertebral joint disease), representing the first case this has been observed in a non-tetanuran theropod, and the second case in a non-avian theropod. [2]

Paleoenvironment

Elemgasem is known from the Portezuelo Formation of Argentina. Named taxa recovered from the formation include the theropod dinosaurs Megaraptor , Patagonykus , Neuquenraptor , Pamparaptor , and Unenlagia , the sauropod dinosaurs Futalognkosaurus , Malarguesaurus , and Baalsaurus , and the azhdarchoid pterosaur Argentinadraco . Other fossils belonging to ornithopod dinosaurs, neornithines, turtles, and crocodiles have also been found in the formation. [1]

Related Research Articles

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

Neuquenraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous in what is now the Portezuelo Formation of Argentina. It is one of the first dromaeosaurids found in the Southern Hemisphere.

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

Aucasaurus is a genus of medium-sized abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from Argentina that lived during the Late Cretaceous of the Anacleto Formation. It was smaller than the related Carnotaurus, although more derived in some ways, such as its extremely reduced arms and almost total lack of fingers. The type skeleton is complete to the thirteenth caudal vertebra, and so is relatively well understood, and is the most complete abelisaurid yet described. However, the skull is damaged, causing some paleontologists to speculate that it was involved in a fight prior to death.

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

Megaraptor is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived in the ages of the Late Cretaceous. Its fossils have been discovered in the Patagonian Portezuelo Formation of Argentina, South America. Initially thought to have been a giant dromaeosaur-like coelurosaur, it was classified as a neovenatorid allosauroid in previous phylogenies, but more recent phylogeny and discoveries of related megaraptoran genera has placed it as either a basal tyrannosauroid or a basal coelurosaur with some studies still considering it a neovenatorid.

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

Quilmesaurus is a genus of carnivorous abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the Patagonian Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. It was a member of Abelisauridae, closely related to genera such as Carnotaurus. The only known remains of this genus are leg bones which share certain similarities to a variety of abelisaurids. However, these bones lack unique features, which may render Quilmesaurus a nomen vanum.

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.

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

Inacayal was a cacique (chief) of the Tehuelche people in Patagonia, Argentina who led a resistance against government. They were hunter-gatherers who had a nomadic society, and had long been independent of the Argentine government established in coastal areas. He was one of the last indigenous rulers to resist the Argentine Conquest of the Desert in the late 19th century and its resultant campaigns. He did not surrender until 1884.

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

Aerosteon is a genus of megaraptoran dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of Argentina. Its remains were discovered in 1996 in the Anacleto Formation, which is from the late Campanian. The type and only known species is A. riocoloradensis. Its specific name indicates that its remains were found 1 km north of the Río Colorado, in Mendoza Province, Argentina.

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

Pamparaptor is an extinct genus of paravian theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Portezuelo Formation of the Neuquén province in Argentine Patagonia. Its precise classification is uncertain, but the authors who described this taxon have argued that it is a dromaeosaurid. The genus contains a single species, P. micros, which is known from a single specimen consisting of a mostly complete and fully-articulated left foot, which preserves the iconic dromaeosaur-like "killing claw".

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

Eoabelisaurus is a genus of abelisauroid theropod dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic Cañadón Asfalto Formation of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin in Argentina, South America. The generic name combines a Greek ἠώς, (eos), "dawn", with the name Abelisaurus, in reference to the fact it represents an early relative of the latter. Only one species is currently recognized, E. mefi; the specific name honours the MEF, the Museo Paleontológico "Egidio Feruglio", where discoverer Diego Pol is active. It is characterized by reduced forelimb proportions that show primitive characteristics of the Abelisauridae family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majungasaurinae</span> Extinct subfamily of reptiles

Majungasaurinae is a subfamily of large carnivorous theropods from the Upper Cretaceous, found in Madagascar, India, and France. It is a subgroup within the theropod family Abelisauridae, a Gondwanan clade known for their thick and often horned skulls and vestigial arms. The two subfamilies of Abelisauridae are Carnotaurinae, best known from the South American Carnotaurus, and Majungasaurinae, consisting of Madagascar’s Majungasaurus and its closest relatives. Their ancestors emerged in the Middle Jurassic, and the clade lasted until the Upper Cretaceous.

Tralkasaurus is a genus of abelisaurid dinosaur from the Huincul Formation from Río Negro Province in Argentina. The type and only species is Tralkasaurus cuyi, named in 2020 by Mauricio Cerroni and colleagues based on an incomplete skeleton. A medium-sized abelisaurid, Tralkasaurus exhibits a conflicting blend of characteristics found among the early-diverging abelisauroids with others that characterize the highly specialized clade Brachyrostra, and thus its position within the clade is poorly-resolved.

<i>Niebla antiqua</i> Extinct species of dinosaur

Niebla is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian-Maastrichtian) of Río Negro province, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Niebla antiqua, and is known from a partial, non-articulated skeleton. The holotype, found in the Allen Formation, represents an adult individual about nine years old in minimum age.

<i>Meraxes</i> Genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs

Meraxes is a genus of large carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Huincul Formation of Patagonia, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Meraxes gigas.

Chubutinectes is an extinct genus of elasmosaurid plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous La Colonia Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, C. carmeloi, known from a partial skeleton and associated gastroliths.

<i>Chakisaurus</i> Extinct genus of ornithopod dinosaurs

Chakisaurus is an extinct genus of elasmarian ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Huincul Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, C. nekul, known from multiple partial skeletons belonging to individuals of different ages. Chakisaurus represents the first ornithischian species to be named from the Huincul Formation.

<i>Titanomachya</i> Extinct genus of sauropod dinosaurs

Titanomachya is an extinct genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous La Colonia Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, T. gimenezi. It is a relatively small titanosaur, weighing around 7.8 tonnes.

<i>Koleken</i> Genus of abelisaurid theropod

Koleken is a genus of carnotaurin abelisaurid from the Maastrichtian La Colonia Formation in the Chubut Province of Argentina. The type and only species is K. inakayali, known from one immature specimen about six years old in minimum age.

<i>Diuqin</i> Extinct genus of unenlagiine theropod

Diuqin is an extinct genus of unenlagiine theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) Bajo de la Carpa Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Diuqin lechiguanae, known from a humerus and fragmentary vertebrae.

<i>Emiliasaura</i> Genus of iguanodontian dinosaurs

Emiliasaura is a genus of rhabdodontomorph ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) Mulichinco Formation of Neuquén Province, Argentina. The type species is Emiliasaura alessandrii.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Baiano, Mattia A.; Pol, Diego; Bellardini, Flavio; Windholz, Guillermo J.; Cerda, Ignacio A.; Garrido, Alberto C.; Coria, Rodolfo A (2022-09-05). "Elemgasem nubilus: a new brachyrostran abelisaurid (Theropoda, Ceratosauria) from the Portezuelo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia, Argentina". Papers in Palaeontology. 8 (5): e1462. Bibcode:2022PPal....8E1462B. doi:10.1002/spp2.1462. S2CID   252097368.
  2. Baiano, Mattia A.; Cerda, Ignacio A.; Bertozzo, Filippo; Pol, Diego (2024-01-31). "New information on paleopathologies in non-avian theropod dinosaurs: a case study on South American abelisaurids". BMC Ecology and Evolution. 24 (1): 6. Bibcode:2024BMCEE..24....6B. doi: 10.1186/s12862-023-02187-x . ISSN   2730-7182. PMC   10829224 . PMID   38291378.