Karongasaurus

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Karongasaurus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous,
~120–113  Ma
Karongasaurus mandible.png
Holotype elements: mandible seen from two angles, and three teeth
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Sauropodomorpha
Clade: Sauropoda
Clade: Macronaria
Clade: Titanosauria
Genus: Karongasaurus
Gomani, 2005
Type species
Karongasaurus gittelmani
Gomani, 2005

Karongasaurus (meaning Karonga lizard) is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. The type species, K. gittelmani, was described by Elizabeth Gomani in 2005. [1]

Contents

Discovery and naming

The holotype (specimen Mal-175), consisting solely of part of a lower mandible and twenty isolated teeth, were found in the Dinosaur Beds of Malawi between 1987 and 1992. Karongasaurus was the first dinosaur named in a publication that was published solely online; [1] Karongasaurus gittelmani was named and described by Gomani (2005). [1] [2]

Description

The mandible of Karongasaurus is U-shaped in dorsal view and the teeth are described as slender and conical in shape, being more cylindrical than those of Malawisaurus . [1]

Classification

Gomani (2005) placed Karongasaurus within Titanosauria and concluded that it may have been a possible junior synonym of Malawisaurus . [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Gomani, E. M. (2005). Sauropod Dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of Malawi, Africa. Palaeontologia Electronica Volume: 8, Issue: 1, Pages: 37pp.
  2. Dinosaur Mailing List entry which announces the genus