Unquillosaurus

Last updated

Unquillosaurus
Temporal range: Maastrichtian
~72  Ma [1]
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Maniraptoriformes
Clade: Maniraptora
Genus: Unquillosaurus
Powell, 1979
Species:
U. ceibalii
Binomial name
Unquillosaurus ceibalii
Powell, 1979

Unquillosaurus (meaning "Unquillo river lizard") is a genus of large theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Los Blanquitos Formation of Salta Province, Argentina. Its precise classification is uncertain, but most researchers consider it as a maniraptoran. The genus contains a single species, U. ceibalii, known only from a single fossilized pubis (a pelvic bone).

Contents

Discovery and naming

The holotype, PVL 3670-11, was found at Arroyo-Morterito in the Los Blanquitos Formation, dating to the Maastrichtian. [1] The specimen, which consists of a left pubis measuring 51.4 centimetres (1 ft 8.2 in) long, was re-studied by Fernando Novas and Federico Agnolin in 2004, who concluded that the orientation of the pubis had been misinterpreted: it pointed backwards, as was shown by the fossil still being attached to a displaced part of the pubic peduncle of the ilium. [1]

The type species Unquillosaurus ceibalii was described by Jaime Eduardo Powell in 1979. The generic name, "Unquillosaurus," is derived from the river Unquillo and the Greek word, "sauros," meaning "lizard." The specific name, "ceibalii," refers to the town El Ceibal. [2]

Classification

Powell originally assigned Unquillosaurus as a large theropod of uncertain taxonomic placement. [2] In 2004, Novas and Agnolín concluded from the opisthopubic pelvic anatomy that Unquillosaurus was part of the Maniraptora or at least Maniraptoriformes, and likely closely related to either the Avialae or the bird-like Alvarezsauridae; perhaps it was itself a bird, a basal member of the Metornithes. [1] In 2006, Martínez and Novas stated that Unquillosaurus probably belonged to the maniraptoran clade Dromaeosauridae. [3] In 2012, however, Carrano and colleagues considered Unquillosaurus as a member of the Carcharodontosauridae, noting that the animal has many similarities to Giganotosaurus . [4] In 2013, Agnolín and Novas interpreted Unquillosaurus as a very large averaptoran instead, suggesting that the distal pubis shows condition of a coelurosaur and different from that of a carnosaur. [5] In a 2016 study about the phylogeny of theropods found in Argentina, Unquillosaurus is considered as a maniraptoran. [6] As of the 2020s, no reliable records of carcharodontosaurids beyond the Turonian age were known. [7]

Paleoecology

Unquillosaurus is known from the Los Blanquitos Formation. The abelisaurid theropod Guemesia is also known from this formation, [8] as well as fossils of what may belong to a species of Titanosaurus . [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abelisauridae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Abelisauridae is a family of ceratosaurian theropod dinosaurs. Abelisaurids thrived during the Cretaceous period, on the ancient southern supercontinent of Gondwana, and today their fossil remains are found on the modern continents of Africa and South America, as well as on the Indian subcontinent and the island of Madagascar. Isolated teeth were found in the Late Jurassic of Portugal, and the Late Cretaceous genera Tarascosaurus and Arcovenator have been described in France. Abelisaurids possibly first appeared during the Jurassic period based on fossil records, and some genera survived until the end of the Mesozoic era, around 66 million years ago.

<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.

Unenlagia is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period. The genus Unenlagia has been assigned two species: U. comahuensis, the type species described by Novas and Puerta in 1997, and U. paynemili, described by Calvo et al. in 2004.

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

Compsosuchus is a dubious genus of abelisauroid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Lameta Formation of India.

<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>Noasaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Noasaurus is a genus of ceratosaurian theropod dinosaur genus from the late Campanian-Maastrichtian of Argentina. The type and only species is N. leali.

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.

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

Orkoraptor is a genus of medium-sized megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period of Argentina. It is known from incomplete fossil remains including parts of the skull, teeth, tail vertebrae, and a partial tibia. The specialized teeth resemble those of some maniraptoriform theropods, namely the deinonychosaurs and compsognathids. This and other anatomical features led the authors who described it to suggest that it was a maniraptoran coelurosaur. However, subsequent studies found it to be a megaraptoran. Found in the Cerro Fortaleza Formation of Southern Patagonia, it is one of the southernmost carnivorous dinosaurs known from South America.

<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.

The Los Blanquitos Formation is a geological formation in Salta Province, Argentina whose strata date back to the late Campanian to early Maastichtian age of the Late Cretaceous Period. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. The formation consists of friable, micaceous, grayish-red sandstones with quartz pebbles containing small carbonate veins. In the base of this layer the remains of a titanosaurid dinosaur were discovered. Above the layer with bones appears a lens of thick, greenish-gray, calcareous, very hard sandstone with pebbles and gravel. The bones were covered by a "halo" of the same rock but of greenish or grayish color, especially visible because the normal sediment is red. The bed thickness is 1.5 metres (4.9 ft).

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

The Allen Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous (middle Campanian to early Maastrichtian. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. Indeterminate chelid remains and other vertebrates have also been discovered in this formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megaraptora</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

Megaraptora is a clade of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs with controversial relationships to other tetanuran theropods. Its derived members, the Megaraptoridae are noted for their large hand claws and powerfully-built forelimbs, which are usually reduced in size in other large theropods.

<i>Bonapartenykus</i> A large alvarezsauroid dinosaur

Bonapartenykus is a monospecific genus of alvarezsauroid dinosaur from Argentina that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) in what is now the upper Allen Formation of the Río Negro Province. The type and only species, Bonapartenykus ultimus, is known from a nearly articulated but partial skeleton that was found in close association to two incomplete eggs and several clusters of eggshells belonging to the oogenus Arriagadoolithus. Bonapartenykus was named in 2012 by Federico L. Agnolin, Jaime E. Powell, Fernando E. Novas and Martin Kundrát. Bonapartenykus has an estimated length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and weight of 72 kg (159 lb), making it the largest member of the clade Alvarezsauroidea.

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.

Guemesia is a genus of abelisaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Los Blanquitos Formation of Salta Province, Argentina. The type and only species is Guemesia ochoai, known from a nearly complete braincase. It is one of the smallest abelisaurids currently known.

<i>Maip</i> Genus of megaraptoran dinosaurs

Maip is a genus of large megaraptorid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Chorrillo Formation of Santa Cruz, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, M. macrothorax, known from an incomplete, disarticulated skeleton. Maip may represent the largest megaraptorid known from South America, and possibly the world.

<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.

Sidersaura is an extinct genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Huincul Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, S. marae, known from the remains of four individuals. Sidersaura represents one of the largest known rebbachisaurids.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Novas, F.E.; Agnolín (2004 (2004). "Unquillosaurus ceibalii Powell, a giant maniraptoran (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina". Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales. 6 (1): 61–66. doi: 10.22179/REVMACN.6.73 .{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 Powell, J.E. (1979). "On a dinosaur association and other evidinces of Upper Cretaceous vertebrates from the La Candelaria region, Salta Province, Argentina". Ameghiniana. 16 (1–2): 191–204. S2CID   126995364.
  3. R.D. Martínez and F.E. Novas, 2006, "Aniksosaurus darwini gen. et sp. nov., a new coelurosaurian theropod from the early Late Cretaceous of central Patagonia, Argentina", Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, nuevo serie 8(2): 243-259
  4. Carrano, Matthew T.; Benson, Roger B.J.; Sampson, Scott D. (2012). "The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 10 (2): 211–300. Bibcode:2012JSPal..10..211C. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.630927. S2CID   85354215.
  5. Agnolín, Federico L.; Novas, Fernando E. (2013), "Uncertain Averaptoran Theropods", Avian Ancestors, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 37–47, doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5637-3_4, ISBN   978-94-007-5636-6 , retrieved 2022-03-17
  6. Ezcurra, M.D.; Novas, F.E. (2016). "Theropod dinosaurs from Argentina" (PDF). Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia: 139–156. ISSN   1666-5503.
  7. Meso, J.G.; Juárez Valieri, R.D.; Porfiri, J.D.; Correa, S.A.S.; Martinelli, A.G.; Casal, G.A.; Canudo, J.I.; Poblete, F.; Dos Santos, D. (2021-09-01). "Testing the persistence of Carcharodontosauridae (Theropoda) in the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia based on dental evidence". Cretaceous Research. 125: 104875. Bibcode:2021CrRes.12504875M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104875. hdl: 11336/183886 . ISSN   0195-6671.
  8. Agnolín, Federico L.; Cerroni, Mauricio A.; Scanferla, Agustín; Goswami, Anjali; Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Halliday, Thomas; Cuff, Andrew R.; Reuil, Santiago (2022-02-10). "First definitive abelisaurid theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Northwestern Argentina". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 41 (4): e2002348. doi:10.1080/02724634.2021.2002348. ISSN   0272-4634. S2CID   246766133.
  9. Arroyo El Morterito at Fossilworks.org