New Megaraptoran Dinosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda, Megaraptoridae) from Late Cretaceous of Patagonia
Publicado por Leonardo Filippi en 9:27
Rodolfo
A. Coria and Philip J. Currie
A skeleton discovered in the
Upper Cretaceous Sierra Barrosa Formation (Turonian-Coniacian) of Neuquén
Province, Argentina represents a new species of theropod dinosaur related to
the long snouted, highly pneumatized Megaraptoridae. The holotype specimen of Murusraptor
barrosaensis n.gen et n.sp. includes much of the skull, axial skeleton,
pelvis and tibia. Murusraptor is unique in having several diagnostic features
that include anterodorsal process of lacrimal longer than height of preorbital
process, and a thick, shelf-like thickening on the lateral surface of surangular
ventral to the groove between the anterior surangular foramen and the insert
for the uppermost intramandibular process of the dentary. Other characteristic
features of Murusraptor barrosaensis n.gen. et n. sp. include a large
mandibular fenestra, distal ends of caudal neural spines laterally thickened into
lateral knob-like processes, short ischia distally flattened and slightly
expanded dorsoventrally. Murusraptor belongs to a Patagonian radiation of
megaraptorids together with Aerosteon, Megaraptor and Orkoraptor. In spite
being immature, it is a larger but more gracile animal than existing specimens
of Megaraptor, and is comparable in size with Aerosteon and Orkoraptor. The
controversial phylogeny of the Megaraptoridae as members of the Allosauroidea
or a clade of Coelurosauria is considered analyzing two alternative data sets.
Coria RA, Currie PJ (2016) A
New Megaraptoran Dinosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda, Megaraptoridae) from the Late
Cretaceous of Patagonia. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0157973. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0157973
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