Wednesday 14 November 2012

A new Ceratosaurian Theropod from the Early Cretaceous of Spain.

The Ceratosaurians were a diverse group of Theropod Dinosaurs abundant in the Mid-to-Late Jurassic and the Late Cretaceous, but uncommon in intervening period. This suggests that they either underwent to periods of ecological success, with an interval between in which they were marginalized, or that they were successful throughout the Cretaceous but that their fossils have not been discovered. They are better known from the southern hemisphere, but not absent from the north.

In a paper published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica on 23 October 2012, Bárbara Sánchez-Hernández and Mike Benton of the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol describe a new species of Ceratosaurian from the Early Cretaceous of central Spain. The skeleton is partial and fragmentary, having been exposed during the ploughing of a field.

The new Dinosaur is named Camarillasaurus cirugedae, meaning Cirugeda's Camarillas-reptile; it was found by farmer Pedro Cirugeda Buj on his farm at Camarillas. The specimen comprises a partial tooth, some ribs, several vertebrae, part of the hip and leg-bones.

The tooth of Camarillasaurus cirugedae. Shown in (A) labial-lateral view, (B) lateral view, and (C) Cross sectional view, with (D, E, F) shading to show broken areas (grey) and wear facets (white). Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Cervical (neck) vertebrae in (A) right lateral, (B) posterior?, (C) anterior? and (D) ventral views.  Scale bar is 5 mm. Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Presacral (lower back) vertebrae in (A) anterior, (B) left lateral and (C) posterior views. Possible neural spine tips in (D) posterior? and (E) transverse? views. (F) Rib. (G) Detail of proximal end of rib. Scale bars are 10 mm (A, B, C, G), 20 mm (D, E) and 100 mm (F). Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Dorsal vertebrae.  Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Sacrum (part of hip joint) in (A) left lateral and (B) anterior views. Fused centra (also part of hip joint) in (C) right lateral and (D) anterior views. Incomplete centrum in (E) lateral and (F) anterior? views. (G) Incomplete centrum in ventral view. (H) Sacrum and fused centra in  lateral view. Scale bars are 10 mm, except (H) which is 40 mm. Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Caudal vertebrae. Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Haemal arches (muscle supporting processes on the underside of the tail vertebrae). Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Fragmentary scapulocoracoid (part of the hip joint) in medial (A & B), posterior (C) and anterior (D) views. arrow points to ridges that might indicate a muscle insertion, or tooth marks. Scale bars are 10 mm. Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Top: Right sternal plate (part of the rib cage) in (A) lateral and (B) ventral view. Bottom: Left sternal plate in (C) lateral and (D) ventral views. Scale bars are 10 mm. Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

Proximal portion of the right tibia in (A) lateral, (B) medial, (C) anterior, (D) posterior, (E) proximal and (F) distal views. (G) Detail of the tibial foramen area, in lateral view. Scale bars are 10 mm. Sánchez-Hernández & Benton (2012).

See also A new Therizinosauroid Dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of UtahNew species of Dromaeosaur from the Early Cretaceous of UtahPolice seize Dinosaur from New York warehouseKelmayisaurus petrolicus reconsidered and Dinosaurs on Sciency thoughts YouTube.

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