Noasaurus
| Noasaurus leali Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 70 Ma | |
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| Skeletal restoration showing known remains | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Noasauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Noasaurinae |
| Genus: | †Noasaurus Bonaparte & Powell, 1980 |
| Species: | † N. leali |
| Binomial name | |
| Noasaurus leali Bonaparte & Powell, 1980 | |
Noasaurus ("Northwestern Argentina lizard") is a genus of theropod dinosaur genus of the late Campanian-Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous).
Discovery
It was a small (less than eight feet long) theropod, specifically a ceratosaur, discovered by Jaime Powell and José Bonaparte from the Lecho Formation of Salta Province, Argentina, dating to the late Cretaceous period (early Maastrichtian stage, about 70 Ma ago). The type species, Noasaurus leali, was described by Bonaparte and Powell in 1980.
Classification
It was a close relative of the larger abelisaurids; they are both derived from the same basal abelisauroid ancestor. While originally reported to have a raptorial 'sickle claw' on the foot similar to the claws of the more advanced dromaeosaurids, subsequent studies showed that the claw actually came from the hand.[1]
The following cladogram is based on the phylogenetic analysis conducted by Rauhut and Carrano in 2016, showing the relationships of Elaphrosaurs among the noasaurids:[2]
| Abelisauroidea |
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See also
References
- ↑ Agnolin, F.L. and Chiarelli, P. (2010). "The position of the claws in Noasauridae (Dinosauria: Abelisauroidea) and its implications for abelisauroid manus evolution." Paläontologische Zeitschrift, published online 19 November 2009. doi:10.1007/s12542-009-0044-2
- ↑ Rauhut, O.W.M., and Carrano, M.T. (2016). The theropod dinosaur Elaphrosaurus bambergi Janensch, 1920, from the Late Jurassic of Tendaguru, Tanzania. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, (advance online publication) doi:10.1111/zoj.12425
Sources
- Lessem, D. (May 1993). "Jose Bonaparte: Master of the Mesozoic". Omni.
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