| Genusaurus Temporal range: Early Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pelvic elements of G. sisteronis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Superorder: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Infraorder: | †Ceratosauria |
| Superfamily: | †Abelisauroidea |
| Genus: | †Genusaurus |
| Species: | †G. sisterornis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Genusaurus sisterornis Accarie et al, 1995 | |
Genusaurus ([1] meaning "knee lizard") is a genus of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. Its fossils were found in France. Genusaurus is believed to have lived during the Albian stage, around 112-100 million years ago.[2][3]
Description[]
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Hypothetical restoration
Genusaurus possesses several distinguishing traits. The dorsal vertebrae are elongated. The elements of the pelvis are strongly fused. The thighbone shows a low bone plateau below the major trochanter; to the front an accessory trochanter is present. The epicondyle of the inner femoral condyle is well-developed. The cnemial crest strongly extends to the front and is curved upwards. The fibula has a distinctive boss serving as an attachment for the Musculus iliofibularis. The upper inner side of the fibula is strongly hollowed out.[4]
Discovery and naming[]
The type species, Genusaurus sisteronis, is the only named species. It is based on a partial skeleton found in 1984-1986 in the Albian Bevons Beds, holotype MNHN Bev.1. The holotype contains seven partial dorsal vertebrae, a piece of a sacral, a piece of an ilium, the top of a pubic bone, a thighbone, the top of a shinbone, the top of a fibula and a metatarsal. It was named and described by Hugues Accarie, Bernard Beaudoin, Jean Dejax, Gérard Friès, Jean-Guy Michard and Philippe Taquet in 1995.[4] The genus name is derived from the Latin word genu (knee) and refers to the cnemial crest in front of the proximal end of the tibia.[4] The specific name refers to Sisteron, the town near which the specimen was found.[4]
Classification[]
Accarie et al. assigned Genusaurus to the ceratosaur group of theropods, more precisely to the Coelophysoidea.[4] A 2008 cladistic analysis by Carrano and Sampson placed Genusaurus in the Noasauridae along with Laevisuchus, Masiakasaurus, Noasaurus, and Velocisaurus; in turn, noasaurids are part of the Abelisauroidea group, which is part of the ceratosaur group.[3] Subsequent phylogenetic analyses found Genusaurus to be a member of the Abelisauridae, specifically the Majungasaurinae.[5]
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Timeline of ceratosaur research
References[]
- ↑ Creisler, Ben (July 7, 2003). "Dinosauria Translation and Pronunciation Guide G". Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101225025659/http://dinosauria.com/dml/names/dinog.htm. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
- ↑ Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2007). Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages. Genus list "last updated 8/1/2008". New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-82419-7.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 (2007) "The Phylogeny of Ceratosauria (Dinosauria: Theropoda)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 6 (02): 183–236. DOI:10.1017/S1477201907002246.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Accarie, H., B. Beaudoin, J. Dejax, G. Fries, J.C. Michard, and P. Taquet (1995). "Découverte d'un Dinosaure théropode nouveau (Genusaurus sisteronis n. g., n. sp.) dans l'Albien marin de Sisteron (Alpes de Haute-Provence, France) et extension au Crétacé inférieur de la lignée cératosaurienne". Compte rendu hebdomadaire des scéances de l'Académie des Sciences à Paris. 320 (2): 327-334 Translation into English.
- ↑ (2016) "A new brachyrostran with hypertrophied axial structures reveals an unexpected radiation of latest Cretaceous abelisaurids". Cretaceous Research 61: 209–219. DOI:10.1016/j.cretres.2015.12.018.
External links[]
- "Our Exhibitions: Genusaurus sisteronis" (in French) at the Réserve Naturelle Géologique de Haute-Provence, France.