| Protathlitis Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, Barremian | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reconstruction of Protathlitis by Oscar Sanisidro and Grup Guix | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukarya |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Spinosauridae |
| Genus: | †Protathlitis Charig & Milner, 1986 |
| Species: | P. cincorrensis |
| Type species | |
| †Protathlitis cincorrensis | |
Protathlitis is a genus of dinosaur in the Spinosauridae family, from the Barremian epoch of the Early Cretaceous, about 129.4-125 Ma. The Holotype was discovered in the Arcillas de Morella Formation of what is now Spain. The type and only species of the genus is P. cinctorrensis.
Etymology[]
The generic name 'Protathlitis', is the Greek word for 'Champion', and is a reference to the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League which was won by Villareal C.F., and to the club's centenary in 2023. The specific name 'cinctorrensis' is a reference to the town where the holotype was discovered, Cinctorres, so the name translates to 'Cinctorres's Champion'.
Discovery[]
Skeletal of Protathlitis (holotype specimen colored red)
The Holotype was discovered in the Arcillas de Morella Formation in the Town on Cinctorres in modern day Castellón, Spain. The remains included a fragment of the right maxilla (8ANA-109), and five caudal vertebrae (3ANA83, 4ANA43, 4ANA69, 4ANA76, and 5ANA78). The new genus and species of spinosaurid were described in 2023.
Classification[]
A 2023 phylogenetic analysis by Santos-Cubedo et al. found Protathlitis to be the most basal taxon of Baryonychinae.
Palaeoenvironment[]
Protathlitis hails from the Arcillas de Morella Formation, which has been dated to the Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous period, between 129.4 and 125 million years ago. It coexisted in this environment with other dinosaurs including the ornithischians Iguanodon bernissartensis and Morelladon beltrani, an indeterminate sauropod, and the fellow spinosaurid Vallibonavenatrix.