| Vitosaura Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) | |
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| Speculative life restoration by Connor Ashbridge | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryote |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Abelisauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Majungasaurinae? |
| Genus: | †Vitosaura Jiménez Velandia et al., 2025 |
| Species: | †V. colozacani |
| Type species | |
| †Vitosaura colozacani Jiménez Velandia et al., 2025 | |
Vitosaura is a genus of abelisaurids from the Cretaceous period of Argentina. The type and only species is Vitosaura colozacani. Vitosaura is one of the few Argentine ceratosaurians, after Guemesia and Noasaurus, to be found outside of Patagonia, and is the first theropod to be named from the Province of La Rioja.[1]
Discovery and Naming[]
The holotype of Vitosaura was discovered in the Los Llanos Formation and collected for research between 2009 to 2010, being the first dinosaur to be formally named from the rock formation. It was found in the main dinosaur quarry of the formation, in the Colozacán Valley, 3 kilometres south of Tama village. The generic name honours the 19th century federal soldier Victoria “Doña Vito” Romero, since she was born in the region near where the holotype of Vitosaura was found, and combines it with the feminine word for lizard in Greek. The specific name refers to the Colozacán Valley.[1]
Description[]
The holotype of Vitosaura, CRILAR-Pv 506, is based on a single dorsal centrum, a dorsal vertebra, some indeterminate elements, and much of the pelvic area. V. colozacani can be diagnosed from the rest of Ceratosauria and Abelisauridae by the following distinguishing traits:[1]
- Posterior pleurocoels in the anterior dorsal vertebrae are present in certain ceratosaurs, such as Carnotaurus and Koleken, but not in Vitosaura.
- A tranverse groove on the distal surface of the neural spine, a trait shared only with Majungasaurus and Viavenator.
- A distinct articulation surface only shared with Rahiolisaurus on the ilium for the pubis and ischium.
- Anteroposterior depth distally decreases on its pubic shaft, which is unique to Vitosaura.
Jiménez Velandia and colleagues determined V. colozacani to be a medium-sized abelisaur.[1]
Classification[]
Jiménez Velandia et. al. conclude Vitosaura to be a ceratosaurian abelisaurid with possible close affinities with Majungasaurinae and other Indo-Malagasy abelisaurs. Below is a phylogenetic analysis of Vitosaura, by Jiménez Velandia et. al.:[1]
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Paleoecology[]
The paper describing Vitosaura suggests the Los Llanos Formation dates back to the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous.[1] Although Vitosaura is the only formally named dinosaur from its respective formation, the presence of indeterminate members of Aeolosaurini, Titanosauria (based on fossilized nesting sites), and Abelisauridae have been reported in the Los Llanos Formation. Mesoeucrocodylians such as Llanosuchus have also been found in the region.