A new species of Struthiosaurus (Dinosauria: Ankylosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of Villeveyrac (southern France)
2003; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 23; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1671/0272-4634(2003)23[156
ISSN1937-2809
AutoresGéraldine Garcia, Xabier Pereda Suberbiola,
Tópico(s)Ichthyology and Marine Biology
ResumoABSTRACT A new species of the ankylosaur Struthiosaurus from the Upper Cretaceous (lower Campanian) of the Villeveyrac-Mèze Basin, southern France, is described from a partial skeleton that includes distal dorsal vertebrae, synsacrum and pelvic girdle. Struthiosaurus languedocensis, sp. nov. is a small-sized nodosaurid (less than 3 m length) characterised by distal dorsal centra that are very compressed laterally and hourglass in shape in ventral view; ischium directed immediately caudal from the acetabulum, with a robust shaft that does not taper distally and that is weakly curved in a caudoventral orientation. The synsacrum of S. languedocensis consists of ten co-ossified vertebrae, including five dorsals, four sacrals and a caudal. Among ankylosaurs, only Polacanthus foxii has a similar synsacral count, but there are significant differences in the pelvic structure between Struthiosaurus and Polacanthus. The presence of an ischium lacking a distinct nodosaurid-like ventral flexion appears to be diagnostic for the genus Struthiosaurus, as suggested by additional remains recovered from the upper Campanian of Laño (Iberian Peninsula). Current data suggests that Struthiosaurus is represented by different species in southwestern and central Europe.
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