A new brachyrostran with hypertrophied axial structures reveals an unexpected radiation of latest Cretaceous abelisaurids

A well preserved skeleton of a new abelisaurid is reported here. The holotype of Viavenator exxoni was found in the outcrops of the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Santonian, Upper Cretaceous), northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. This new taxon belongs to the South American clade of abelisaurids, the bra...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Filippi, Leonardo Sebastián, Méndez, Ariel Hernán, Juárez Valieri, Rubén, Garrido, Alberto Carlos
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/149906
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/149906
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:ABELISAURIDAE
BAJO DE LA CARPA
BRACHYROSTRA
FURILEUSAIRA
NEUQUÉN BASIN
UPPER CRETACEOUS
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:A well preserved skeleton of a new abelisaurid is reported here. The holotype of Viavenator exxoni was found in the outcrops of the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Santonian, Upper Cretaceous), northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. This new taxon belongs to the South American clade of abelisaurids, the brachyrostrans. The current phylogenetic analysis places it as the basalmost member of a new clade of derived brachyrostrans, named Furileusauria, characterized by distinctive cranial, axial and appendicular anatomical features. The Santonian age of Viavenator allows filling the stratigraphic gap exhibited between the basal brachyrostrans of Cenomanian-Turonian age, and the derived forms from the Campanian-Maastrichtian. The evolution of abelisaurids during the Late Cretaceous, faunal replacements, and the adaptive radiation that occurred during that period of time in South America are discussed.