Open Paleo

Allosauroidea

Currie & Zhao, 1993 Type genus Allosaurus

Its genera lived 184.2–89.8 million years ago Early Jurassic–Late Cretaceous

Allosauroidea is a superfamily of carnosaurian theropod dinosaurs comprising the metriacanthosaurids (sinraptorids), the allosaurids, and the carcharodontosaurians. Its members were among the first giant predators in theropod history, some weighing more than two tons, and together with the megalosauroids they served as apex predators from the Middle Jurassic to the early Late Cretaceous. Fossils have been recovered across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, though in North America and Asia allosauroids were eventually replaced by the tyrannosauroids during the Late Cretaceous. These medium- to gigantic-sized bipedal hunters are distinguished by large, narrow skulls roughly two and a half to three times longer than tall, frequently ornamented with crests or rugosities, and by long, laterally compressed, serrated teeth well suited to slicing flesh from prey.

Diagnosis

  1. Antorbital sinus invades the interior of the lacrimal, nasal, and jugal
  2. Quadrate–quadratojugal fenestra present, with an associated pneumatic sinus
  3. Pneumatic basisphenoid recess opening the braincase posteriorly between non-pedunculate basal tubera
  4. Downturned paroccipital processes
  5. Triangular, elongate scapular blade sharply set off from the acromial process and glenoid lip
  6. Obturator fenestra of the ischium opening into a notch to form a distinct obturator process

Clades within Allosauroidea

Genera placed directly in Allosauroidea

  • Asfaltovenator Rauhut & Pol, 2019 Toarcian–Bajocian (184.2–168.2 Ma)Argentinaincertae sedisunder dispute
  • Erectopus Huene, 1923 Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)Franceincertae sedisunder dispute
  • Neovenator Hutt et al., 1996 Barremian (125.8–121.4 Ma)United Kingdomincertae sedisunder dispute

References

  1. Currie, P. J.; Zhao, X. J. (1993). A new carnosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Jurassic of Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 30(10): 2037-2081. Canadian Science Publishing. doi:10.1139/e93-179

    Defined Allosauroidea and provided the shared cranial and postcranial characters used as its diagnosis.

    currie1993c