Open Paleo

Abditosaurus

Vila et al., 2022 ab-DEE-toe-SOR-us

From Latin 'abditus' meaning 'forgotten' or 'hidden' and Greek 'sauros' meaning 'lizard'; meaning 'forgotten lizard'

72.2–66.0 million years ago Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Abditosaurus is an extinct genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Conques Formation (Tremp Group) of Catalonia, Spain. The genus contains a single species, Abditosaurus kuehnei, known from a partial specimen representing the most complete titanosaur skeleton found in Europe. Phylogenetic analyses recover it within a clade of South American and African saltasaurines, distinct from other insular dwarf sauropods from the European archipelago. Abditosaurus inhabited the Ibero-Armorican Island, a prehistoric island made up of what is now Spain, Portugal, and southern France, and would have been the largest titanosaur species in its environment.

Under dispute

Placed within Saltasauridae as incertae sedis. The describing analysis (Vila and colleagues, 2022) recovered Abditosaurus more precisely as a saltasaurine, within a clade of South American and African saltasaurines (sister to Paralititan) distinct from the lirainosaurine titanosaurs of the European archipelago. Because that saltasaurine topology rests on a single analysis whose recovered neighbors (Paralititan, Maxakalisaurus) are atypical relative to most studies, it is placed conservatively at Saltasauridae rather than within Saltasaurinae.

Diagnosis

  1. Anterior dorsal vertebrae with anterior centrodiapophyseal lamina not reaching centrum but intersecting centroprezygapophyseal lamina; diapophyses ventral to postzygapophyses; absence of centroprezygapophyseal lamina.
  2. Middle dorsal vertebrae with oblique posterodorsally oriented accessory lamina dividing parapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossa and secondary prezygodiapophyseal lamina dividing prezygapophyseal paradiapophyseal fossa.
  3. Abundant pneumatic foramina in spinopostzygapophyseal, centropostzygapophyseal, and postzygapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossae of dorsal vertebrae.
  4. Anterior dorsal ribs lacking pneumatic foramina on anterolateral and posteromedial surfaces; second dorsal ribs with anteroposterior thickening or bulge on posterior margin of distal end.
  5. Scapula with co-occurrence of posteroventral process on medial margin of acromial plate, subtle anteroventral process, prominent dorsomedial blade bulge, and two oval lateral fossae on posterior blade end.
  6. Coracoid foramen elliptical and twisting its orientation from lateral through to medial surface; fibula distal end bevelled posteriorly 20° relative to long axis of shaft.

Species

Abditosaurus kuehnei Vila et al., 2022

Type species

Named for Walter Georg Kühne, the German paleontologist who discovered the type specimen in 1954.

Holotype
MCD 6715, MCD 6716, MCD 6717, MCD 6718, MCD 6719, MCD 6720, MCD 6721, MCD 6722, MCD 6723, MCD 6724, MCD 6725, MCD 6728, MCD 6729, MCD 6730, MCD 6731, MCD 6732, MCD 6733, MCD 6734, MCD 6735, MCD 6736, MCD 6738, MCD 6742, MCD 6744, MCD 6745, MCD 6746, MCD 6747, MCD 6748, MCD 6749, MCD 6750, MCD 6751, MCD 6985, MCD 6986, MCD 6987, MCD 6988, MCD 9882, MNCN 59301, MNCN 79837, MNCN 79838, MNCN 79847, MNCN 79848 , Museu de la Conca Dellà
Material
Associated, semi-articulated partial skeleton: isolated teeth, 12 articulated cervical vertebrae, cervical ribs, 7 dorsal vertebrae, 6 dorsal ribs, 3 chevrons, right scapula, right coracoid, left sternal plate, sternal rib, humeri, partial right radius, fragment of left ilium, partial right femur, right tibia, right and left fibula with adhered calcaneum.
Horizon
lower Conques Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
Locality
Orcau-1, Lleida, Spain

References

  1. Vila, B.; Sellés, A.; Moreno-Azanza, M.; Razzolini, N. L.; Gil-Delgado, A.; Canudo, J. I.; Galobart, À. (2022). A titanosaurian sauropod with Gondwanan affinities in the latest Cretaceous of Europe. Nature Ecology & Evolution 6(3): 288-296. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41559-021-01651-5 vila2022a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate.

    jones2026b