Open Paleo

Blasisaurus

Cruzado-Caballero et al., 2010 blah-see-SOR-us

Named after the Blasi 1 fossil site in Spain where the specimen was found, combined with Greek sauros meaning 'lizard'. Full meaning: 'Blasi lizard'.

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

Blasisaurus is a genus of lambeosaurine hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. It is known from a partial skull and skeleton found in late Maastrichtian-age rocks of Spain. The type species is Blasisaurus canudoi, described in 2010 by Penélope Cruzado-Caballero, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola and José Ignacio Ruiz-Omeñaca, a group of researchers from Spain.

Diagnosis

  1. Jugal with hook-like dorsal edge of the posterior process combined with a narrow, D-shaped infratemporal fenestra (autapomorphy)
  2. Jugal posterior edge of the anterior process well-projected ventrally in a straight line
  3. Jugal with concave posteroventral edge beneath the infratemporal fenestra
  4. Very short jugal with length/height ratio lower than 1.2
  5. Dentary teeth lacking secondary ridges (unique among European hadrosaurids with dentary teeth preserved)

Species

Blasisaurus canudoi Cruzado-Caballero et al., 2010

Type species

Named for paleontologist José Ignacio Canudo.

Holotype
MPZ99/667 , Museo de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad de Zaragoza
Material
Left jugal
Horizon
upper Arén Sandstone Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
Locality
Blasi 1, Arén, Huesca, Spain

References

  1. Cruzado-Caballero, P.; Pereda-Suberbiola, X.; Ruiz-Omeñaca, J. I. (2010). Blasisaurus canudoi gen. et sp. nov., a new lambeosaurine dinosaur (Hadrosauridae) from the Latest Cretaceous of Arén (Huesca, Spain). Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47(12): 1507-1517. Canadian Science Publishing. doi:10.1139/e10-081 cruzado-caballero2010a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length estimate.

    jones2026a