Open Paleo

Cienciargentina

Simón & Salgado, 2025 see-EN-see-AR-jen-TEE-nuh

From Spanish 'ciencia' meaning 'science' and 'Argentina', combining a tribute to Argentine science with the country of discovery.

100.5–93.9 million years ago Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Cienciargentina is a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) Huincul Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Cienciargentina sanchezi, known from three partial skeletons of different sizes. Cienciargentina is the fourth definitive rebbachisaurid to be named from the Huincul Formation.

Diagnosis

  1. Cervical epipophyses absent
  2. Dorsal centra amphicoelous to slightly opisthocoelous anteriorly and slightly opisthocoelous posteriorly; mid and posterior dorsals with an intrapostzygapophyseal lamina supporting the postzygapophyses, an accessory spinodiapophyseal lamina, and a spinoparapophyseal lamina on the posterior neural arches
  3. Anterior caudal vertebrae with the spinoprezygapophyseal lamina more robust than the spinopostzygapophyseal lamina, and transverse processes bearing a full suite of diapophyseal laminae (anterior and posterior centrodiapophyseal, prezygodiapophyseal, and postzygodiapophyseal)
  4. Posterior caudal vertebrae with the neural spine strongly displaced posteriorly and a length-to-height ratio of 5 or greater
  5. Forked chevrons lacking anterior and posterior projections
  6. Ischium with a constriction (neck) in the iliac peduncle and an ischial tuberosity; femoral head dorsally directed, rising well above the level of the greater trochanter

Species

Cienciargentina sanchezi Simón & Salgado, 2025

Type species

Named for Teresa Sánchez for work on Argentinian paleontology.

Holotype
MMCH-Pv 45 , Museo Municipal ‘Ernesto Bachman’, Villa El Chocón
Material
Partial skeleton: three cervical and four dorsal vertebrae, two dorsal ribs, fifteen caudal vertebrae, four haemal arches, a scapula, a sternal plate, an ischium, and both femora, tibiae, and fibulae.
Horizon
lower Huincul Formation, Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous , 100.5–93.9 million years ago
Locality
La Antena, Neuquén, Argentina

References

  1. Simón, M. E.; Salgado, L. (2025). New rebbachisaurid (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Huincul Formation (upper Cenomanian-Turonian) of Villa El Chocón (Neuquén Province, Argentina). Cretaceous Research 173. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106137 simón2025a