Open Paleo

Europelta

Kirkland et al., 2013 YOO-ro-PEL-tuh

From Europa (Europe, where it was found) + Greek pelte (shield): 'Europe's shield', reflecting its nodosaurid armor and European origin.

113.2–100.5 million years ago Albian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Europelta is a monospecific genus of nodosaurid dinosaur from Spain that lived during the Early Cretaceous (early Albian stage, ~113.0 Ma) in what is now the lower Escucha Formation of the Teruel Province. The type and only species, Europelta carbonensis, is known from two associated partial skeletons, and represents the most complete ankylosaur known from Europe. Europelta was named in 2013 by James I. Kirkland and colleagues. Europelta has an estimated length of 5 meters (16 feet) and weight of 1.3 tonnes (2,866 lbs), making it the largest member of the clade Struthiosaurini.

Diagnosis

  1. Quadrate shorter and mediolaterally wider than in any other ankylosaur (ratio of mediolateral width to dorsoventral length = 0.77)
  2. Posterior margin of skull concave in dorsal view
  3. Sacrum arched dorsally about 55 degrees in lateral view
  4. Pubis fully and uniquely fused to ischium with slot-shaped foramen between post-pubic process and pubic peduncle position, forming an ischiopubis
  5. Tibia longer relative to femur length (90%) than in other ankylosaurs for which these proportions are known
  6. Laterally compressed, flanged osteoderm with flat plate-like base present anteriorly on the pelvic shield

Species

Europelta carbonensis Kirkland et al., 2013

Type species

From Latin 'carbo' meaning 'coal', honoring the Sociedad Anónima Minera Catalano-Aragonesa (SAMCA Group) for providing access to the fossil locality in the open-pit Santa María coal mine.

Holotype
CPT AR-1/10 , Museo de la Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis
Material
Disarticulated partial skeleton: mostly complete skull, isolated nasals, dentary fragment, 15 teeth, atlas, 5 cervical vertebrae, 2 cervical ribs, 8 dorsal vertebrae, synsacrum section, dorsal ribs, 3 caudal vertebrae, 4 chevrons, coracoid, scapular blade fragment, 2 xiphosternal plates, 2 partial humeri, pelvis, 70 osteoderms
Horizon
lower Escucha Formation, Albian, Early Cretaceous , 113.2–100.5 million years ago
Locality
AR-1, Santa María coal mine, Ariño, Teruel, Spain

References

  1. Kirkland, J. I.; Alcalá, L.; Loewen, M. A.; Espílez, E.; Mampel, L.; Wiersma, J. P. (2013). The Basal Nodosaurid Ankylosaur Europelta carbonensis n. gen., n. sp. from the Lower Cretaceous (Lower Albian) Escucha Formation of Northeastern Spain. PLoS ONE 8(12): e80405. Public Library of Science (PLoS). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080405

    Places the holotype in the lower Escucha Formation at the Santa María coal mine, Teruel.

    kirkland2013a
  2. Paul, G. S. (2024). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (3rd ed.). Princeton University Press.

    Source of the appearance features.

    paul2024a