Huayracursor
From Quechua huayra (wind) and Latin cursor (runner); meaning 'wind runner'
Late Triassic stages
Huayracursor is an extinct genus of early sauropodomorph dinosaurs known from the Late Triassic (Carnian age) Santo Domingo Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Huayracursor jaguensis, known from a partial articulated skeleton.
Diagnosis
- Wide angle (more than 140°) between the caudal margin of the scapular blade and the caudolateral surface of the glenoid rim
- Metacarpal 1 proximal dorsoventral and mediolateral breadth subequal
- Metacarpal 4 proximodistally shorter than metacarpal 1
- Pubis with robust ambiens process
- Femur with well-developed dorsolateral trochanter forming a directed flap
- Tibia distal end with a sub-triangular outline in distal view (recessed caudomedial corner) and flattened cranial distal surface
Species
Huayracursor jaguensis Hechenleitner et al., 2025
Type species
Named for the town of Jagüé in La Rioja Province, Argentina, near the discovery site.
- Holotype
- CRILAR-Pv 151 , Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja
- Material
- Articulated partial skeleton composed of cranial and postcranial material.
- Horizon
- Santo Domingo Formation, Carnian, Late Triassic , 237.0–227.3 million years ago
- Locality
- Quebrada Santo Domingo, La Rioja, Argentina Hechenleitner and colleagues (2025) place the holotype 80 m above the base of the formation.
References
- Hechenleitner, E. M.; Martinelli, A. G.; Rocher, S.; Fiorelli, L. E.; Juarez, M.; Taborda, J. R. A.; Desojo, J. B. (2025). A long-necked early dinosaur from a newly discovered Upper Triassic basin in the Andes. Nature 648(8094): 634-639. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09634-3 hechenleitner2025a