Open Paleo

Ichthyovenator

Allain et al., 2012 ik-thee-OH-veh-NAY-tuhr

From Greek ichthys (fish) and Latin venator (hunter); meaning 'fish hunter', referring to its inferred piscivorous lifestyle

121.4–113.2 million years ago Aptian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Ichthyovenator is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what is now Laos, sometime between 120 and 113 million years ago, during the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous period. It is known from fossils collected from the Grès supérieurs Formation of the Savannakhet Basin, the first of which were found in 2010, consisting of a partial skeleton without the skull or limbs. This specimen became the holotype of the new genus and species Ichthyovenator laosensis, and was described by paleontologist Ronan Allain and colleagues in 2012. The generic name, meaning "fish hunter", refers to its assumed piscivorous lifestyle, while the specific name alludes to the country of Laos. In 2014, it was announced that more remains from the dig site had been recovered; these fossils included teeth, more vertebrae (backbones) and a pubic bone from the same individual.

Diagnosis

  1. Dorsosacral sinusoidal sail with low first sacral spine and tall dorsal spines D12-D13
  2. Penultimate dorsal neural spine 410% of centrum length with anterodistal finger-like process unknown in other theropods
  3. Fan-shaped sacral neural spines 3 and 4 with height increasing from S1 to S4 then decreasing at S5
  4. Transverse processes of first caudal vertebra with sigmoid profile in dorsal view
  5. Deep prezygapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossae on first caudal vertebra
  6. Long iliac blade with ilium/pubis length ratio highest among known large theropods (1.46)
  7. Ischium with mediolaterally flattened shaft and well-developed proximal ischial plate unique among tetanuran theropods
  8. Large ischial foramen (previously known only in Segisaurus and Guanlong)
  9. Posterior dorsal ribs articulated with sternal complex indicated by notched, flared distal tips

Species

Ichthyovenator laosensis Allain et al., 2012

Type species

Named for Laos, the country where the holotype was discovered.

Holotype
MDS BK10-01, MDS BK10-02, MDS BK10-03, MDS BK10-04, MDS BK10-05, MDS BK10-06, MDS BK10-07, MDS BK10-08, MDS BK10-09, MDS BK10-10, MDS BK10-11, MDS BK10-12, MDS BK10-13, MDS BK10-14, MDS BK10-15 , Savannakhet Dinosaur Museum
Material
Partial articulated skeleton lacking skull and limbs.
Horizon
Grès supérieurs Formation, Aptian, Early Cretaceous , 121.4–113.2 million years ago
Locality
Ban Kalum, Tang Vay, Savannakhet, Laos

References

  1. Allain, R.; Xaisanavong, T.; Richir, P.; Khentavong, B. (2012). The first definitive Asian spinosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the early cretaceous of Laos. Naturwissenschaften 99(5): 369-377. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1007/s00114-012-0911-7 allain2012a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the appearance features.

    jones2026c