Lavocatisaurus
Named for French paleontologist René Lavocat combined with Greek 'sauros' meaning 'lizard', hence 'René Lavocat's lizard'. The species name refers to Agrio del Medio, the locality where it was found.
Early Cretaceous stages
Lavocatisaurus is a genus of sauropod in the family Rebbachisauridae from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian to Albian) Rayoso Formation of the Neuquén Basin, northern Patagonia, Argentina.
Diagnosis
- Extremely well-developed preantorbital fenestra
- Marked laterodorsal fossa in the dentary
- Ventrally expanded squamosal
- Dentary with pronounced ventral projection in the mesio-ventral corner
- Maxillary teeth significantly larger than the mandibular teeth
- Middle caudal vertebrae with anteriorly projecting prezygapophysis
Species
Lavocatisaurus agrioensis Canudo et al., 2018
Type species
Named for Agrio del Medio, the locality in Neuquén Province, Argentina from which the holotype and referred specimens were recovered.
- Holotype
- MOZ-Pv1232 , Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales "Dr, Prof. Juan A. Olsacher"
- Material
- partially articulated specimen with dentaries, surangular, premaxillae and maxillae, jugal, squamosal, quadrates, isolated teeth, hyoid bone, cervical and caudal vertebrae, ribs, humerus, radius fragment
- Horizon
- middle Pichi Neuquén Member, Rayoso Formation, Aptian–Albian, Early Cretaceous , 121.4–100.5 million years ago
- Locality
- Agrio del Medio, Neuquén, Argentina
References
- Canudo, J.; Carballido, J.; Salgado, L.; Garrido, A. (2018). A new rebbachisaurid sauropod from the Aptian-Albian, Lower Cretaceous Rayoso Formation, Neuquén, Argentina. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 63. Polska Akademia Nauk Instytut Paleobiologii (Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences). doi:10.4202/app.00524.2018 canudo2018a
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Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.
Source of the body length and hip height estimates, and the appearance features.
jones2026b