Open Paleo

Limaysaurus

Salgado et al., 2004 lee-may-SOR-us

Named after the Rio Limay, which borders the fossil locality in northwestern Patagonia; meaning "Limay lizard"

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

Limaysaurus is a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaurs which lived during the late Cretaceous period, about 99.7 to 94 million years ago, in the Cenomanian, in what is now South America (northwestern Patagonia). It is represented by a single species, L. tessonei.

Diagnosis

  1. Extremely reduced lateral temporal fenestra
  2. Supraoccipital height less than foramen magnum
  3. Basal tubera sheet-like
  4. Caudal centra with posterior articular surfaces more concave than anterior
  5. Anterior caudal neural spines with distally thickened lateral laminae
  6. Distally expanded pubis with oval cross-section shaft
  7. Ambiens process of pubis placed distal to obturator foramen
  8. Ischium with slender shaft twisted 90°, distal end unexpanded
  9. Cervical neural arches with accessory lamina from postzygodiapophyseal lamina anterodorsally

Species

Limaysaurus tessonei (Calvo & Salgado, 1995)

Type species

First named as Rebbachisaurus tessonei

Named for Lieto Francisco Tessone, who discovered the first and most complete holotype specimen in 1988 in Neuquén Province, Argentina.

Holotype
MUCPv-205 , Universidad Nacional del Comahue
Material
80% complete skeleton with cranial and postcranial elements.
Horizon
upper Candeleros Formation, Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous , 100.5–93.9 million years ago
Locality
5 km southwest of El Chocón, Neuquén, Argentina

References

  1. Calvo, J. O.; Salgado, L. (1995). Rebbachisaurus tessonei sp. nov. a new Sauropoda from the Albian-Cenomanian of Argentina; new evidence on the origin of the Diplodocidae. Gaia 11: 13-33.

    Original description, as Rebbachisaurus tessonei. Gives the type locality as "Approximately 5 km Southwest of El Chocón locality".

    calvo1995a
  2. Salgado, L.; Garrido, A.; Cocca, S. E.; Cocca, J. R. (2004). Lower Cretaceous rebbachisaurid sauropods from Cerro Aguada del León (Lohan Cura Formation), Neuquén Province, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24(4): 903-912. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2004)024[0903:lcrsfc]2.0.co;2 salgado2004a