Open Paleo

Morelladon

Gasulla et al., 2015 moh-RAY-o-don

Combines a reference to Morella (a town in Castellón, Spain, near the discovery site) with Greek odṓn (ὀδών), meaning 'tooth'

125.8–121.4 million years ago Barremian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Morelladon is an extinct genus of herbivorous styracosternan ornithopod dinosaur. It lived during the Early Cretaceous of Spain, around 130 million years ago.

Diagnosis

  1. Dorsal neural spines at least 4.3 times centrum height, vertically arranged
  2. Extremely tall and deep vertical recess between postzygapophyses in mid-posterior dorsals (2.6 times spine length)
  3. Dorsosacral rib distally fused to sacral yoke
  4. Midline ventral keel restricted to anterior half of sacrals 2 and 3 centra
  5. Medial ridge on postacetabular process slopes posterodorsally to meet dorsal ilium margin forming medially expanded dorsal platform
  6. Distal ischial shaft laterally expanded with D-shaped cross-section
  7. Sacrodorsal and first sacral rib facets closely spaced near ilium dorsal margin

Species

Morelladon beltrani Gasulla et al., 2015

Type species

Named for Victor Beltrán, the owner of the Vega del Moll S.A. Company that operated the quarry at Morella, Spain, where the holotype was discovered.

Holotype
CMP-MS-03 , Museo de la Valltorta
Material
Partial skeleton with complete right dentary tooth, six dorsal vertebrae, dorsal centrum, dorsal neural spine fragments, two dorsal rib fragments, nearly complete sacrum, two haemal arches, ilia, incomplete pubes and ischia, right tibia.
Horizon
Arcillas de Morella Formation, Barremian, Early Cretaceous , 125.8–121.4 million years ago
Locality
Mas de Sabaté site, Mas de la Parreta Quarry, Castellón, Spain

References

  1. Gasulla, J. M.; Escaso, F.; Narváez, I.; Ortega, F.; Sanz, J. L. (2015). A New Sail-Backed Styracosternan (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Morella, Spain. PLOS ONE 10(12): e0144167. Public Library of Science (PLoS). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144167 gasulla2015a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length, mass, and hip height estimates, and the appearance features.

    jones2026a