Open Paleo

Quetecsaurus

González Riga & Ortiz David, 2013

From the Milcayac word 'quetec' meaning 'fire', combined with Greek 'sauros' meaning 'lizard'; meaning 'fire lizard.'

93.9–89.8 million years ago Turonian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Quetecsaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur known from the Late Cretaceous of the southern Mendoza Province, western Argentina. It contains a single species, Quetecsaurus rusconii.

Diagnosis

  1. Intercentrum of atlas with prominent anteroventral border and expanded posteroventral processes
  2. Posterior cervical neural spines with incipient lateral laminae
  3. Humerus with strongly sigmoid proximal border, rounded proximomedial border, and angular proximolateral corner

Species

Quetecsaurus rusconii González Riga & Ortiz David, 2013

Type species

Named in honor of Carlos Rusconi (1898-1969), a naturalist who worked extensively in Mendoza Province and was Director of the Museo de Ciencias Naturales 'Juan Cornelio Moyano'.

Holotype
UNCUYO-LD-300 , Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Laboratorio de Dinosaurios
Material
Postorbital, teeth, atlas, posterior cervical vertebra, incomplete anterior dorsal vertebra, anterior caudal centrum, dorsal ribs, coracoid, incomplete humerus, distal radius and ulna fragments, five metacarpals
Horizon
upper Cerro Lisandro Formation, Turonian, Late Cretaceous , 93.9–89.8 million years ago
Locality
Cañada del Pichanal, Mendoza, Argentina

References

  1. González Riga, B. J.; Ortiz David, L. (2013). A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous (Cerro Lisandro Formation) of Mendoza Province, Argentina. Ameghiniana 51(1): 3-25. doi:10.5710/AMGH.24.12.2013.1889 gonzálezriga2013a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length estimate.

    jones2026b