Rinconraptor
From 'Rincón', for Rincón de los Sauces in Patagonia, and Latin 'raptor' (thief).
Late Cretaceous stages
Rinconraptor is an extinct genus of megaraptorid theropod dinosaur known from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian age) Bajo de la Carpa Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Rinconraptor pipoae, known from a partial postcranial skeleton.
Diagnosis
- Ectepicondyle of the humerus set apart from the distal end of the humerus
- Lateral margin of the tibia straight in proximal view
- Cnemial crest and medial condyle of the tibia subquadrangular in proximal view
Species
Rinconraptor pipoae Méndez et al., 2026
Type species
Named for the late Laura Pipo, a doctoral student and friend of the authors who took part in the fieldwork that found the specimen and passed away in 2020.
- Holotype
- MAU-Pv-CO-659 , Museo Argentino Urquiza, Rincón de los Sauces
- Material
- Ten isolated caudal vertebral centra, the proximal end of a haemal arch, the distal end of the left humerus and the proximal end of the right tibia.
- Horizon
- Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Santonian, Late Cretaceous , 85.7–83.6 million years ago
- Locality
- Cerro Overo, 50 km southwest of Rincón de los Sauces, Neuquén, Argentina
References
- Méndez, A. H.; Paulina-Carabajal, A.; Filippi, L. S.; Gianechini, F. A.; González-Dionis, J.; Vettorazzi, L. F.; Seculi-Pereyra, E. E.; Ulloa-Guaiquin, K.; Barrios, F. T.; Cruzado-Caballero, P.; Bellardini, F.; Previtera, M. E.; Valdez, H.; Heredia, A. M.; Cárdenas, M.; Garrido, A. C.; Kim, D.-K.; Lee, Y.-N. (2026). Expanding the dinosaur diversity of the Cerro Overo–La Invernada area (Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Santonian), Northern Patagonia: Description of a new species and additional megaraptorid remains. Palaeontologia Electronica 29(3): a41. Coquina Press. doi:10.26879/1738 méndez2026a