Open Paleo

Rugops

Sereno et al., 2004 roo-gops

From Latin 'ruga' (wrinkle) + Greek 'ops' (face, eye), meaning 'wrinkle face', referring to the pitted and rough surface of the skull.

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

Rugops is a monospecific genus of basal abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period (Cenomanian stage, approximately 95 million years ago) in what is now the Echkar Formation in Niger. The type and only species, Rugops primus, is known only from a partial skull. It was named and described in 2004 by Paul Sereno, Jeffery Wilson and Jack Conrad. Rugops has an estimated length of 4.4-5.3 meters (14-17 ft) and weight of 410 kilograms (900 lb). The top of its skull bears several pits which correlates with overlaying scale and the front of the snout would have had an armor-like dermis.

Diagnosis

  1. Small fenestra in skull roof between prefrontal, frontal, post-orbital and lacrimal
  2. Row of seven small invaginated depressions on dorsal surface of each nasal
  3. Textured external surface with groove-and-pit ornamentation
  4. U-shaped dental arcade
  5. Broad maxillary-jugal contact
  6. Subrectangular alveoli

Species

Rugops primus Sereno et al., 2004

Type species

From Latin 'primus' meaning 'first', referring to Rugops being one of the earliest abelisaurids known with a heavily textured skull.

Holotype
MNBH IGU1 , Musée National Boubou Hama
Material
Partial cranium lacking the posterolateral portions of the skull roof and palate
Horizon
Farak Formation, Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous , 100.5–93.9 million years ago
Locality
Iguidi, Agadez, Niger Sereno and colleagues (2026) assign the Iguidi (In Abangharit) area to the Farak Formation, from Faure's type sections north of Tanout, its fauna, and its position beneath the Cenomanian–Turonian limestone exposed to the west.

References

  1. Sereno, P. C.; Vidal, D.; Myhrvold, N. P.; Johnson-Ransom, E.; Ciudad Real, M.; Baumgart, S. L.; Sánchez Fontela, N.; Green, T. L.; Saitta, E. T.; Adamou, B.; Bop, L. L.; Keillor, T. M.; Fitzgerald, E. C.; Dutheil, D. B.; Laroche, R. A. S.; Demers-Potvin, A. V.; Simarro, Á.; Gascó-Lluna, F.; Lázaro, A.; Gamonal, A.; Beightol, C. V.; Reneleau, V.; Vautrin, R.; Bertozzo, F.; Granados, A.; Kinney-Broderick, G.; Mallon, J. C.; Lindoso, R. M.; Ramezani, J. (2026). Scimitar-crested Spinosaurus species from the Sahara caps stepwise spinosaurid radiation. Science 391: eadx5486. doi:10.1126/science.adx5486

    Concludes that "both the Jenguebi and Iguidi (In Abangharit) fossil areas represent exposures of the Farak Formation".

    sereno2026a
  2. Sereno, P. C.; Wilson, J. A.; Conrad, J. L. (2004). New dinosaurs link southern landmasses in the Mid-Cretaceous. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 271(1546): 1325-1330. The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rspb.2004.2692 sereno2004a
  3. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate, and the appearance features.

    jones2026c