Open Paleo

Saltriovenator

Dal Sasso et al., 2018 SAHL-tree-oh-ven-AY-tor

Named for Saltrio, the town in northern Italy where the fossils were found in a marble quarry, combined with Latin 'venator' meaning 'hunter'; meaning 'Saltrio hunter.'

199.5–192.9 million years ago Sinemurian, Early Jurassic
Early Jurassic stages

Saltriovenator is a genus of ceratosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic in what is now Italy. The type and only species is Saltriovenator zanellai; in the past, the species had been known under the informal name "saltriosaur". Although a full skeleton has not yet been discovered, Saltriovenator is thought to have been a large, bipedal carnivore similar to Ceratosaurus.

Diagnosis

  1. Humerus with deltopectoral crest protruding craniomedially for more than twice the shaft diameter, with distal lamina forming an abrupt 90-degree corner with humeral shaft
  2. Metacarpal II with hypertrophied semicircular extensor lip protruding over condylar level and bordering very deep and wide extensor pit
  3. Phalanx II-1 with deep and narrow flexor palmar groove bearing distinct bump distal to dorsal extensor process
  4. Manual ungual III with prominent flexor tubercle distinctly separated from articular facet by concave cleft
  5. Mosaic of ceratosaurian and tetanuran features including fully functional hand with four digits
  6. Mid-to-large ceratosaurian from early Sinemurian (lowermost Jurassic)

Species

Saltriovenator zanellai Dal Sasso et al., 2018

Type species

Named for Angelo Zanella, the amateur paleontologist who discovered the holotype in the Salnova marble quarry in Saltrio in 1996.

Holotype
MSNM V3664 , Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano
Material
Partial skeleton
Horizon
Saltrio Formation, Sinemurian, Early Jurassic , 199.5–192.9 million years ago
Locality
Salnova Quarry, Saltrio, Varese, Italy

Synonyms of the genus

Name Type Reason
Saltriosaurus junior subjective Latinized form of Dal Sasso's provisional Italian name 'Saltriosauro'; remains an invalid nomen nudum, with the specimen formally described as Saltriovenator.

References

  1. Dal Sasso, C.; Maganuco, S.; Cau, A. (2018). The oldest ceratosaurian (Dinosauria: Theropoda), from the Lower Jurassic of Italy, sheds light on the evolution of the three-fingered hand of birds. PeerJ 6: e5976. PeerJ. doi:10.7717/peerj.5976 dalsasso2018a