Limaysaurus

Limaysaurus; Temporal range: Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Skeleton restoration
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:	†Sauropoda
Superfamily:	†Diplodocoidea
Family:	†Rebbachisauridae
Subfamily:	† Limaysaurinae
Genus:	†Limaysaurus; Salgado et al., 2004
Type species
	†Limaysaurus tessonei; Salgado et al., 2004 (Calvo & Salgado, 1995)
Synonyms
	Rebbachisaurus tessonei Calvo & Salgado, 1995;

Limaysaurus ("Limay lizard") is a genus represented by a single species of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaurs, which lived during the mid-Cretaceous period, about 99.6 to 97 million years ago, in the Cenomanian, in what is now South America (northwestern Patagonia).

Discovery

Limaysaurus includes a single

Río Limay which borders the region and from the specific name, tessonei, in honor of Lieto Tessone, who found the first and most complete holotype.^[1] Their discovery shed some light on the distribution of Gondwanan dinosaurs in the mid-Cretaceous period. Several specimens of Limaysaurus are known, one of which (the holotype) is 80% complete, being one of the most complete Cretaceous sauropods ever found in South America.^[2]^[3]

The holotype specimen, MUCPv-205, a partial skeleton including the back of the skull, was found in 1988 by Lieto Francisco Tessone, who is honoured in the specific name. It was afterwards collected, together with MUCPv-206, a second fragmentary skeleton, by José Bonaparte. These two adult specimens likely hailed from the top of the Candeleros Formation, which is dated to the early Cenomanian age. An additional smaller specimen, MUCPv-153, was found nearby, although it belonged to the base of the Huincul Formation, from the late Cenomanian.^[1]

Limaysaurus was found 15 km (9 mi) southwest of Villa El Chocón, Picún Leufú Department, Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina.^[1] The sediments belong to the Río Limay Subgroup, in Lohan Cura Formation, at Cerro Aguada del León. These beds appear to date from the Aptian-Albian interval,^[4] although these fossils were later named Comahuesaurus.

Description

Size comparison.

Limaysaurus was a medium-sized sauropod.

gastroliths

have been found, which were used to help the stomach to grind food.

Classification

dinosaurs

The describing authors in 2004 assigned Limaysaurus to the

cladistic analysis of macronarian sauropods (Salgado et al., 2004) demonstrated close affinities between Limaysaurus, the African genera Rebbachisaurus and Nigersaurus, and the South American genera Rayososaurus and Cathartesaura. ^[4]^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Calvo, J. O. and Salgado, L. (1995). "Rebbachisaurus tessonei sp. nov. A new sauropod from the Albian-Cenomanian of Argentina; new evidence on the origin of the Diplodocidae." Gaia, 11: 13-33.
^ Holtz, Thomas (2012). "Genus List for Holtz (2007) Dinosaurs:The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages" (PDF).
^ ^a ^b Novas, Fernando (2009). The Age of Dinosaurs in South America. USA: Indiana University Press. pp. 175–179.
^ ^a ^b Salgado, L., Garrido, A., Cocca, S. E., and Cocca, J. R. (2004). "Lower Cretaceous rebbachisaurid sauropods from Cerro Aguada Del León, Neuquén Province, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 24(4): 903-912, December 2004.
^ ^a ^b Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press, pp. 186 and 208.
^ Holmes, Thom (2008). Time of the Giants. USA: Infobase Publishing. p. 48.
^ Calvo, Jorge and Salgado, Leonardo (1996). A land bridge connection between South America and Africa during Albian-Cenomanian times based on sauropod dinosaur evidences. 39° Congresso Brasileiro de Geología , Anais (7): 392-393.

External links

Limaysaurus (Diplodocoidea) in The Thescelsossaurus

[clavo&salgado1995-1] Calvo, J. O. and Salgado, L. (1995). "Rebbachisaurus tessonei sp. nov. A new sauropod from the Albian-Cenomanian of Argentina; new evidence on the origin of the Diplodocidae." Gaia, 11: 13-33.

[2] Holtz, Thomas (2012). "Genus List for Holtz (2007) Dinosaurs:The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages" (PDF).

[:1-3] Novas, Fernando (2009). The Age of Dinosaurs in South America. USA: Indiana University Press. pp. 175–179.

[salgadoetal2004-4] Salgado, L., Garrido, A., Cocca, S. E., and Cocca, J. R. (2004). "Lower Cretaceous rebbachisaurid sauropods from Cerro Aguada Del León, Neuquén Province, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 24(4): 903-912, December 2004.

[:0-5] Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press, pp. 186 and 208.

[6] Holmes, Thom (2008). Time of the Giants. USA: Infobase Publishing. p. 48.

[7] Calvo, Jorge and Salgado, Leonardo (1996). A land bridge connection between South America and Africa during Albian-Cenomanian times based on sauropod dinosaur evidences. 39° Congresso Brasileiro de Geología , Anais (7): 392-393.

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