Pellegrinisaurus

Pellegrinisaurus
	Size comparison to humans
Temporal occurrence
	Upper Cretaceous (early Campanium )
	83.6 to 80.6 million years
Locations
	Argentina , Río Negro ( Anacleto Formation );
Systematics
	Dinosaur (dinosauria)
	Lizard dinosaur (Saurischia)
	Sauropodomorpha
	Sauropods (Sauropoda)
	Titanosaurs (Titanosauria)
	Pellegrinisaurus
Scientific name
	Pellegrinisaurus
	Salgado , 1996
Art
	Pellegrinisaurus powelli;

Pellegrinisaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous (early Campanium ) Argentina, which iscountedto the Titanosauria . So far, only the back and tail vertebrae and an incomplete thigh bone (femur) are known. The only known species is Pellegrinisaurus powelli .

features

Pellegrinisaurus was a comparatively large titanosaur that could reach a length of up to 25 meters. It can be distinguished from related genera by the unusually wide vertebrae, which were about twice as wide as they were high; in addition, the posterior (posterior) caudal vertebrae show anteroposterior (along the midline of the body) elongated spinous processes , the front ends of which are higher than the rear ends.

Systematics

The relationships within the Titanosauria are controversial. Initially Pellegrinisaurus was described by Salgado (1996) as a sister taxon of the Saltasaurinae . Salgado and Bonaparte (2007) meanwhile note that this genus can possibly be classified within the Saltasaurinae. An important common feature that Pellegrinisaurus shares with the Saltasaurine Saltasaurus are the low front caudal vertebrae, the side surfaces of which are bounded above and below by convex edges.

Find and naming

The only find ( holotype , specimen number MPCA 1500) consists of 4 centers of the dorsal vertebrae, 26 incomplete caudal vertebrae, and a right fragmentary femur. Another middle caudal vertebra is also assigned to this genus. The fossils were discovered at Lake Pellegrini near Cinco Saltos in the Argentine province of Río Negro . The rocks of the site belong to the uppermost area of the Anacleto Formation , a formation of the Neuquén Group , and can be dated to the early Campanian .

The find was first scientifically described by Leonardo Salgado in 1996 . The name refers to Lake Pellegrini, where the fossils were found.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Leonardo Salgado , José F. Bonaparte : Sauropodomorpha. In: Zulma Gasparini Leonardo Salgado, Rodolfo A. Coria (eds.): Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles. Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN et al. 2007, ISBN 978-0-253-34857-9 , pp. 188-228.
^ Paul Upchurch , Paul M. Barrett , Peter Dodson : Sauropoda. In: David B. Weishampel , Peter Dodson, Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . 2nd edition. University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 2004, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 , pp. 259-324.
^ ^A ^b Leonardo Salgado: Pellegrinisaurus powelli nov. gen. et sp. (Sauropoda, Titanosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lago Pellegrini, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. In: Ameghiniana . Vol. 33, No. 4, 1996, pp. 355-365, online .
↑ Ben Creisler: Dinosauria Translation and Pronunciation Guide ( Memento of October 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive )

[salgado_07-1] Leonardo Salgado , José F. Bonaparte : Sauropodomorpha. In: Zulma Gasparini Leonardo Salgado, Rodolfo A. Coria (eds.): Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles. Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN et al. 2007, ISBN 978-0-253-34857-9 , pp. 188-228.

[dinosauria-2] Paul Upchurch , Paul M. Barrett , Peter Dodson : Sauropoda. In: David B. Weishampel , Peter Dodson, Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . 2nd edition. University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 2004, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 , pp. 259-324.

[salgado_96-3] A ^b Leonardo Salgado: Pellegrinisaurus powelli nov. gen. et sp. (Sauropoda, Titanosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lago Pellegrini, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. In: Ameghiniana . Vol. 33, No. 4, 1996, pp. 355-365, online .

[creisler-4] Ben Creisler: Dinosauria Translation and Pronunciation Guide ( Memento of October 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive )