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Dinosaur skeletal material from the mid-Cretaceous of Canada is rare; however, the Cenomanian-aged Dunvegan Formation of northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta is rich with ichnofossils attributed to nodosaurid ankylosaurs. A long bone (Hudson's Hope Museum specimen HH 2017.010.002) collected in 1993 from the Murray River of northeastern British Columbia is identified here as an ankylosaur femur. Femoral measurements of the bone plotted against femoral measurements of major dinosaur clades, combined with observations on femoral features, indicate that the bone belongs to an ankylosaur. The specimen is too damaged to assign to Nodosauridae or Ankylosauridae. HH 2017.010.002 represents the first limb bone material recovered from the Dunvegan Formation; previous ankylosaur material described from the Dunvegan Formation includes associated vertebrae and ribs from British Columbia and osteoderms from Alberta, as well as the presumed nodosaurid footprints Tetrapodosaurus borealis Sternberg, 1932. The Cenomanian is a time of great ecological change in North America, including the possible extirpation of ankylosaurid ankylosaurs. Fossils from the Dunvegan Formation can thus yield important insight into the responses of fauna to this major transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 100 m thick stratigraphic section exposed at Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP; southern Alberta) contains bentonites that have been used for more than 30 years to date DPP's rocks and fossils using the K–Ar decay scheme. Limited reproducibility among different vintages of K–Ar and 40Ar/39Ar ages inhibited the development of a high-resolution chronostratigraphy. Here, we employ and further test a recently completed U–Pb geochronology and associated age-stratigraphy model to update temporal constraints on the Park's bentonites, formational contacts, and other markers. In turn, we document rock accumulation rates and calibrate ages and durations of informal megaherbivore dinosaur assemblage zones and other biozones. Weighted mean 206 Pb/238 U ages from five bentonites range from 76.718 ± 0.020 to 74.289 ± 0.014 Ma (2σ internal uncertainties) through an interval of 88.75 m, indicating a duration of ∼2.43 Myr and an overall rock accumulation rate of 3.65 ± 0.04 cm/ka. An increase in rate above the Oldman–Dinosaur Park formational contact conforms to a regionally expressed pattern of increased accommodation at ∼76.3 Ma across Alberta and Montana. Palynological biozone data suggest a condensed section/hiatus in the uppermost portion of the Oldman Formation. Dinosaur assemblage zones exhibit durations of ∼700–600 kyr and are significantly shorter than those in the overlying Horseshoe Canyon Formation. A decreased rate in dinosaur assemblage turnovers in the last eight million years of the Mesozoic in western Canada may be explained by withdrawal of the Western Interior Seaway and the expansion of ecologically homogenous lowlands in its wake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Santonian Deadhorse Coulee Member of the Milk River Formation preserves the oldest dinosaur body fossils found in Alberta. However, vertebrate remains consist almost exclusively of isolated elements and microvertebrate assemblages. Here, 1572 relatively complete shed non-avian theropod teeth from 20 localities in the Deadhorse Coulee Member are measured and analyzed to assess species diversity. Teeth are referred to or similar to Tyrannosaurinae indet., cf. Richardoestesia gilmorei, cf. Richardoestesia isosceles, Dromaeosauridae indet., Dromaeosaurinae indet., Velociraptorinae indet., and cf. Paronychodon lacustris. For the taxa identified, the large sample size allows for the assessment of their range of variation and accurate identification, without the benefit of comparable material of this age. Multivariate statistics, including a principal component analysis and a canonical variate analysis, provide reasonable separation of all taxa, although better results are achieved by separate analyses based on qualitative observations of denticle shape. The best results of the canonical variate analysis identified 96.0% of specimens correctly. This corroborates the qualitative identification of specimens and illustrates a valid way of evaluating diversity in areas and formations from which no described jaw material is known. Le membre santonien de Deadhorse Coulee, de la Formation de Milk River, renferme les plus anciens fossiles corporels de dinosaures trouvés en Alberta. Toutefois, les restes de vertébrés sont constitués presque exclusivement d’éléments isolés et d’assemblages de microvertébrés. Dans la présente étude, 1572 dents perdues relativement complètes de théropodes non-aviens provenant de plus de 20 localités dans le membre de Deadhorse Coulee ont été mesurées et analysées afin d’évaluer la diversité spécifique. Ces dents sont attribuées à Tyrannosaurinae indet., cf. Richardoestesia gilmorei, cf. Richardoestesia isosceles, Dromaeosauridae indet., Dromaeosaurinae indet., Velociraptorinae indet., et cf. Paronychodon lacustris. Pour les taxons identifiés, la taille importante de l’échantillon permet l’évaluation de leur variabilité et de l’exactitude d’une identification réalisée sans le recours à du matériel comparable du même âge. Des méthodes de statistique multivariée, dont l’analyse en composantes principales et l’analyse canonique, permettent une séparation raisonnablement fiable de tous les taxons, bien que des analyses basées sur la description qualitative de la forme des denticules donnent de meilleurs résultats. Dans les meilleurs cas, l’analyse canonique permet l’identification exacte de 96,0 % des spécimens. Ceci corrobore l’identification qualitative des spécimens et illustre une approche valide d’évaluation de la diversité dans des régions ou formations dont du matériel maxillaire n’a pas encore été décrit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chasmosaurus irvinensis (sp. nov.) is distinguished from other species of this genus by the possession of a broad snout, absence of a brow horn (the position of which is occupied by a pit or rugosities suggestive of bone resorption), broadly rounded and open jugal notch, subrectangular squamosal, straight posterior parietal bar bearing 10 epoccipitals, eight of which are flattened, strongly curved anterodorsally, and nearly indistinguishably coossified to their neighbours, and small, transversely oriented parietal fenestrae restricted to the posterior portion of the frill. This species, restricted to the upper part of the Dinosaur Park Formation, is significantly younger than the other recognized Canadian Chasmosaurus species, C. belli and C. russelli. Phylogenetic analysis shows that C. irvinensis is most closely related to the other Canadian Chasmosaurus species and more distantly related to Chasmosaurus mariscalensis from Texas.Chasmosaurus irvinensis (sp. nov.) se distingue des autres espèces de ce genre par son large boutoir, l'absence d'une corne sur le front (cette position est occupée par une fossette ou des rugosités qui suggèrent une résorption osseuse), une encoche jugale généralement arrondie et ouverte, un temporal presque rectangulaire, une barre pariétale postérieure droite comportant 10 époccipitaux, dont huit sont aplatis et fortement recourbés, dirigées en position antéro-dorsale et co-ossifiés à leurs voisins de façon presque indistincte, ainsi que de petites fenêtres pariétales à orientation transversale restreintes à la partie arrière de la collerette. Cette espèce, limitée à la portion supérieure de la Formation de Dinosaur Park, est beaucoup plus jeune que les autres espèces canadiennes de Chasmosaurus, C. belli et C. russelli. Une analyse phylogénique montre que C. irvinensis est plus étroitement lié aux autres espèces canadiennes de Chasmosaurus et moins étroitement lié au Chasmosaurus mariscalensis du Texas.[Traduit par la Rédaction] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]