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An Abelisauroid Theropod Dinosaur from the Turonian of Madagascar.
- Source :
- PLoS ONE; Apr2013, Vol. 8 Issue 4, p1-18, 18p
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Geophysical evidence strongly supports the complete isolation of India and Madagascar (Indo-Madagascar) by ∼100 million years ago, though sparse terrestrial fossil records from these regions prior to ∼70 million years ago have limited insights into their biogeographic history during the Cretaceous. A new theropod dinosaur, Dahalokely tokana, from Turonian-aged (∼90 million years old) strata of northernmost Madagascar is represented by a partial axial column. Autapomorphies include a prominently convex prezygoepipophyseal lamina on cervical vertebrae and a divided infraprezygapophyseal fossa through the mid-dorsal region, among others. Phylogenetic analysis definitively recovers the species as an abelisauroid theropod and weakly as a noasaurid. Dahalokely is the only known dinosaur from the interval during which Indo-Madagascar likely existed as a distinct landmass, but more complete material is needed to evaluate whether or not it is more closely related to later abelisauroids of Indo-Madagascar or those known elsewhere in Gondwana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- DINOSAURS
SAURISCHIA
FOSSIL reptiles
CRETACEOUS Period
BIOGEOGRAPHY
AUTAPOMORPHY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 8
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 87678870
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062047