• Source: Emiliasaura

Emiliasaura (meaning "Emilia's lizard") is a genus of rhabdodontomorph ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) Mulichinco Formation of Neuquén Province, Argentina. The type species is Emiliasaura alessandrii.




Discovery and naming


Emiliasaura is known from the holotype, MLL-Pv-001. It consists of a partial skeleton including bones from the forelimbs, hindlimbs, hips, and caudal vertebrae, recovered from the Mulichinco Formation in the Las Lajas municipality.
It was described as a new genus and species of ornithopod in 2024. The generic name, Emiliasaura, honors Emilia "Grandma" Ondettia de Fix, the founder of the first museum in Las Lajas. The specific name, refers to Carlos Alessandri, discoverer of the holotype.




Classification


Coria et al. (2024) scored Emiliasaura in a phylogenetic analysis and found it to be the most basal member of the Rhabdodontomorpha. This makes it the oldest known member of the clade and the first one known from South America. Their results are displayed in the cladogram below:




Paleoenvironment


The Mulichinco Formation where Emiliasaura was found also produced the remains of an indeterminate diplodocid, the dicraeosaurid Pilmatueia, the carcharodontosaurid Lajasvenator, and podocarp trees.




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Emiliasaura
• 2024 in archosaur paleontology
• Hadrosaurus
• Iguanodon
• Ornithopoda
• Hadrosauridae
• Edmontosaurus
• Parasaurolophus
• Iani
• Comptonatus