Losillasaurus

Losillasaurus
Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 157.3–145 Ma
L. giganteus vertebra
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Sauropodomorpha
Clade: Sauropoda
Clade: Turiasauria
Genus: Losillasaurus
Casanovas et al., 2001
Species:
L. giganteus
Binomial name
Losillasaurus giganteus
Casanovas et al., 2001

Losillasaurus (meaning "Losilla lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic and possibly Early Cretaceous (Kimmeridgian-?Berriasian) in the southeast of Spain. The type species of the turiasaurian Losillasaurus giganteus was discovered in the Villar del Arzobispo Formation in Valencia and formally described by Casanovas, Santafé and Sanz in 2001. The holotype material is from a subadult and includes part of a skull; complete cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae as well as several fragments; skeletal elements from the limbs including a humerus, ulna, radius, and metacarpal; sternal plates; and from the pelvis: the ilium, ischium, and pubis. The genus is characterized by the dimension and shape of the neural spine of the proximal caudal vertebrae.[1][2] The humerus is 143 centimetres (56 in) long,[3] which despite being from a subadult specimen is within 20% of the size of Paralititan.[4] The size estimation proposed by Francisco Gascó in his master thesis is 15–18 m (49–59 ft) and 12-15 tons.[5]

  1. ^ Casanovas, Maria Lourdes; Santafé, José Vicente; Sanz, José Luis (2001). "Losillasaurus giganteus, un nuevo saurópodo del tránsito Jurásico-Cretácico e la Cuenca de "Los Serranos" (Valencia, España)". Paleontologia i Evolució (in Spanish). 32–33: 99–122.
  2. ^ Ruiz-Omeñaca, Jose Ignacio (2001). "Losillasaurus giganteus, a new Spanish sauropod". Dinosaur Mailing List.
  3. ^ Ruiz-Omeñaca, Jose Ignacio (2001)."Re: Losillasaurus giganteus, a new Spanish sauropod". Dinosaur Mailing List.
  4. ^ Taylor, Mike (2001). "Re: Losillasaurus giganteus, a new Spanish sauropod". Dinosaur Mailing List
  5. ^ Gascó, F (2009): Sistemática y anatomía funcional de Losillasaurus giganteus Casanovas, Santafé & Sanz, 2001 (Turiasauria, Sauropoda). Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.