Saturday, September 27, 2014

[Paleontology • 2014] Eousdryosarus nanohallucis • A New dryosaurid Ornithopod (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Late Jurassic of Portugal



Eousdryosarus nanohallucis
Escaso, Ortega, Dantas, Malafaia, Silva, Gasulla, Mocho, Narváez & Sanz, 2014 
Reconstruction: Raúl Martin

ABSTRACT
A new dryosaurid ornithopod, Eousdryosaurus nanohallucis, gen. et sp. nov., is described here based on a single specimen from the Late Jurassic Alcobaça Formation of Portugal. Eousdryosaurus nanohallucis is distinguished from all other dryosaurids by eight autapomorphic features and an unique combination of characters, some of which are also shared by other dryosaurids. Eousdryosaurus is linked with Dryosauridae, because the fourth trochanter is proximally placed and widely separated from the scar for the insertion of the M. caudifemoralis longus, which is restricted to the medial surface of the femoral shaft. Phylogenetic analysis nests Eousdryosaurus in an unresolved polytomy at the base of Dryosauridae together with CallovosaurusDryosaurus, and Kangnasaurus. The complete pes of Eousdryosaurus, which has a phalangeal formula of 1-3-4-5-0, supports the putative autapomorphic reduction of the dryosaurid pes that also occurs in parallel in more derived ornithopods.




Fernando Escaso, Francisco Ortega, Pedro Dantas, Elisabete Malafaia, Bruno Silva, José M. Gasulla, Pedro Mocho, Iván Narváez & José L. Sanz. 2014. A New dryosaurid Ornithopod (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Late Jurassic of Portugal. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34(5): 1102 - 1112. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2014.849715.