Emiliasaura
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Emiliasaura Temporal range: Early Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
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| Speculative life restoration as a rhabdodontomorph | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | †Ornithischia |
| Clade: | †Ornithopoda |
| Clade: | †Iguanodontia |
| Clade: | †incertae sedis |
| Genus: | †Emiliasaura Coria et al., 2025 |
| Species: | †E. alessandrii |
| Binomial name | |
| †Emiliasaura alessandrii Coria et al., 2025 | |
Emiliasaura (meaning "Emilia's lizard") is an extinct genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) Mulichinco Formation of Neuquén Province, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Emiliasaura alessandrii, known from three individual specimens. Emiliasaura was initially described as a rhabdodontomorph. If this identification is correct, it would represent the oldest member of this clade and the first named from South America. However, a later analysis of rhabdodontomorphs failed to recover Emiliasaura within this clade, instead placing it as a styracosternan.
During the summer of 2009, Carlos Alessandri discovered productive outcrops of the Mulichinco Formation (Paraje Pilmatué locality) 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) northeast of the city of Las Lajas in Neuquén Province, Argentina. The partial skeleton of a medium-sized ornithopod was collected in March of that year, comprising part of the left scapula and coracoid, the left humerus, and a complete right hindlimb. During fieldwork conducted two years later, on the shore of Pilmatué Creek 1 km (0.62 mi) northeast of the previous quarry, a second partial ornithopod skeleton was found, comprising much of the right hindlimb and foot, parts of both pelvic girdles, three sacral and eight caudal vertebrae, nine chevrons, and associated ossified tendons. An isolated dorsal vertebra was also recovered in association with a partial skeleton referred to the sauropod Pilmatueia.[1]
After being announced in October 2024 in a non-finalized preprint, Coria et al. (2025) described Emiliasaura alessandrii as a new genus and species of ornithopod based on these fossil remains. The first collected specimen, cataloged as MLL-Pv-001, was established as the holotype, and the second specimen, MLL-Pv-006, as the paratype. The isolated dorsal vertebra was also referred to the species. The specimens are accessioned at the Museo de Las Lajas in Argentina. The generic name, Emiliasaura, honors Emilia Ondettia de Fix, the founder of the first museum in Las Lajas. The specific name, honors Carlos Alessandri, discoverer of the holotype.[1]
Description
Based on histological research, Coria et al. (2025) identified the specimens of Emiliasaura as belonging to somatically immature, or subadult, individuals. Since bone modeling was still occurring at the time of death, the animals were likely still growing and had not reached their full body size.[1]
