[Paleontology • 2011] Oxalaia quilombensis • A new dinosaur (Theropoda, Spinosauridae) from the Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Alcântara Formation, Cajual Island, Brazil
A life restoration of Oxalaia quilombensis.
(Image: Elaine Machado)
Abstract
A new spinosaurid taxon, Oxalaia quilombensis gen. et sp. nov.,
is described based on the anterior part of a snout and a fragment of a
maxilla. These specimens were collected at the Laje do Coringa site,
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of the São Luis Basin. Unlike
Cristatusaurus and Suchomimus, Oxalaia quilombensis lacks serrations on the teeth. The new species differs from Angaturama limai by
having the anterior part of the premaxillae more expanded and by
lacking a sagittal premaxillary crest. It further differs from Spinosaurus cf. S. aegyptiacus
and the Algerian spinosaurid by the rounder shape of the terminal
expansion. Furthermore, xalaia quilobensis has one functional tooth
followed by two replacement teeth, a feature not previously observed in
theropods. Oxalaia quilombensis appears to be more closely
related to the spinosaurids found in North Africa than to the Brazilian
members of this clade and thus further increases the diversity of these
enigmatic predatory dinosaurs in this country.
Key words: Dinosauria, Spinosauridae, Oxalaia quilombensis, Cenomanian, Brazil.
SPINOSAURIDAE Stromer 1915
sensu Sereno et al. 1998
Oxalaia gen. nov.
Etymology: The generic name comes from Oxalá, the most respected
masculine deity in the African pantheon, introduced in Brazil during
slavery.
Type species: Oxalaia quilombensis sp. nov.
Diagnosis: as for the type and only species. Oxalaia quilombensis sp. nov.
Etymology: The generic name is derived from the Portuguese
expression quilombo, the place where the quilombola (the descendants of
former Brazilian slaves) live. The Cajual Island, where the specimens of
this
new taxon were collected, is one of these places.
Kellner, Alexander W.A.; Sergio A.K. Azevedeo, Elaine B. Machado,
Luciana B. Carvalho and Deise D.R. Henriques (2011). "A new dinosaur
(Theropoda, Spinosauridae) from the Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Alcântara
Formation, Cajual Island, Brazil". Anais da Academia Brasileira de
Ciências 83 (1): 99–108. doi:10.1590/S0001-37652011000100006
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