Camarillasaurus
Sign in to saveCamarillasaurus (meaning "Camarillas lizard") is an extinct genus of spinosaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous period (Barremian) of Camarillas, Teruel Province, in what is now northeastern Spain. Described in 2014, it was originally identified as a ceratosaurian theropod, but later studies suggested affinities to the Spinosauridae. Camarillasaurus is one of several spinosaurid taxa known from the Iberian peninsula, the others being Iberospinus, Protathlitis, Baryonyx, Riojavenatrix, and Vallibonavenatrix.
Article
3 sectionsContents
- Discovery and naming
- Classification
- References
Camarillasaurus (meaning "Camarillas lizard") is an extinct genus of spinosaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous period (Barremian) of Camarillas, Teruel Province, in what is now northeastern Spain. Described in 2014, it was originally identified as a ceratosaurian theropod, but later studies suggested affinities to the Spinosauridae. Camarillasaurus is one of several spinosaurid taxa known from the Iberian peninsula, the others being Iberospinus, Protathlitis, Baryonyx, Riojavenatrix, and Vallibonavenatrix.
==Discovery and naming== thumb|left|Geographic and geological setting of the Camarillas area Fossils of Camarillasaurus were discovered in the Camarillas Formation. The type species, Camarillasaurus cirugedae, was described by palaeontologists Bárbara Sánchez-Hernández and Michael J. Benton. The generic name, "'Camarillasaurus", combines a reference to the geologic formation in which the holotype was found with the Greek "sauros", meaning "lizard". The specific name, "cirugedae", honors Pedro Cirugeda Buj, the discoverer of the holotype specimen.