Emiliasaura

Emiliasaura; Temporal range: Early Cretaceous Valanginian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Speculative life restoration
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	†Ornithischia
Clade:	†Neornithischia
Clade:	†Ornithopoda
Clade:	†Rhabdodontomorpha
Genus:	†Emiliasaura; Coria et al., 2024
Species:	†E. alessandrii
Binomial name
	†Emiliasaura alessandrii; Coria et al., 2024

Emiliasaura (meaning "Emilia's lizard") is a genus of rhabdodontomorph ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) Mulichinco Formation of Neuquén Province, Argentina. The type species is Emiliasaura alessandrii.^[1]

Discovery and naming

Emiliasaura is known from the holotype, MLL-Pv-001. It consists of a partial skeleton including bones from the forelimbs, hindlimbs, hips, and caudal vertebrae, recovered from the Mulichinco Formation in the Las Lajas municipality.

It was described as a new genus and species of ornithopod in 2024. The generic name, Emiliasaura, honors Emilia "Grandma" Ondettia de Fix, the founder of the first museum in Las Lajas. The specific name, refers to Carlos Alessandri, discoverer of the holotype.^[1]

Classification

Coria et al. (2024) scored Emiliasaura in a phylogenetic analysis and found it to be the most basal member of the Rhabdodontomorpha. This makes it the oldest known member of the clade and the first one known from South America. Their results are displayed in the cladogram below:^[1]

Emiliasaura

	Tenontosaurus dossi

	Tenontosaurus tilletti

Rhabdodon

	Zalmoxes robustus

	Zalmoxes shqiperorum

Paleoenvironment

The Mulichinco Formation where Emiliasaura was found also produced the remains of an indeterminate diplodocid, the dicraeosaurid Pilmatueia, the carcharodontosaurid Lajasvenator, and podocarp trees. ^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Coria, R. A.; Cerda, A. A.; Escaso, F.; Baiano, M. A.; Bellardini, F.; Braun, A.; Coria, L. M.; Gutierrez, J. M.; Pino, D.; Windholz, G. J.; Currie, P. J.; Ortega, F. (2024). "First Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) ornithopod (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from Patagonia". Cretaceous Research. 106027. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106027.
^ Rodolfo A. Coria; Guillermo J. Windholz; Francisco Ortega; Philip J. Currie (2018). "A new dicraeosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous (Mulichinco Formation, Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 93: 33–48. Bibcode:2019CrRes..93...33C. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.08.019. S2CID 135017018.
^ Coria, Rodolfo A.; Currie, Philip J.; Ortega, Francisco; Baiano, Mattia A. (2019-11-25). "An Early Cretaceous, medium-sized carcharodontosaurid theropod (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Mulichinco Formation (upper Valanginian), Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 111: 104319. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104319. hdl:11336/122794. ISSN 0195-6671. S2CID 214475057.
^ Gallina, Pablo A.; Apesteguía, Sebastián; Canale, Juan I.; Haluza, Alejandro (2019-02-04). "A new long-spined dinosaur from Patagonia sheds light on sauropod defense system". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 1392. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.1392G. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-37943-3. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6362061. PMID 30718633. S2CID 59603627.
^ Gallina, Pablo A.; Apesteguía, Sebastián; Carballido, José L.; Garderes, Juan P. (2022). "Southernmost spiny backs and whiplash tails: flagellicaudatans from South America". In Otero, Alejandro; Carballido, José L.; Pol, Diego (eds.). South American Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 209–236. ISBN 978-3-030-95958-6.

[Emiliasaura-1] Coria, R. A.; Cerda, A. A.; Escaso, F.; Baiano, M. A.; Bellardini, F.; Braun, A.; Coria, L. M.; Gutierrez, J. M.; Pino, D.; Windholz, G. J.; Currie, P. J.; Ortega, F. (2024). "First Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) ornithopod (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from Patagonia". Cretaceous Research. 106027. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106027.

[Coria2018-2] Rodolfo A. Coria; Guillermo J. Windholz; Francisco Ortega; Philip J. Currie (2018). "A new dicraeosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous (Mulichinco Formation, Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 93: 33–48. Bibcode:2019CrRes..93...33C. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.08.019. S2CID 135017018.

[Coria2019-3] Coria, Rodolfo A.; Currie, Philip J.; Ortega, Francisco; Baiano, Mattia A. (2019-11-25). "An Early Cretaceous, medium-sized carcharodontosaurid theropod (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Mulichinco Formation (upper Valanginian), Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 111: 104319. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104319. hdl:11336/122794. ISSN 0195-6671. S2CID 214475057.

[Gallina2019-4] Gallina, Pablo A.; Apesteguía, Sebastián; Canale, Juan I.; Haluza, Alejandro (2019-02-04). "A new long-spined dinosaur from Patagonia sheds light on sauropod defense system". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 1392. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.1392G. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-37943-3. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6362061. PMID 30718633. S2CID 59603627.

[Gallina2022-5] Gallina, Pablo A.; Apesteguía, Sebastián; Carballido, José L.; Garderes, Juan P. (2022). "Southernmost spiny backs and whiplash tails: flagellicaudatans from South America". In Otero, Alejandro; Carballido, José L.; Pol, Diego (eds.). South American Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 209–236. ISBN 978-3-030-95958-6.

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