Koutalisaurus
Encyclopedia
Koutalisaurus was a genus
of hadrosaurid dinosaur
. It is based on a mostly complete dentary from the Maastrichtian
-age Upper Cretaceous Tremp Formation
near the town of Abella de la Conca
, Lleida
, Spain
. This dentary, IPS SRA 27, had previously been referred to Pararhabdodon
, but comes from a different locality, is based on non-comparable material, and has unusual characteristics.
The dentary is very elongate, and has a long toothless portion (the front of the jaw, including the end where the predentary
would have been attached) that is bent steeply downward and inward, which would have given the jaw a spoon-like shape when complete. It is comparable in size, although on the small side and with unusual proportions (see above), compared to dentaries from other hadrosaurids.
Prieto-Marquez et al. (2006) found the animal to be a hadrosaurid, but of uncertain placement within the family. More recent work by Prieto-Marquez and Wagner suggests that it is the same as Pararhabdodon as originally thought.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of hadrosaurid dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
. It is based on a mostly complete dentary from the Maastrichtian
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...
-age Upper Cretaceous Tremp Formation
Tremp Formation
The Tremp Formation is a geological formation in Huesca, Spain whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation....
near the town of Abella de la Conca
Abella de la Conca
Abella de la Conca is a village in the province of Lleida and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
, Lleida
Lleida (province)
thumb|250px|Monastery of [[Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes]].Lleida is a province of north-eastern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Zaragoza and Huesca and the countries of France and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. This dentary, IPS SRA 27, had previously been referred to Pararhabdodon
Pararhabdodon
Pararhabdodon was a genus of derived hadrosauroid or basal hadrosaurid dinosaur, from the Maastrichtian-age Upper Cretaceous Tremp Formation of Spain...
, but comes from a different locality, is based on non-comparable material, and has unusual characteristics.
The dentary is very elongate, and has a long toothless portion (the front of the jaw, including the end where the predentary
Predentary
The predentary is an 'extra' bone in the front of the lower jaw, which extended the dentary . It is found in the fossilised remains of ornithischian dinosaurs, which were herbivorous. The predentary coincided with the premaxilla in the upper jaw. Together they formed a beak-like apparatus used to...
would have been attached) that is bent steeply downward and inward, which would have given the jaw a spoon-like shape when complete. It is comparable in size, although on the small side and with unusual proportions (see above), compared to dentaries from other hadrosaurids.
Prieto-Marquez et al. (2006) found the animal to be a hadrosaurid, but of uncertain placement within the family. More recent work by Prieto-Marquez and Wagner suggests that it is the same as Pararhabdodon as originally thought.