| Garrigatitan | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Clade: | †Titanosauria |
| Clade: | †Lithostrotia |
| Subfamily: | †Lirainosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Garrigatitan Díez Díaz et al.,2021 |
| Species: | †G. meridionalis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Garrigatitan meridionalis Díez Díaz et al., 2021 | |
Garrigatitan (meaning "garrigue giant") is a genus oftitanosauriandinosaur from the lateCretaceous Period of theGrès à Reptiles Formation inFrance. The genus contains asingle species,Garrigatitan meridionalis.[1]
Between 2009 and 2012, excavations were carried out atVelaux-La Bastide Neuve by thePalaios Association and theUniversity of Poitiers. During the excavations, the holotype ofGarrigatitan was discovered along with the remains ofAtsinganosaurus, another titanosaurian.[2]
In 2021, the type speciesGarrigatitan meridionalis was named and described by Verónica Díez Díaz, Géraldine Garcia, Xabier Pereda Suberbiola, Benjamin Jentgen-Ceschino, Koen Stein,Pascal Godefroit and Xavier Valentin. The holotype, MMS / VBN.09.17, was found in a layer of sandstone of theBegudian, the second level of the second series, dating back to the lateCampanian. It consists of a sacrum belonging to an immature individual.[1]
Additional fossil material has been assigned to the species including acervical vertebra, twohumeri, a leftilium, and a rightischial bone. Other specimens recovered include a neural spine, a right humerus, part of the right leg, and a left femur. The assigned specimens come from the third level of the second series. The fossils were found within an area of 375 square meters and a thickness of 1.2 metres (3.9 ft). They were not associated and presumably represent different individuals. They are all part of theMoulin Seigneurial de Velaux collection.[1]
The generic name,Garrigatitan, is a combination of theOccitan "garriga," meaning "dry thicket", referring to a type ofMediterranean vegetation characterized by drought-resistant shrubs, and theGreek "titan", after theGreek mythological family of giants. The specific epithet,meridonalis, means "southern" inLatin, in reference to the discovery location in southern France.[1]
SomeGarrigatitan specimens are regarded as subadults or adults belonged to individuals measuring 4–6 metres (13–20 ft) long and weighing 2–2.5 metric tons (2.2–2.8 short tons). A tentatively referred specimen belonged to an adult individual measuring about 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) long.[1]
In theirphylogenetic analysis, Díez Díaz et al. recoveredGarrigatitan as a membr of the titanosaur subfamilyLirainosaurinae. These results are displayed in thecladogram below:[1]
In their 2024 description ofQunkasaura, Mocho et al. includedGarrigatitan in their phylogenetic analysis, recovering it as a late-diverging non-lirainosaurine within theLognkosauria, closely related to the South American generaNotocolossus,Patagotitan, andPuertasaurus. AlongsideNormanniasaurus, it is the only named European titanosaur within the broader cladeColossosauria. However, the authors noted that this position should not be taken with full confidence due to the fragmentary nature of theGarrigatitan possibly confounding the results, as well as the fact that the material initially referred to the genus can not be assigned to it with confidence.[3]
