| Calvarius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Life restoration | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | †Ornithischia |
| Clade: | †Ornithopoda |
| Clade: | †Styracosterna |
| Genus: | †Calvarius Prieto-Márquez & Sellés,2023 |
| Species: | †C. rapidus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Calvarius rapidus Prieto-Márquez & Sellés, 2023 | |
Calvarius (meaning "suffering") is a genus ofstyracosternanornithopod from theLate CretaceousTalarn Formation of Spain. The genus contains a single species,Calvarius rapidus, known from a single metatarsal.[1]
Theholotype specimen, MCD-8734, is a single fourth metatarsal discovered in 2019 at the Pallars Jussà locality of theTalarn Formation of theTremp Group, located in Catalonia, Spain.
It was named as the holotype of a new genus of styracosternan dinosaur in 2023 by Albert Prieto-Márquez and Albert Sellés. The genus name, "Calvarius", is Latin for "suffering" (cf.Calvary), and refers to the type locality, Serrat del Calvari, as well as the genus' proximity to theK-Pg extinction event. The specific name, "rapidus", means "rapid", and refers to its likely cursorial habits.[1]
Calvarius was in 2023 assigned by its describers to theStyracosterna. A more precise position could not be determined because a phylogenetic analysis only places it in a large polytomy of styracosternans.[1]
The highly modified metatarsal ofCalvarius has no known equivalents among other ornithopods. It was convergently more similar to those of more basal ornithischians such asHypsilophodon andDysalotosaurus than to other styracosternans, and may have filled their niche on its island habitat.[1]
The Talarn Formation also produced the remains of thetroodontidTamarro insperatus.[2]
