| Quetecsaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skeletal restoration, known material in blue | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Clade: | †Titanosauria |
| Genus: | †Quetecsaurus González Riga & Ortiz David,2014 |
| Type species | |
| †Quetecsaurus rusconii González Riga & Ortiz David, 2014 | |
Quetecsaurus (meaning "fire lizard", from theMilcayac word "quetec"[1]) is agenus oftitanosauriansauropoddinosaur known from theLate Cretaceous of the southernMendoza Province, westernArgentina. It contains a single species,Quetecsaurus rusconii.[1]
Quetecsaurus was first described and named by Bernardo González Riga and Leonardo Ortiz David in2014. Thetype species isQuetecsaurus rusconii. It is known solely from theholotype, a partialskeleton found in close association that includes apostorbital, teeth, theatlas, a rearcervical vertebra, an incompletedorsal vertebra, a rearcaudalcentrum, dorsalribs, acoracoid, fivemetacarpals and fragments of ahumerus,radius andulna. The holotype was collected from redmudstones of theCerro Lisandro Formation,Neuquén Basin, dating to the middle or lateTuronian stage of theLate Cretaceous. The specimen represents the first sauropod with well preserved materials from this formation.[1]
Quetecsaurus was diagnosed based on threeautapomorphies, i.e. unique traits, by its describers. The intercentrum of its atlas shows a prominent anteroventral border and enlarged posteroventral processes. Its humerus is uniquely shaped, with strongly sigmoid (S-shaped) proximal border, rounded proximomedial border, and angular proximolateral corner. Likelognkosaur titanosaurs, it possess lateral expansions on the neural spines of its rearcervical vertebra, however they are incipient and relatively reduced.
Quetecsaurus was assigned to theTitanosauria, and considered to be most closely related toMendozasaurus andFutalognkosaurus, members ofLognkosauria, based on the presence of these lateral laminae on its neural spines. A preliminaryphylogenetic analysis supported this assignment, placingQuetecsaurus as asister taxon of theclade formed byMendozasaurus andFutalognkosaurus.[1]
