| Tlatolophus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skull reconstruction. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | †Ornithischia |
| Clade: | †Ornithopoda |
| Family: | †Hadrosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Lambeosaurinae |
| Tribe: | †Parasaurolophini |
| Genus: | †Tlatolophus Ramírez-Velascoet al.,2021 |
| Species: | †T. galorum |
| Binomial name | |
| †Tlatolophus galorum Ramírez-Velascoet al., 2021 | |
Tlatolophus (meaning "word crest") is agenus ofhadrosaurid dinosaur belonging to the tribeParasaurolophini that lived during theCampanian stage of theLate Cretaceous in what is nowMexico. The only species is thetype species,Tlatolophus galorum.
Theholotype, specimen CIC/P/147, was first discovered as a semi-articulated tail in 2005 in sediments of theCerro del Pueblo Formation inCoahuila,Mexico. In 2013, theMexican National Institute of Anthropology and History and theNational Autonomous University of Mexico launched a joint project to recover it.[1] The holotype represents most completelambeosaurine known from Mexico with an almost completeskull, jaws, and additional parts of thepostcranial skeleton including an articulated tail.[2]
It was named as the new genus andspeciesTlatolophus galorum in 2021. Thegeneric name comes from theNáhuatl word tlatolli, meaning "word", combined withGreeklophos ("crest") due to the crest's resemblance to theglyph "word" inAztec iconography, resembling an inverse comma. Thespecies is named after the Garza and López families for their collaboration in collecting and preserving the specimen.[2]
The holotype specimen ofTlatolophus,CIC/P/147, represents a large individual, around 8 metres (26 ft) in length and weighing nearly 3 metric tons (3.3 short tons).[2][3] It preserves an almost complete skull, complete with lower jaws. CIC/P/147 only lacks thesurangular andquadrate bones.Tlatolophus's skull is relatively tall. Itspremaxilla contacts thenasal, but only along the nasal process. Thejugal orbital margins are wider than the infratemporal margin. The frontal platform is present, being dorsocaudally extended and overhanging theparietals. Thenasal cavity occupies the structure's entirety, including the caudal end of the supracranial crest which is comma-shaped, hence thebinomial name. Thepterygoid bone possesses a high and convex dorsal crest.[2]
CIC/P/147 also preserves partial postcranial elements.[2] The scapular neck is relatively stout, and the iliac postacetabular process is long. The ischium possesses a large ischial foot, and its tip is cranioventrally projected. A partial, articulated tail is also preserved, the first remains to be discovered of this taxon.[2]
Tlatolophus was assigned to the tribe Parasaurolophini by Ramírez-Velascoet al. in 2021. Thecladogram below displays the results of theirphylogenetic analysis:[2]
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