A new crested maniraptoran dinosaur from the Santana Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of Brazil

1996/01/01 by David M. Martill, A. R. I. Cruickshank, Eberhard Frey +2 · 4 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Amphibian and Reptile Biology

paper · doi:10.1144/gsjgs.153.1.0005

openalex publication_date 1996/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02

Abstract

The skull of a new, and highly unusual crested dinosaur with an elongate rostrum is the first dinosaur to be named from the Santana Formation of NE Brazil. Irritator challengeri gen. et sp. nov was most likely a maniraptoran dinosaur, but its affinities to other maniraptorans remain to be established. Unique features for Irritator include the pattern of tooth replacement, a highly reduced supratemporal fenestra, extreme lateral compression of the rostrum and a saggital crest comprised of the frontal and parietal bones. Irritator was most probably a piscivore. A land link between South America and the dinosaurian faunal province of North America and Asia is indicated, probably via Africa.

Citations

• The phylogenetic position of the Tyrannosauridae: implications for theropod systematics

Cited by

• Dinosaur remains from the Lower Cretaceous of the Chubut Group, Argentina
• An unusual edentulous pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation of Brazil
• A proposal for a standard terminology of anatomical notation and orientation in fossil vertebrate dentitions
• List of organisms named after works of fiction [wikipedia]