Noasauridae

Skull of Masiakasaurus knopfleri exhibited in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago

The Noasauridae are a family of theropod dinosaurs ( theropods ). Within the theropods they be counted among the Abelisauroidea, a group of Ceratosauria.

Noasauriden were mostly small to medium-sized theropods. They first emerged in the late Early Cretaceous ( Albian ) and died shortly before the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction at the end of the Upper Cretaceous ( Maastrichtian early ) from. Name -giving genus is Noasaurus from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina, which only fragmentary remains, however, is known. The hitherto most recorded Noasauride is Masiakasaurus from the Upper Cretaceous of Madagascar, whose skeleton is known to 65%.

System

It is disputed which genera of this group are attributable. Long her only the genera Noasaurus and Ligabueino were attributed. Angang of the 21st century the genera Masiakasaurus, Velocisaurus and Laevisuchus been recognized as a possible further representatives of Noasauridae. A comprehensive cladistic analysis of Carrano and Sampson (2008) assigns the Noasauridae to the genera Noasaurus, Masiakasaurus, Velocisaurus, Laevisuchus and Genusaurus includes Ligabueino however. More, however, little known species that are possibly due to Noasauridae, close Compsosuchus, Jubbulpuria and Ornithomimoides? barasimlensis with a.

The Noasauridae is considered a sister taxon of Abelisauridae; both groups are summarized as Abelisauroidea. Wilson and colleagues (2003 ) define the Noasauridae as a stem -based taxon line ( system based definition), which includes all species that are more closely related sastrei with Noasaurus leali than Carnotaurus. A synonym is the Velocisauridae, which was established by Bonaparte in 1991.

Features

The Noasauridae were compared to Abelisauridae rather small, the largest species reach a length of about 2-3 meters. In contrast to other groups of the second Metartasale (metatarsals ) was very small.

Mya (unit) Fossil
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