Evidence of a new carcharodontosaurid from the Upper Cretaceous of Morocco
Andrea Cau, Fabio Marco Dalla Vecchia, and Matteo Fabbri
We report an isolated frontal of a large−bodied theropod from the Cenomanian “Kem Kem beds” of Morocco with an unusualmorphology that we refer to a new carcharodontosaurid distinct from the sympatric Carcharodontosaurus. The specimen shows an unique combination of plesiomorphic and potentially autapomorphic features: very thick and broad bone with a complex saddle−shaped dorsal surface, and a narrow vertical lamina between the prefrontal and lacrimal facets. This study supports the hypothesis that a fourth large theropod was present in the Cenomanian of Morocco together with Carcharodontosaurus, Deltadromeus, and Spinosaurus.
Andrea Cau [cauand@gmail.com], Museo Geologico “Giovanni Capellini”, Via Zamboni 63, I- 40127 Bologna, Italy; Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia [fabio.dallavecchia@icp.cat], Institut Catalá de Paleontologia “M. Crusafont”, C/ Escola Industrial 23, E-08201 Sabadell, Spain; Matteo Fabbri [paleomatteo@gmail.com], Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via La Pira 4, I-50121 Firenze, Italy.
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