Saturday, March 03, 2007

Albertaceratops, New Horned Dino

A New Basal Centrosaurine Ceratopsid From the Oldman Formation, SE Alberta. 2007. J. Paleo. 81: 376-396.

© 2007 Michael Skrepnick.
Abstract: A new centrosaurine ceratopsid, Albertaceratops nesmoi, is described from the lower Oldman Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of southern Alberta, and is based on a single, almost complete skull. Referred material is described from equivalent beds in the Judith River Formation of north-central Montana. A limited phylogenetic analysis of the Ceratopsidae places the new taxon as the basal member of the Centrosaurinae and indicates that robust, elongate postorbital horncores that form a synapomorphy of (Ceratopsidae + Zuniceratops) are also present in Centrosaurinae.

Press release and more images over at the Southern Alberta Dinosaur Research Group site.

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