Cedarpelta
| Cedarpelta Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 116–109Ma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Suborder: | †Ankylosauria |
| Family: | †Ankylosauridae |
| Genus: | †Cedarpelta Carpenter et al., 2001 |
| Species: | † C. bilbeyhallorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Cedarpelta bilbeyhallorum Carpenter et al., 2001 | |
Cedarpelta is an extinct genus of basal ankylosaurid ankylosaur, based on material recovered from the Lower Cretaceous of North America. The skull lacks extensive cranial ornamentation, a trait which has been interpreted as plesiomorphic for ankylosaurs.
The scientific name means "Bilbey and Hall's Cedar (Mountain) shield," with the genus named for the Cedar Mountain Formation and the animal's armored plates and the species named for Sue Ann Bilbey and Evan Hall, discoverers of the type locality.
Cedarpelta is known from remains recovered at the CEM and Price River II quarries (PR-2) in eastern Utah; these sites were originally thought to be within the Ruby Ranch Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation, but are now assigned to the base of the overlying Mussentuchit Member, dating to between 116 and 109 million years old (approximately the Aptian-Albian boundary).[1]
Description
Carpenter et al. (2001) diagnose Cedarpelta by the presence of a rostrocaudally elongate pterygoid with a caudolaterally oriented, trochlear-like process, a premaxilla with six conical teeth, and a straight ischium. The presence of premaxillary teeth is a plesiomorphic character because it is present in other, primitive ornithischians. In contrast, closure of the opening on the side of the skull behind the orbit, the lateral temporal fenestra, is an advanced (apomorphic) character only known in ankylosaurid ankylosaurs.
Two skulls are known, and the skull length for Cedarpelta is estimated to have been roughly 60 centimetres (24 in). Significantly, one of the Cedarpelta skulls was found disarticulated, a first for an ankylosaur skull, allowing paleontologists a unique opportunity to examine the individual bones instead of being limited to an ossified unit.
Holotype
Carpenter et al. (2001) designated CEUM 12360 as the holotype specimen of Cedarpelta bilbeyhallorum (CEUM is the acronym of the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum in Price, Utah). CEUM 12360 consists of an articulated, incomplete skull lacking the snout and mandibles. Carpenter et al. (2001) also designated a long list of paratype material, mostly isolated bones that could be referred to Cedarpelta bilbeyhallorum.
Phylogenetics
Cedarpelta bilbeyhallorum was believed by Carpenter et al. (2001) to be closely related to Gobisaurus domoculus of north-central China and Shamosaurus scutatus of Mongolia, and they placed the taxon within the Family Ankylosauridae. Vickaryous et al. (2004), however, interpreted the genus as the basalmost member of the Family Nodosauridae, most closely related to the nodosaurids Pawpawsaurus campbelli, Silvisaurus condrayi, and Sauropelta edwardsorum. However, new material of the skeleton confirms the original identification of Carpenter et al. of Cedarpelta being one of the most primitive ankylosaurids.
References
- ↑ Carpenter, Kenneth; Bartlett, Jeff; Bird, John; and Barrick, Reese (2008). "Ankylosaurs from the Price River Quarries, Cedar Mountain Formation (Lower Cretaceous), east-central Utah". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28 (4): 1089–1101. doi:10.1671/0272-4634-28.4.1089.
- Carpenter, K., Kirkland, J. I., Birge, D., and Bird, J. 2001. Disarticulated skull of a new primitive ankylosaurid from the Lower Cretaceous of Utah. in Carpenter, K. (editor) 2001. The Armored Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press
- Vickaryous, Maryanska, and Weishampel 2004. Chapter Seventeen: Ankylosauria. in The Dinosauria (2nd edition), Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P., and Osmólska, H., editors. University of California Press.