|
''Aerosteon'' is a genus of megaraptoran dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of Argentina. Its remains were discovered in 1996 in the Anacleto Formation, dating to the Santonian stage (about 84 million years ago). The type and only known species is ''A. riocoloradense''. Its specific name indicates that its remains were found 1 km north of the Río Colorado, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. They show evidence of a bird-like respiratory system. ''Aerosteons name can be translated as ''air bone'' and derives from Greek ἀήρ (''aer'', "air") and ὀστέον (''osteon'', "bone"). Though the species name was originally published as "riocoloradensis", Greek ὀστέον is neuter gender, so according to the ICZN the species name must be ''riocoloradense'' to match. ==Description== ''Aerosteon'' was a 9 metre (30 ft) long, 2 metric ton bipedal carnivorous dinosaur that lived approximately 83 million years ago during the Santonian stage. The remains discovered include a single tooth, some cranial bones, a number of partial or complete vertebrae from the neck, back, and sacrum, several cervical and dorsal ribs, gastralia, furcula (wishbone), left scapulocoracoid, left ilium, and left and right pubes. The incomplete fusion of some of its bones indicate that it was not quite fully mature. ''Aerosteon'' did not initially appear to belong to any of the three groups of large theropods that were known to have inhabited the southern continents during this time (namely the Abelisauridae, Carcharodontosauridae or Spinosauridae). Sereno suggested that it might be related to the allosauroid radiation of the Jurassic period, and this was supported in subsequent studies that recognized a clade of late-surviving, lightly built, advanced allosauroids with large hand claws similar to the spinosaurs, called the Megaraptora, within the allosaur family Neovenatoridae. A later analysis has placed Megaraptora, including ''Aerosteon'', within the Tyrannosauroidea. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aerosteon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|