A megaraptoran specimen (Theropoda, Tetanurae) from the Uberaba Formation (Bauru Group), Late Cretaceous of Brazil

AGUSTIN MARTINELLI; ARIEL MENDEZ; FRANCISCO NETO; LUIZ CARLOS RIBEIRO; CAMILA LOURENCINI CAVELLANI; MARA FERRAZ; VICENTE TEIXEIRA

Ituiutaba

Simposio; 1st Brazilian Dinosaur Symposium; 2013

The first bony theropod record from the Campanian Uberaba Formation (Bauru Group) is described. It consists of an isolated caudal centrum (CPPLIP-1324) found at the Uberaba city (Triângulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais State, Brazil) during the construction of the Uberaba Regional Hospital building. The amphicoelous centrum measurements are 8cm long, 4.6cm tall and 6.1cm width. Its general aspect is anteroposteriorly long and dorsoventrally short, with a length to height (L/h) ratio of 1.74. CPPLIP-1324 has deep elliptical lateral pneumatic foramen representing 26% of centrum length with three main sub-circular air chambers, and camellate internal structure in all the body as evidenced by CT scan. This combination of features is shared with Aerosteon riocoloradensis, Megaraptor namunhuaiquii, and Orkoraptor burkei from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina and with the Megaraptora Indet. from the São José do Rio Preto Formation (Bauru Group), São Paulo State, allowing us to refer it to the Megaraptora clade (Tetanurae, Neovenatoridae). This specimen represents the second megaraptoran from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and a new faunal element for the still inadequately known Campanian Uberaba Formation, which at present only Titanosauria had been reported from this unit.