A MEGARAPTORAN SPECIMEN (THEROPODA, TETANURAE) FROM THE UBERABA FORMATION (BAURU GROUP), LATE CRETACEOUS OF BRAZIL

MARTINELLI, AGUSTÍN G.; MÉNDEZ, ARIEL HERNÁN; MACEDO NETO, FRANCISCO; LUIZ CARLOS BORGES RIBEIRO; LOURENCINI CAVELLANI, CAMILA; DA FONSECA FERRAZ, MARA LUCÍA; DE PAULA ANTUNES TEIXEIRA, VICENTE

Ituiutaba

Simposio; 1° Brazilian Dinosaur Symposium; 2013

Universidade Federal de Uberlandia

The first bony theropod record from the Campanian Uberaba Formation (BauruGroup) is described. It consists of an isolated caudal centrum (CPPLIP-1324) found atthe Uberaba city (Triângulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais State, Brazil) during theconstruction of the Uberaba Regional Hospital building. The amphicoelous centrummeasurements are 8cm long, 4.6cm tall and 6.1cm width. Its general aspect isanteroposteriorly long and dorsoventrally short, with a length to height (L/h) ratio of1.74. CPPLIP-1324 has deep elliptical lateral pneumatic foramen representing 26% ofcentrum length with three main sub-circular air chambers, and camellate internalstructure in all the body as evidenced by CT scan. This combination of features isshared with Aerosteon riocoloradensis, Megaraptor namunhuaiquii, and Orkoraptorburkei from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina and with the Megaraptora Indet. fromthe São José do Rio Preto Formation (Bauru Group), São Paulo State, allowing us torefer it to the Megaraptora clade (Tetanurae, Neovenatoridae). This specimenrepresents the second megaraptoran from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and a newfaunal element for the still inadequately known Campanian Uberaba Formation, whichat present only Titanosauria had been reported from this unit