TY - JOUR
T1 - A new species of Yaguarasaurus (Mosasauridae: Plioplatecarpinae) from the Agua Nueva Formation (Upper Turonian – ?Lower Coniacian) of Nuevo Leon, Mexico
AU - Rivera-Sylva, Héctor E.
AU - Longrich, Nicholas R.
AU - Padilla-Gutierrez, José M.
AU - Guzmán-Gutiérrez, José Rubén
AU - Escalante-Hernández, Víctor M.
AU - González-Ávila, José G.
PY - 2024/1/31
Y1 - 2024/1/31
N2 - The Mosasauridae underwent a major radiation early in the Late Cretaceous, with the subfamilies Plioplatecarpini and Tylosaurini appearing in the Turonian. Here we report an almost complete mosasaur skull assigned to the plioplatecarpine genus Yaguarasaurus. The specimen was discovered southwest of Vallecillo in the northeastern Mexico state of Nuevo Leon, about 80 km north of Monterrey, in a laminated limestone layer of the upper member of the Agua Nueva Formation (Upper Turonian - ?Lower Coniacian). The specimen is referred to as a new species, Y. regiomontanus. This is the first report of Yaguarasaurus from Mexico and the most complete of the Americas. At roughly 5 m in length, it is one of the earliest large mosasaurids. Along with Yaguarasaurus columbianus, Russellosaurus coheni, and an unnamed plioplatecarpine from Texas, it documents the rapid diversification and expansion of plioplatecarpines in the marine realm in the Turonian.
AB - The Mosasauridae underwent a major radiation early in the Late Cretaceous, with the subfamilies Plioplatecarpini and Tylosaurini appearing in the Turonian. Here we report an almost complete mosasaur skull assigned to the plioplatecarpine genus Yaguarasaurus. The specimen was discovered southwest of Vallecillo in the northeastern Mexico state of Nuevo Leon, about 80 km north of Monterrey, in a laminated limestone layer of the upper member of the Agua Nueva Formation (Upper Turonian - ?Lower Coniacian). The specimen is referred to as a new species, Y. regiomontanus. This is the first report of Yaguarasaurus from Mexico and the most complete of the Americas. At roughly 5 m in length, it is one of the earliest large mosasaurids. Along with Yaguarasaurus columbianus, Russellosaurus coheni, and an unnamed plioplatecarpine from Texas, it documents the rapid diversification and expansion of plioplatecarpines in the marine realm in the Turonian.
KW - Agua Nueva formation
KW - Late cretaceous
KW - Mexico
KW - Mosasauridae
KW - Nuevo leon
KW - Plioplatecarpinae
KW - Turonian
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85177847099&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104694
DO - 10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104694
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85177847099
SN - 0895-9811
VL - 133
JO - Journal of South American Earth Sciences
JF - Journal of South American Earth Sciences
M1 - 104694
ER -
