Juratyrant
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''Juratyrant'' (meaning "
Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
tyrant") is a tyrannosauroid
dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
from the late
Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
period (early
Tithonian In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age (geology), age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 149.2 ±0.7 annum, Ma and 143.1 ±0.6 (mi ...
age) of
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. The genus contains a single species, ''Juratyrant langhami'', which was once classed as a species of '' Stokesosaurus''.


Discovery

The species is known from a single specimen consisting of an "associated partial skeleton represented by a complete pelvis" as well as a partially complete leg and neck, back and tail vertebrae. This skeleton was discovered in 1984 in Dorset. The specimen was mentioned in several papers, but was not formally described until 2008. The species was named in honor of commercial fossil collector Peter Langham, who uncovered the specimen. The specimen was discovered in strata of the Kimmeridge Clay dating from the
Tithonian In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age (geology), age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 149.2 ±0.7 annum, Ma and 143.1 ±0.6 (mi ...
, the final stage of the
Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
, and belonging to the '' Pectinatites pectinatus'' ammonite zone, indicating the fossil is between 149.3 and 149 million years old.


Description

Paul (2010) listed it at and . In a 2013 study, it was estimated to weigh up to . Another estimation gave a larger size of and . The holotype of ''Juratyrant'' is a partial skeleton composed of specimens OUMNH J.3311-1 through OUMNH J.3311-30. Its components include a cervical vertebra, five dorsal vertebrae, a complete
sacrum The sacrum (: sacra or sacrums), in human anatomy, is a triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part of the pelvic cavity, ...
, five caudal vertebrae, a complete
pelvic girdle The hip bone (os coxae, innominate bone, pelvic bone or coxal bone) is a large flat bone, constricted in the center and expanded above and below. In some vertebrates (including humans before puberty) it is composed of three parts: the Ilium (bone) ...
, both
femur The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...
s, both
tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...
e, and various other fragments. Although initially considered a species of ''Stokesosaurus'' due to various traits of the ilium, subsequent review has shown that due to the limited amount of pelvic material for basal tyrannosauroids, these traits cannot be assumed to only be present in these two species and thus ''S. langhami'' must be placed in its own genera. Once separated from ''Stokesosaurus'', ''Juratyrant'' can be characterized by four autapomorphies, as well as two assumed autapomorphies (which are difficult to assess due to preservation): * An ischial apron with a "folded" appearance. * A fibular flange that continues as a distinct low ridge to the proximal end of the tibia. * A convex tubercule on the ischium. * A deep lateral fossa on the pubis below the
acetabulum The acetabulum (; : acetabula), also called the cotyloid cavity, is a wikt:concave, concave surface of the pelvis. The femur head, head of the femur meets with the pelvis at the acetabulum, forming the Hip#Articulation, hip joint. Structure The ...
. * A thin but prominent hyposphene on the fifth sacral vertebra (assumed). * A broad, concave extensor groove of the femur (assumed).


Classification

The species was originally assigned to the genus '' Stokesosaurus'', as ''Stokesosaurus langhami'', by Roger Benson in 2008. However, later studies showed that it was not necessarily a close relative of ''Stokesosaurus clevelandi'', the
type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
of that genus. It was formally re-classified in its own genus, ''Juratyrant'', by Benson and Stephen L. Brusatte in 2013 and placed as a sister taxon to ''Stokesosaurus clevelandi'' in a clade (also including ''Eotyrannus'') of basal tyrannosauroids more advanced than ''Dilong''. However, in 2013 Loewen ''et al.'' published a cladogram placing ''Juratyrant'' as a sister taxon to ''Stokesosaurus'' inside Proceratosauridae due to sharing with '' Sinotyrannus'' a narrow preacetabular notch. Many basal tyrannosauroids have incomplete or unknown ilia and this trait may be more widespread than currently known. This cladogram is shown below. However, a 2016 analysis by Brusatte and Carr utilizing both
parsimonious In philosophy, Occam's razor (also spelled Ockham's razor or Ocham's razor; ) is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. It is also known as the principle o ...
and Bayesian phylogeny placed ''Stokesosaurus'' and ''Juratyrant'' as tyrannosauroids slightly more advanced than the Proceratosauridae and ''Dilong''. In addition, '' Eotyrannus'' is recovered as a sister taxon of these genera in the parsimonious phylogeny.


See also

* Timeline of tyrannosaur research


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2701043 Tyrannosauroidea Dinosaur genera Tithonian dinosaurs Fossil taxa described in 2013 Taxa named by Stephen L. Brusatte Dinosaurs of the United Kingdom