''Tastavinsaurus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

sauropod Sauropoda (), whose members are known as sauropods (; from '' sauro-'' + '' -pod'', 'lizard-footed'), is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads (relative to the rest of their ...

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

belonging to the

Titanosauriformes Macronaria is a clade of sauropod dinosaurs. Macronarians are named after the large diameter of the nasal opening of their skull, known as the external naris, which exceeded the size of the orbit, the skull opening where the eye is located (hence ...

. It is based on a partial skeleton from the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous (geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous ( chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145 Ma to 100.5 Ma. Geology Pr ...

Xert Formation The Calizas y margas de Xert Formation or Xert Formation is an Early Cretaceous (late Barremian) geologic formation of the Maestrazgo and Galve Basins in central-eastern Spain. The formation is described as a coastal claystone, with indications o ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. The

type species In 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 species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

is ''Tastavinsaurus sanzi'', named in honor of the Rio Tastavins in Spain and Spanish paleontologist José Luis Sanz. ''Tastavinsaurus sanzi'' is known from two specimens, one from the

and one from the

Forcall Formation The Forcall Formation is an Early Cretaceous (Aptian) geologic formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding a ...

. ''Tastavinsaurus'' was originally described as a somphospondylan, but it may be a brachiosaurid. The clade Laurasiformes was coined for ''Tastavinsaurus'' and its close relatives, which may include ''

Cedarosaurus ''Cedarosaurus'' (meaning "Cedar lizard" - named after the Cedar Mountain Formation, in which it was discovered) was a nasal-crested macronarian dinosaur genus from the Early Cretaceous Period (Valanginian). It was a sauropod which lived in what i ...

'', ''

Soriatitan ''Soriatitan'' ("Soria titan") is a genus of brachiosaurid sauropod from the Early Cretaceous of Spain. It is known from one species, ''S. golmayensis'', found in the Golmayo Formation. It lived between 138 and 130 million years ago was identifi ...

'', and '' Venenosaurus''.

References

Macronarians Early Cretaceous dinosaurs of Europe Barremian life Cretaceous Spain Fossils of Spain Fossil taxa described in 2008 {{Sauropodomorph-stub