Skorpiovenator, what a name

[Dawid Mazurek <dawidmazurek@wp.pl>]

Canale, J. I., Scanferla, C. A., Agnolin, F., Novas, F. E. 2008. New 
carnivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of NW Patagonia and the 
evolution of abelisaurid theropods. Naturwissenschaften. doi 
10.1007/s00114-008-0487-4.

A nearly complete skeleton of the new abelisaurid Skorpiovenator 
bustingorryi is reported here. The holotype was found in Late 
Cenomanian-Early Turonian outcrops of NW Patagonia, Argentina. This new 
taxon is deeply nested within a new clade of South American abelisaurids, 
named Brachyrostra. Within brachyrostrans, the skull shortening and 
hyperossification of the skull roof appear to be correlated with a 
progressive enclosure of the orbit, a set of features possibly related to 
shock-absorbing capabilities. Moreover, the development of horn-like 
structures and differential cranial thickening appear to be convergently 
acquired within Abelisauridae. Based on the similarities between 
Skorpiovenator and carcharodontosaurid tooth morphology, we suggest that 
isolated teeth originally referred as post-Cenomanian Carcharodontosauridae 
most probably belong to abelisaurids.