First abelisaurid bone remains from the Maastrichtian Marília Formation, Bauru Basin, Brazil

Abstract

Bones of abelisaurid theropods from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Marília Formation, Bauru Basin, Brazil, are here described. They are a dorsal vertebra, the distal part of a femur, and a pedal phalanx corresponding to three specimens found in different fossil sites of Uberaba County, Minas Gerais State. These specimens are the first abelisaurid bones from Uberaba County and thus verify the presence of these theropods, previously indicated only by isolated teeth. The new discoveries, together with that of the abelisaurid Pycnonemosaurus found elsewhere in the Bauru Basin, indicate that these theropods were the most common large predatory dinosaurs in South America during the Cretaceous. The assemblage of abelisaurid theropods and titanosaurid sauropods in the Maastrichtian beds of Brazil is congruent with that documented in same-aged beds of Patagonia.