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Yaguarasaurus Temporal range: Turonian, 90 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Skull and first cervical vertebrae of Y. columbianus. Geological Museum José Royo y Gómez, Bogotá
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Clade:	†Mosasauria
Family:	†Mosasauridae
Clade:	†Russellosaurina
Subfamily:	†Yaguarasaurinae
Genus:	†Yaguarasaurus Páramo 1994
Type species
†Yaguarasaurus columbianus Páramo 1994
Other species
†Y. regiomontanus Rivera-Sylva et al., 2023

Yaguarasaurus is an extinct genus of mosasauroid from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) period of Colombia, South America. The remains discovered (an articulated skull, some vertebrae and ribs) were defined as a new genus and species of mosasaurid, Yaguarasaurus columbianus, by the Colombian paleontologist María Páramo, former director of the Museo de Geología José Royo y Gómez of INGEOMINAS in Bogotá. The first fossils remains of this animal suggested a cranial length of 47 centimetres (19 in) and a total length of 5 metres (16 ft); an additional skull that measures 87 centimetres (34 in) long implies a larger size.

This reptile is a member of the family of marine lizards Mosasauridae characteristic of Middle and Upper Cretaceous, with global distribution, but in South America known only through isolated remains (Price, 1957, Pierce and Welles, 1959 ; Bonaparte, 1978; Ameghino, 1918). This mosasaur discovered in Yaguará, was at the moment of discovery the most complete material known in South America.

Etymology

The remains were found in a limestone bed (Upper Turonian) of the La Frontera Formation, member of the Villeta Group, near Yaguará, Huila, in a site called Cueva Rica. Its name means "Yaguará lizard of Colombia".

Phylogeny

The following cladograms illustrate the phylogenetic analyses of two competing hypotheses on the classification of Yaguarasaurus. Topology A represents the traditional view of the genus belonging to the subfamily Yaguarasaurinae following Palci et al. (2013). Topology B follows Rivera-Sylva et al. (2023) and depicts a new hypothesis holding Yaguarasaurus as a basal member of the Plioplatecarpinae, which was first proposed by Polcyn et al. (2023) based on the discovery of symapomorphies in the braincase.

In the second scenario, the two species of Yaguarasaurus are paraphyletic with respect to more derived plioplatecarpines, with Y. regiomontanus lying further up the tree.

Topology A

Yaguarasaurine per Palci et al. (2013)
Russellosaurina Tethysaurinae Tethysaurus nopscai Pannoniasaurus inexpectatus Yaguarasaurinae Yaguarasaurus columbianus Russellosaurus coheni Romeosaurus fumanensis Plioplatecarpinae Angolasaurus bocagei Selmasaurus johnsoni Ectenosaurus clidastoides Plesioplatecarpus planiforms Latoplatecarpus willistoni Platecarpus tympanticus Plioplatecarpus spp. Tylosaurinae

Topology B

Basal plioplatecarpine per Rivera-Sylva et al. (2023)

Plioplatecarpinae Tethysaurus nopscai Russellosaurus coheni Yaguarasaurus columbianus KUVP 97200 Yaguarasaurus regiomontanus Ectenosaurus everhartorum Ectenosaurus clidastoides Angolasaurus bocagei Plesioplatecarpus planiforms Platecarpus tympanticus Latoplatecarpus willistoni Plioplatecarpus nichollsae Plioplatecarpus brachycephalus Plioplatecarpus coryphaeus Plioplatecarpus primaevus Plioplatecarpus peckensis Plioplatecarpus houzeaui Plioplatecarpus marshi Selmasaurus johnsoni Selmasaurus russelli Gavialimimus almaghribensis Goronyosaurus nigeriensis

See also

• List of mosasaurs

References

1. ^ Rivera-Sylva, H.E.; Longrich, N.R.; Padilla-Gutierrez, J.M.; Guzmán-Gutiérrez, J.R.; Escalante-Hernández, V.M.; González-Ávila, J.G. (2023). "A new species of Yaguarasaurus (Mosasauridae: Plioplatecarpinae) from the Agua Nueva formation (upper Turonian – ?Lower Coniacian) of Nuevo Leon, Mexico". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 133. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104694.
2. Páramo, M.E. (2000). "Yaguarasaurus columbianus (Reptilia, Mosasauridae), a primitive mosasaur from the Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) of Colombia". Historical Biology. 14 (1–2): 121–131. Bibcode:2000HBio...14..121P. doi:10.1080/10292380009380560. S2CID 129466921. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
3. Bonaparte, J. F. (1978). El Mesozoico de América del Sur y sus Tetrápodos. Vol. 26. Ministerio de Cultura y Educación Fundación Miguel Lillo, San Miguel de Tucumán, Opera Lilloana. pp. 1–596.
4. Páramo, M.E. (1994). "Posición sistemática de un reptil marino con base en los restos fósiles encontrados en capas del Cretácico Superior en Yaguará (Huila)". Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. 19 (72): 63–80.
5. Yaguarasaurus columbianus at Fossilworks.org
6. Palci, A.; Caldwell, M. W.; Papazzoni, C. A. (2013). "A new genus and subfamily of mosasaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of northern Italy". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (3): 599. Bibcode:2013JVPal..33..599P. doi:10.1080/02724634.2013.731024. S2CID 86646993.
7. Polcyn, Michael J.; Bardet, Nathalie; Albright III, L. Barry; Titus, Alan (2023). "A new lower Turonian mosasaurid from the Western Interior Seaway and the antiquity of the unique basicranial circulation pattern in Plioplatecarpinae". Cretaceous Research. 151. Bibcode:2023CrRes.15105621P. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105621.

External links

• (in Spanish) Yaguarasaurus columbianus - Paleontología en Colombia

v t e Mosasaurs
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata
Mosasaurinae	Amphekepubis Clidastes Dallasaurus Gnathomortis Jormungandr Kourisodon Liodon Megapterygius Plesiotylosaurus Stelladens Globidensini Carinodens Globidens Harranasaurus Igdamanosaurus Xenodens Prognathodontini Prognathodon Thalassotitan Mosasaurini Bentiabasaurus Eremiasaurus Moanasaurus Mosasaurus Plotosaurus
Halisaurinae	Pluridens Halisaurini Eonatator Halisaurus Phosphorosaurus
Russellosaurina	Haasiasaurus Plioplatecarpinae Angolasaurus Ectenosaurus Sarabosaurus Plioplatecarpini Latoplatecarpus Platecarpus Plesioplatecarpus Plioplatecarpus Selmasaurini Gavialimimus Goronyosaurus Khinjaria Selmasaurus Tethysaurinae Pannoniasaurus Tethysaurus Tylosaurinae ?Kaikaifilu Taniwhasaurus Tylosaurus Yaguarasaurinae Romeosaurus Russellosaurus Yaguarasaurus
Related groups and genera	Aigialosauridae Aigialosaurus Carsosaurus Komensaurus Opetiosaurus Dolichosauridae Coniasaurus Dolichosaurus Kaganaias Primitivus Pontosaurus Tetrapodophis Adriosaurus Judeasaurus Portunatasaurus Vallecillosaurus
Related articles	Timeline of mosasaur research List of mosasaur genera List of mosasaur-bearing stratigraphic units
Category

v t e Paleontology in Colombia
Notable researchers	After 1900 Etayo Hammen Hettner Hoffstetter Páramo 19th century Cuvier Humboldt
Major fossiliferous stratigraphic units	Pleistocene Sabana Fm. Tibitó Soatá Fm. Neogene Barzalosa Fm. Castilletes Fm. Honda Group La Venta Jimol Fm. Uitpa Fm. Ware Fm. Paleogene Bogotá Fm. Cerrejón Fm. Cerrejón Cretaceous La Frontera Fm. Hiló Fm. Hondita Fm. Oliní Gp. Paja Fm. Jurassic Arcabuco Fm. Valle Alto Fm. Devonian Cuche Fm. Floresta Fm.
Notable fossils	Pleistocene Gomphotheres Megatherium Honda Gp. Anachlysictis Aramus paludigrus Balanerodus Boreostemma Cebupithecia Colombophis Dracaena colombiana Dukecynus Eunectes stirtoni Galbula hylochoreutes Granastrapotherium Gryposuchus Hilarcotherium Hoazinoides Hondadelphys Huilatherium Lagonimico Langstonia Lycopsis Micodon Miocallicebus Miocochilius Mohanamico Mourasuchus Neotamandua Nuciruptor Patasola Potamosiren Purussaurus Saimiri annectens Saimiri fieldsi Stirtonia Xenastrapotherium Gualanday Gp. Colombitherium Bogotá Fm. Etayoa Cerrejón Fm. Acherontisuchus Anthracosuchus Carbonemys Cerrejonemys Cerrejonisuchus Montrichardia aquatica Puentemys Titanoboa Oliní Gp. Eonatator Hondita Fm. Pachyrhizodus etayoi Yaguarasaurus Hiló Fm. Ammonites Paja Fm. Acostasaurus Callawayasaurus Desmatochelys Kronosaurus Leivanectes Leyvachelys Muiscasaurus Padillasaurus Platypterygius Sachicasaurus Stenorhynchosaurus Arcabuco Fm. Dinosaur tracks Valle Alto Fm. Flora Cuche Fm. Antarctilamna Asterolepis Bothriolepis Holoptychius Pterygotus Strepsodus Floresta Fm. Trilobites
Category • Images

• Russellosaurins
• Turonian life
• Mosasaurs of South America
• Late Cretaceous reptiles of South America
• Cretaceous Colombia
• Fossils of Colombia
• Fossil taxa described in 1994
• Taxa named by María Páramo