Lurdusaurus, Taquet & Russell, 1999

Norman, David B., 2015, On the history, osteology, and systematic position of the Wealden (Hastings group) dinosaur Hypselospinus fittoni (Iguanodontia: Styracosterna), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 173 (1), pp. 92-189 : 153

LURDUSAURUS ARENATUS TAQUET & RUSSELL, 1999

Lurdusaurus is known from a partial articulated skeleton that has yet to be published in detail ( Taquet & Russell, 1999; see Chabli, 1988). The specimen was collected at Gadouafaoua, Niger, North Africa, from deposits that are dated as Aptian ( Taquet, 1976; Taquet & Russell, 1999) or Aptian−Albian ( Sereno et al., 1999). The specimen represents an extremely large, robust- ly constructed ornithopod that was a sympatric contemporary of Ouranosaurus .

Axial skeleton

The cervical and dorsal series are constructed similarly to those seen in other large-bodied ornithopods. The dorsal and caudal vertebrae appear to bear relatively short neural spines that are also thick; these are completely unlike those seen in either the sympatric contemporary O. nigeriensis or Hy. fittoni .

Appendicular skeleton

The pectoral girdle and forelimb are extremely robustly constructed. There is evidence for the presence of an intersternal ossification ( Chabli, 1988) similar in morphology to that reported in I. bernissartensis ( Norman, 1980) but this has not led to fusion between the sternal plates as seen in Hy. fittoni . The humerus is considerably longer than the very short, stout radius and ulna. The carpometacarpus is heavily co-ossified and the pollex is conical, curved, and very large (similar to that seen in I. bernissartensis ). The metacarpals are comparatively short and closely resemble those typical of camptosaurians, which implies that the digits of the hand could be widely spread ( Gilmore, 1909; pers. observ., USNM October 2011). What is known of the pelvis and hindlimb also differs significantly from the equivalent elements in Hy. fittoni ( Chabli, 1988) .