Carcharodontosauridae Stromer, 1931

Rauhut, Oliver W. M., 2003, The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs, Special papers in palaeontology 69, pp. 1-213 : 36

Carcharodontosauridae Stromer, 1931

Included taxa. Acrocanthosaurus atokensis Stovall and Langston, 1950 ; Carcharodontosaurus saharicus (Depéret and Savomin, 1927) ; Giganotosaurus carolimi Coria and Salgado, 1995 .

Temporal range. Aptian-Cenomanian.

Occurrence. Antlers Formation, Oklahoma; Twin Mountains Formation, exas, USA; ‘Continental intercalaire’, Wilaya Adrar, Algeria; Baharia Formation, Marsa Matruh, Egypt; Kem Kem beds, Kasr-es-Souk, Morocco; Rio Limay Formation, Neuquén, Argentina.

Diagnosis. Dentary with squared anterior end (unknown in Carcharodontosaurus saharicus ); femoral head strongly elevated.

Remarks. The species Megalosaurus saharicus was first described by Depéret and Savomin (1927) on the basis of isolated teeth from the Albian of Algeria. Later, Stromer (1931) referred a partial skeleton from the Cenomanian of Egypt to the same species and changed the generic name to Carcharodontosaurus . Recently, Sereno et al. (1996) described an almost complete skull from the Cenomanian of Morocco, which is referable to C. saharicus ( Text-fig. 6c ). Together with the data published by Stromer (1931, 1934, 1936) this new material allowed the identification of Acrocanthosaurus atokensis Stovall and Langston, 1950 , and Giganotosaurus carolimi Coria and Salgado, 1995 , as members of the same family, Carcharodontosauridae .

Figures

text-fig. 6. Skull reconstructions of representatives of Cretaceous OTUs in left lateral view, a, abelisaurid Camotaurus sastrei, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Gorro Frigio Formation, Argentina; based on Bonaparte et al. (1990) and MACN CH 894. b, composite skull of a generalized baryonychid; mainly based on Suchomimus tenerensis (MNN GDF 501, 503-506) and Irritator challenged (SMNS 58022), with some elements reconstructed after Baryonyx walkeri (BMNH R 9951). c, carcharodontosaurid Carcharodontosaurus sahariens, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), Kem Kem beds, Morocco; based on Sereno et al. (1996) and SGM-Din 1, unpreserved elements shaded. D, dromaeosaurid Velociraptor mongoliensis, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Djadokhta Formation, Mongolia; based on Barsbold (1983), Barsbold and Osmólska (1999), and AMNH 6515. e, ornithomimosaur Dromiceiomimus brevitertius, Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada; redrawn from Russell (1972). F, oviraptorosaur Oviraptor philoceratops, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Djadokhta Formation, Mongolia; redrawn from Barsbold et al. (1990). G, therizinosauroid Erlikosaurus andrewsi, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian- Turonian), Baynshiren Svita, Mongolia; based on Clark et al. (1994). H, tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus libratus, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Judith River Formation, Alberta, Canada, redrawn from Molnar et al. (1990). Abbreviations as in Text-figures 4 and 5, and: acc. op., accessory opening of unknown function in the premaxilla of Oviraptor (Barsbold et al. 1990); amf, anterior maxillary foramen; pn, pneumatic openings. Scale bars represent 50 mm (d-g) and 100 mm (a-c, h).