Re:Genusaurus

[bervoets@nrc.nl (Fred Bervoets)]

Diana Fucci wrote

>I would like to get a maximum of information about Genusaurus,
>the new ceratosaur from the early Cretaceous found in France.
>Did he possess also a horn like ceratosaurus?
>What did he look like?
>Where can I find an illustration of his skeleton?
>Or even better a life restoration of this animal?
>If you can, help me please!

___________________

GENUSAURUS sisteronis
Cretaceous Early Albian
Taquet,1994
Saurischia Theropoda Ceratosauria
1,5 ml
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence near Sisteron, France

Found in 1986, discribed in 1994. Elements of the pelvis and of the 
posterior lomb of a new carnivorous dinosaur have been found in hte marine 
Albian of Sisteron, France. This theropod, Genusaurus sisteronis n.g., 
n.sp., is a ceratosaur whose lineage was known only from Upper Triassic to 
Upper Jurassic. The bones were associated with an abundant microflora which 
indicates the presence on the nearby continent of a wooded country and of a 
temparate to warm and rather humid palaeoenvironment. Ceratosauria are known 
from Upper Triassic to Upper Jurassic. Therefore. the discovery in middle 
Albian outcrops near Sisteron af a partial new ceratosaur skeleton is 
suprising and very interesting. The bones were lying in a detritic level 
associated whith oysters and silicified wood fragments. The abundant 
microflora (pollen and spores) suggests the proximity of the sea-shore and a 
humid temparate-to-warm climate in a wooded environment mainly consisting of 
conifers and ferns. Genusaurus sisteronis n. g., n.sp., is a new ceratosaur 
known by parts of the left pelvic side and of the left hindlimb (femur, 
tibia and fibula). It exhibits five characters of the Caratosauria: 1) pubic 
shaft bowed forwards, 2) pubis and ischion fused, 3) trochanteric shelf 
marked on the anterior trochanter of the femur, 4) deep sulcus along the 
side of the base of crista tibiofibularis, 5) deep sulcus on the medial 
surface of the proximal end of the fibula. The pubis and ischium recall 
those of Sarcosaurus woodi and Coelophysis bauri. Genusaurus sisteronis is 
characterized by the extreme development of the tibial cnemial crest. The 
hypertrophy of this part of the tibia can be explained probably by the 
forward inclination of the femur. This morphology is similar to the 
obliquity of the femur of Struthio and Aepyornis. This discovery of a 
Cretacous ceratosaur indicates that the distribution in space and time of 
the different taxa of Dinosaurs is till far from being completely known. ( 
Illustration: A: Left ilium and left proximal pubis, lateral view; B: left 
femur, lateral view; C: left tibia and fibula in connection, lateral view; 
D: left tibia, medial view; E: left tibia lateral view showing the fibular 
facet; F: left fibula, medial view showing the tibial facet and the suclus 
in the fibular shaft. F.o.: obturator foramen Su.fib. fibukar sulcus; 
Frag.tib.: fragment of the tibia fused to the fibula and tibial facet.)

Hope this helps

I have this info from P.Taquet he's working ad the natural museum of Paris
I wil look up his email adres there is a official press relaese with 
pictures in Englisch
and French available i also have the pictures in my dbase so if you want 
them i can try to send them as a file by email (PC)

With regards
Fred Bervoets
fb@nrc.nl