Re: Majungatholus

["Timothy Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Alessandro Marisa wrote:
>     If I remember correctly, this is not a Pachycephalosaurids and the 
> name is not Majungatholus, but now this genus is considered an 
> Abelisauridae Carnotaurinae and have a new name Majungasaurus.


Cathy Forster and friends prefer the name _Majungatholus_ over 
_Majungasaurus_.  _Majungatholus_ has a nice skull fragment as its type 
specimen with diagnostic features, whereas _Majungasaurus_ was named from 
some scrappy jaw material.  There's little doubt that _Majungasaurus_ and 
_Majungatholus_ are the same theropod, but the latter is a better choice 
because of the quality of the type specimen.

As you say, the skull fragment was thought to come from the dome of a 
pachycephalosaur, but new material from Madagascar proves it comes from the 
skull roof of a thick-headed abelisaurid theropod related to _Carnotaurus_.


Tim

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