Xenoceratops, new centrosaurine ceratopsid from Alberta

[Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com>]

From: Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com

A new online paper in Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences:



Michael J. Ryan, David C. Evans & Kieran M. Shepherd (2012)
A new ceratopsid from the Foremost Formation (middle Campanian) of Alberta.
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (advance online publication)
DOI:10.1139/e2012-056
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/e2012-056



Xenoceratops foremostensis gen. et. sp. nov., a new centrosaurine
ceratopsid from the Foremost Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, is
described based on frill material from at least three adult-sized
individuals collected from a low-density bone bed. The material can be
assigned to Centrosaurinae based on features of the preserved
squamosal. Although the parietals are incomplete, the shape of the
diagnostic parietal can be inferred from several overlapping serial
elements. The parietal of the new taxon shares with all other
centrosaurines, except Centrosaurus apertus, spike-like ornamentation
at the posterolateral (P3) locus under traditional coding methods. At
approximately 78 Ma, it is the oldest known Canadian ceratopsid,
approximately 0.5 Ma older than Albertaceratops from the lower Oldman
Formation of Canada and approximately 1.0 Ma younger than
Diabloceratops from the Wahweap Formation of Utah. A phylogenetic
analysis resolves the new taxon as the basalmost centrosaurine and
places Centrosaurus brinkmani as the sister taxon to Styracosaurus
albertensis. The type species of Centrosaurus brinkmani is moved to a
new genus.