Albertaceratops
{{Short description|Extinct genus of dinosaurs}}
{{speciesbox
| fossil_range = Late Cretaceous, {{fossilrange|77.5}}
| image = Philip J. Currie Albertaceratops.jpg
| image_upright = 1.1
| image_caption = Skull in Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum
| display_parents = 3
| genus = Albertaceratops
| parent_authority = Ryan, 2007
| species = nesmoi
| authority = Ryan, 2007
}}
Albertaceratops (meaning "Alberta horned face") is a genus of centrosaurine horned dinosaur from the middle Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous Oldman Formation of Alberta, Canada.
Description
{{Expand section|date=December 2016}}
Albertaceratops is unusual in combining long brow horns with an otherwise centrosaurine skull, as centrosaurines normally possess short brow horns. Over its nose was a bony ridge, and on its frill were two large outwardly-projecting hooks. Its size has been estimated at {{convert|5.8|m}} and {{convert|3500|kg}}.Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press p. 259
Discovery and naming
File:Albertaceratops nesmoi skull by Nick Longrich.jpg
Albertaceratops is known from a single complete skull (TMP.2001.26.1) found in August 2001 and skull and postcranial fragments. A phylogenetic analysis carried out by its describer, Michael J. Ryan, found it to be the most basal centrosaurine.{{cite journal |doi=10.1666/0022-3360(2007)81[376:ANBCCF]2.0.CO;2|issn=0022-3360|year=2007|volume=81|issue=2|pages=376–396|title=A New Basal Centrosaurine Ceratopsid from the Oldman Formation, Southeastern Alberta|journal=Journal of Paleontology|last1=Ryan|first1=Michael J.|s2cid=130607301 }} Additional specimens were reported from a bonebed in the Judith River Formation of Montana, which is equivalent to the Oldman Formation and differentiated only by the Canada–US border. However, further study showed these remains to come from a different centrosaurine, Medusaceratops. Both ceratopsids lived during the same time period, about 77.5 million years ago.Ryan, Michael J.; Russell, Anthony P., and Hartman, Scott. (2010). "A New Chasmosaurine Ceratopsid from the Judith River Formation, Montana", In: Michael J. Ryan, Brenda J. Chinnery-Allgeier, and David A. Eberth (eds), New Perspectives on Horned Dinosaurs: The Royal Tyrrell Museum Ceratopsian Symposium, Indiana University Press, 656 pp. {{ISBN|0-253-35358-0}}.
The specific name, A. nesmoi, is derived from the name of Cecil Nesmo, a rancher living in Manyberries, Alberta, a town of less than 100 people located 71 km south of Medicine Hat. The rancher was thus honored in recognition of his efforts to aid fossil hunters.
Classification
File:Coronosaurus and Albertaceratops.jpg and Albertaceratops in environment]]
File:Albertaceratops Scale.svg
The cladogram presented below follows a phylogenetic analysis by Chiba et al. (2017), which included a systematic re-evaluation of Medusaceratops lokii:{{Cite journal|author1=Kentaro Chiba |author2=Michael J. Ryan |author3=Federico Fanti |author4=Mark A. Loewen |author5=David C. Evans |year=2018 |title=New material and systematic re-evaluation of Medusaceratops lokii (Dinosauria, Ceratopsidae) from the Judith River Formation (Campanian, Montana) |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=92 |issue= 2|pages= 272–288|doi=10.1017/jpa.2017.62 |bibcode=2018JPal...92..272C |s2cid=134031275 }}
{{clade| style=font-size:85%; line-height:85%
|label1=Centrosaurinae
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
|1=Diabloceratops eatoni
|2=Machairoceratops cronusi }}
|2={{clade
|label1 =Nasutoceratopsini
|1={{clade
|1=Avaceratops lammersi (ANSP 15800)
|2=MOR 692
|3=CMN 8804
|4=Nasutoceratops titusi
|5=Malta new taxon }}
|2={{clade
|1=Xenoceratops foremostensis
|2={{clade
|1={{clade
|1=Sinoceratops zhuchengensis
|2=Wendiceratops pinhornensis }}
|2=Albertaceratops nesmoi
|3=Medusaceratops lokii
|label4 =Eucentrosaura
|4={{clade
|label1 =Centrosaurini
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
|1=Rubeosaurus ovatus
|2=Styracosaurus albertensis }}
|2={{clade
|1=Coronosaurus brinkmani
|2={{clade
|2=Spinops sternbergorum
|1=Centrosaurus apertus }} }} }}
|label2 =Pachyrhinosaurini
|2={{clade
|1=Einiosaurus procurvicornis
|label2 =Pachyrostra
|2={{clade
|1=Achelousaurus horneri
|2={{clade
|1=Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis
|2={{clade
|1=Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai
|2=Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}
See also
{{Portal|Dinosaurs}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Wikispecies}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070227122814/http://www.csotonyi.com/Albertaceratops_Rough.html Drawing of the skull], by Julius T. Csotonyi
- {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20070623032604/http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/03/03/3691373.html An article about Cecil Nesmo]}} from the Calgary Sun
{{Marginocephalia|T.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q131573}}
Category:Late Cretaceous dinosaurs of North America
Category:Fossil taxa described in 2007
Category:Paleontology in Alberta
Category:Monotypic prehistoric reptile genera