Huinculsaurus

Huinculsaurus; Temporal range: Late Cretaceous 97–93 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Restoration
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Family:	†Noasauridae
Subfamily:	†Elaphrosaurinae
Genus:	†Huinculsaurus; Baiano, Coria, & Cau, 2020
Type species
	†Huinculsaurus montesi; Baiano, Coria, & Cau, 2020

Huinculsaurus (meaning "Huincul Formation lizard") is a genus of noasaurid dinosaur from the Huincul Formation in Neuquén Province, Argentina. The type and only species is Huinculsaurus montesi.^[1] The immature holotype is estimated to have been 3.42 metres (11.2 ft) long.^[2]

Discovery and naming

Huinculsaurus is only known from three thoracic and two sacral vertebrae from an immature individual, discovered c. 1991. It was discovered ten meters away from where the Ilokelesia holotype was discovered^[3] and the vertebrae were mechanically separated during preparation. The genus was eventually named in 2020.^[1]

Classification

Huinculsaurus was placed in the Elaphrosaurinae subfamily of Noasauridae in 2020.^[1] It was most closely related to Elaphrosaurus and Limusaurus, both from the Late Jurassic. This would make Huinculsaurus the youngest known elaphrosaurine.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Mattia Baiano; Rodolfo Coria; Andrea Cau (2020). "A new abelisauroid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Huincul formation (lower upper Cretaceous, Neuquén Basin) of Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104408.
^ Seculi Pereyra, E. E.; Pérez, D. E.; Méndez, A. H. (2025). "Macroevolutionary trends in Ceratosauria body size: insights of phylogenetic comparative methods". BMC Ecology and Evolution. 25 (1). 32. doi:10.1186/s12862-025-02374-y. PMID 40221646. Refer Table 2, Supplementary data 1
^ Coria, R.A.; Salgado, L. & Calvo, J.O. (1991) "Primeros restos de dinosaurios Theropoda del Miembro Huincul, Formación Río Limay (Cretácico Tardío Presenoniano), Neuquén, Argentina." Ameghiniana, 28: 405-406.

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[coria2020-1] Mattia Baiano; Rodolfo Coria; Andrea Cau (2020). "A new abelisauroid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Huincul formation (lower upper Cretaceous, Neuquén Basin) of Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104408.

[2] Seculi Pereyra, E. E.; Pérez, D. E.; Méndez, A. H. (2025). "Macroevolutionary trends in Ceratosauria body size: insights of phylogenetic comparative methods". BMC Ecology and Evolution. 25 (1). 32. doi:10.1186/s12862-025-02374-y. PMID 40221646. Refer Table 2, Supplementary data 1

[3] Coria, R.A.; Salgado, L. & Calvo, J.O. (1991) "Primeros restos de dinosaurios Theropoda del Miembro Huincul, Formación Río Limay (Cretácico Tardío Presenoniano), Neuquén, Argentina." Ameghiniana, 28: 405-406.

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