Ceratosauria

Ceratosaurs
Temporal range:
Pliensbachian-Maastrichtian, 185–66 Ma
Skeletal reconstruction of Ceratosaurus nasicornis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
Clade: Averostra
Clade: Ceratosauria
Marsh, 1884
Subgroups

Ceratosaurs are members of a group of theropod dinosaurs defined as all theropods sharing a more recent common ancestry with Ceratosaurus than with birds. There is no agreed upon listing of species or diagnostic characters of Ceratosauria, though they were less derived anatomically than the more diverse Tetanurae. According to the latest and most accepted theory, Ceratosauria includes the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous theropods Ceratosaurus, Elaphrosaurus, and Abelisaurus, found primarily (though not exclusively) in the Southern Hemisphere. Originally, Ceratosauria included the above dinosaurs plus the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Coelophysoidea and Dilophosauridae, implying a much earlier divergence of ceratosaurs from other theropods. However, most recent studies have shown that coelophysoids and dilophosaurids do not form a natural group with other ceratosaurs, and are excluded from this group.

Relationships

The following cladogram follows an analysis by Diego Pol and Oliver W. M. Rauhut, 2012.[1]

Ceratosauria 

Berberosaurus



Deltadromeus





Spinostropheus




Limusaurus



Elaphrosaurus




 Neoceratosauria 
 Ceratosauridae 

Ceratosaurus



Genyodectes



 Abelisauroidea 
 Noasauridae 

Laevisuchus



Masiakasaurus



Noasaurus



Velocisaurus



 Abelisauridae 

Eoabelisaurus



Indosuchus




Rugops




Abelisaurus


 Carnotaurinae 


Majungasaurus



Indosaurus



Rajasaurus



 Brachyrostra 


Ilokelesia



Ekrixinatosaurus



Skorpiovenator



 Carnotaurini 

Carnotaurus



Aucasaurus












Distribution through time

Cretaceous Jurassic Triassic Late Cretaceous Early Cretaceous Late Jurassic Middle Jurassic Early Jurassic Late Triassic Middle Triassic Early Triassic Majungasaurus Carnotaurus Aucasaurus Ilokelesia Kryptops Genusaurus Genyodectes Camarillasaurus Ceratosaurus Limusaurus Spinostropheus Eoabelisaurus Berberosaurus Cretaceous Jurassic Triassic Late Cretaceous Early Cretaceous Late Jurassic Middle Jurassic Early Jurassic Late Triassic Middle Triassic Early Triassic

See also

References

  1. Diego Pol & Oliver W. M. Rauhut (2012). "A Middle Jurassic abelisaurid from Patagonia and the early diversification of theropod dinosaurs". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 279 (1804): 3170–5. doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0660. PMC 3385738Freely accessible. PMID 22628475.
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