Arkharavia
Encyclopedia
Arkharavia is a genus
of hadrosaurid dinosaur
. It lived in what is now Russia
, during the Late Cretaceous
. It was described in 2010 by Alifanov and Bolotsky. The type species
is A. heterocoelica.
material consists of a single tooth and proximal
tail vertebrae (from near the base of the tail). The vertebrae are unusual in being weakly heterocoelous, which means that the centrum or body of a vertebra has saddle-shaped surfaces where it meets the vertebrae in front or behind it.
iform sauropod, thought to be related to Chubutisaurus
, a sauropod from the Cretaceous of Argentina
. However, further study showed that the holotype vertebra in fact belonged to a hadrosaurid.
(hollow-crested duckbills) Amurosaurus
, Olorotitan
, and Charonosaurus
, and the saurolophine (duckbills without hollow crests) Kerberosaurus
and Wulagasaurus
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of hadrosaurid dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
. It lived in what is now Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, during the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
. It was described in 2010 by Alifanov and Bolotsky. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is A. heterocoelica.
Known material
The holotypeHolotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
material consists of a single tooth and proximal
Anatomical terms of location
Standard anatomical terms of location are designations employed in science that deal with the anatomy of animals to avoid ambiguities that might otherwise arise. They are not language-specific, and thus require no translation...
tail vertebrae (from near the base of the tail). The vertebrae are unusual in being weakly heterocoelous, which means that the centrum or body of a vertebra has saddle-shaped surfaces where it meets the vertebrae in front or behind it.
Classification
Arkharavia was originally classified as a titanosaurTitanosaur
Titanosaurs were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, which included Saltasaurus and Isisaurus. It includes some of the heaviest creatures ever to walk the earth, such as Argentinosaurus and Paralititan — which some believe have weighed up to 100 tonnes...
iform sauropod, thought to be related to Chubutisaurus
Chubutisaurus
Chubutisaurus is a genus of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period. It lived in South America. It is classified as a sauropod, specifically one of the titanosaurs. The type species, C. insignis, was described by del Corro in 1975. Its fossils were found in the Cerro Barcino Formation, Albian...
, a sauropod from the Cretaceous of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. However, further study showed that the holotype vertebra in fact belonged to a hadrosaurid.
Contemporaries
Arkharavia lived in the Amur Region, which was a 'hot spot' for dinosaurs in Russia. Other dinosaurs from the area include the lambeosaurinesLambeosaurinae
Lambeosaurinae is a group of crested hadrosaurid dinosaurs.-Classification:Lambeosaurines have been split into Parasaurolophini and Corythosaurini . Corythosaurini and Parasaurolophini as terms entered the formal literature in Evans and Reisz's 2007 redescription of Lambeosaurus magnicristatus...
(hollow-crested duckbills) Amurosaurus
Amurosaurus
Amurosaurus is a genus of lambeosaurine hadrosaurid dinosaur found in the latest Cretaceous period of eastern Asia. Like most lambeosaurs, it would have been a primarily bipedal herbivore with a "duckbill" shaped snout and a hollow crest on top of its head, although such a crest has not been found...
, Olorotitan
Olorotitan
Olorotitan was a genus of lambeosaurine duckbilled dinosaur from the middle or latest Maastrichtian-age Late Cretaceous Tsagayan Formation beds located in Kundur, Amur Region, Far Eastern Russia. The remains, consisting of a nearly complete skeleton, were described by Pascal Godefroit et al. in...
, and Charonosaurus
Charonosaurus
Charonosaurus |Charon]]'s lizard") is the name of a genus of dinosaur whose fossils were discovered by Godefroit, Zan & Jin in 2000 on the south bank of the Amur River, dividing China from Russia.-Description:...
, and the saurolophine (duckbills without hollow crests) Kerberosaurus
Kerberosaurus
Kerberosaurus was a genus of hadrosaurine duckbill dinosaur from the late Maastrichtian-age Upper Cretaceous Tsagayan Formation of Blagoveschensk, Amur Region, Russia...
and Wulagasaurus
Wulagasaurus
Wulagasaurus is a genus of hadrosaurine hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Heilongjiang, China. Its remains were found in a bonebed in the latest Maastrichtian-age Yuliangze Formation, dated to 65.5 million years ago...
.