Ligabuesaurus: Research Database
Titanosauria (Sauropoda) · Late Cretaceous (~95-85 MYA) · South America — Argentina (Neuquén Group)
Research Note: Ligabuesaurus was a titanosaurian sauropod from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina — an important taxon for understanding titanosaur diversity and evolution in the Cretaceous of South America.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Bonaparte & González Riga 2005: Ligabuesaurus and a new titanosaur from the Cretaceous of Argentina
Bonaparte & González Riga 2005 provide the original description and comprehensive data on Ligabuesaurus from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina, establishing it as a titanosaur and documenting titanosaur diversity in the Cretaceous of South America
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Confirmed | A | 2005 | Fossil | Bonaparte & González Riga, Cretaceous Research | Taxonomy |
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García et al. 2012: Ligabuesaurus and additional data on titanosaur systematics from the Cretaceous
García et al. 2012 provide additional data on Ligabuesaurus and titanosaur systematics, further contextualising its significance within Titanosauria
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Confirmed | B | 2012 | Fossil | García et al., Cretaceous Research | Systematics |
Active Debate: Titanosaur Diversity in the Cretaceous of South America
Whether titanosaurs like Ligabuesaurus were part of endemic South American faunas is debated. The evolution of titanosaurs in the Cretaceous — and their relationships to other Gondwanan titanosaurs — is key to understanding sauropod history.
What We Still Do Not Know About Ligabuesaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Body size: Large titanosaur.
- Armor: Unknown.
In Depth
Ligabuesaurus is a genus of titanosaurid dinosaur that lived in Argentina towards the end of the early Cretaceous. Ligabuesaurus was named in honour of Dr Giancarlo Ligabue, while the type species L. leanzai was named in honour of Dr. Hector Leanza, the geologist who discovered the holotype specimen.
Further Reading
- Ligabuesaurus leanzai gen. et sp. nov. (Dinosauria, Sauropoda), a new titanosaur from the Lohan Cura Formation (Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) of Neuqu�n, Patagonia, Argentina. - Cretaceous Research 27(3): 364-376. - Jos� F. Bonaparte, Bernardo J. Gonz�lez Riga and Sebasti�n Apestegu�a - 2006.
