MALARGUESAURUS
a somphospondyl titanosauriform dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina.
Pronunciation: muh-LAR-gway-SOR-us
Meaning: Malargue Lizard
Author/s: González Riga
et al. (
2008)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Mendoza, Argentina
Acta Ordinal: #659
Malarguesaurus florenciae
(Favaron's Malargue Lizard)Etymology
Malarguesaurus is derived from "Malargue" (for the Malargüe Department of Mendoza Province, in which it was discovered) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard)
The
species epithet,
florenciae, honours Florencia Fernandez Favaron, who found the first fossils.
Discovery
The remains of
Malarguesaurus were discovered in the Portezuelo Formation (Neuquén Group) at Quebrada Norte quarry, Paso de las Bardas, Malargüe Department, Mendoza Province, Argentina, by Florencia Fernandez Favaron in 2005.
The
holotype (IANIGLA-PV 110) includes tail vertebrae, chevrons, ribs,
a fragment of upper arm, a partial thigh, and several bone fragments, found disarticulated but associated in the same quarry.
Refered material (IANIGLA-PV 111) consists of two tail vertebrae and an incomplete calfbone from the Cerro La Torre site, 600 metres south of
the holotype quarry.
Estimations
Timeline:
Era: Mesozoic
Epoch: Early Cretaceous
Stage: Turonian-Coniacian
Age range: 90-88.5 mya
Stats:
Est. max. length: ?
Est. max. hip height: ?
Est. max. weight: ?
Diet: Herbivore
Malarguesaurus
florenciae
References
• González Riga BJ, Previtera E and Pirrone CA (2008) "
Malarguesaurus florenciae gen. et sp. nov., a new titanosauriform (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza, Argentina".
Cretaceous Research, 30(1): 135-148. DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2008.06.006.
• Upchurch P, Barrett PM and Dodson P (2004) Chapter Thirteen: "Sauropoda". Page
259–322 in Weishampel, Dodson and Osmolska (eds.) "
The Dinosauria: Second Edition".
• Carballido JL, Bellardini F and Salgado L (2022) "The Rise of Non-Titanosaur Macronarians in South America". Page 237-268 in Otero, Carballido and Pol (eds.) "
South American Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs".
• Previtera E (2026) "Paleohistology of Malarguesaurus florenciae remains from the Neuquén Group, Argentina".
Historical Biology (advance online publication). DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2026.2689702.
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To cite this page:
Atkinson, L.
"
MALARGUESAURUS :: from DinoChecker's dinosaur archive".
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http://www.dinochecker.com/dinosaurs/MALARGUESAURUS›. Web access: 26th Jul 2026.
