Foskeia, new rhabdodontomorph from Lower Cretaceous of Spain + Alickmeron, junior synonym of Alwakeria

[Ben Creisler]

Ben Creisler

bcre...@gmail.com

New papers:

Foskeia pelendonum gen. et sp. nov.
Rhabdodontia nov.


Paul-Emile Dieudonné, Marcos Gabriel Becerra, Tábata Zanesco, Thierry Tortosa, Penélope Cruzado-Caballero, Koen Stein & Fidel Torcida Fernández-Baldor (2026)
Foskeia pelendonum, a new rhabdodontomorph from the Lower Cretaceous of Salas de los Infantes (Burgos Province, Spain), and a new phylogeny of ornithischian dinosaurs
Papers in Palaeontology 12(1): e70057
doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.70057
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.70057


The Vegagete ornithopod is a diminutive bipedal iguanodont from the upper Barremian to lower Aptian (Lower Cretaceous) Castrillo de la Reina Formation of the Burgos Province (Spain). This dinosaur is principally known from disarticulated and fragmentary postcranial remains and was established as the earliest rhabdodontomorph. However, the nature of this material did not allow formal diagnosis of what still appeared to be a new taxon due to its particularly small body size. Recently, new cranial elements have been identified. These elements underwent micro-computed tomography scanning, segmentation and three-dimensional assembly. We herein name the Vegagete ornithopod Foskeia pelendonum gen. et sp. nov. It is diagnosed by a high number of unique features such as the possession of fused premaxillae, procumbent premaxillary teeth, one filiform first dentary tooth, and an elevated craniomandibular joint. Simultaneously, we observe a unique ventrolateral extension of the insertion of the muscle adductor mandibulae externus superficialis on the coronoid process of the dentary. Answering a number of phylogenetic controversies, we provide an updated, taxonomically augmented ornithischian phylogeny toward poorly sampled regions of the ornithischian tree. Rhabdodontia nov. is defined as a restricted clade of European rhabdodontomorphs, including F. pelendonum and rhabdodontids. Rhabdodontomorpha is nested to the base of Ankylopollexia. Thescelosauridae includes Tenontosaurus, and Dryosauridae includes Elasmaria. Agilisaurus louderbacki and Minimocursor phunoiensis are basal ornithopods. Heterodontosauridae remains at the base of Pachycephalosauria. Silesauridae and Sauropodomorpha are resolved in a position closer to Ornithischia than to Theropoda. This provisional result is pending the inclusion of more saurischian characters and taxa.

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News:

Tiny new dinosaur Foskeia pelendonum reshapes the dinosaur family tree

https://press.vub.ac.be/tiny-new-dinosaur-foskeia-pelendonum-reshapes-the-dinosaur-family-tree

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114694

https://novataxa.blogspot.com/2026/02/foskeia.html
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Skye N. McDavid, Cy J. Marchant & Iain J. Reid (2026)
Alickmeron Sen & Ray, 2025 is an objective junior synonym of Alwalkeria Chatterjee & Creisler, 1994
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2604088
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2025.2604088
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2025.2604088


The appendicular material assigned to Alwalkeria maleriensis was recently reanalyzed and concluded that the taxon was founded on a chimera of probable herrerasaurid dinosaur and pterosauromorph material. As such, those authors restricted the hypodigm to two incomplete femora, proposing the new genus Alickmeron for the species Alwalkeria maleriensis. Alickmeron Sen & Ray, 2025 has the same holotype and type species as Alwalkeria Chatterjee & Creisler, 1994, rendering Alickmeron an objective junior synonym of Alwalkeria. The correct combination for this species is therefore Alwalkeria maleriensis. Following the recent reanalysis, the holotype of this species is restricted to ISI R 306b, a distal right femur. A review of the taxonomic and nomenclatural history of ISI R 306 is provided.

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