Pronunciation: cal-VAH-ree-us
Meaning: of Calvari Hill
Author/s: Prieto-Márquez and Sellés (2023)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Lleida, Spain
Discovery Chart Position: #1096
Calvarius rapidus
(Quick one of Calvari Hill)Etymology
Calvarius is named for a nearby hill known as Serrat del Calvari. It is also a derivation of the Catalan "calvari" (suffering), alluding to the close proximity of the strata in which it was found to the K-Pg extinction event.
The species epithet, rapidus, means "quick" or "fast" in Latin.
ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B8A3CBE4-DA18-4CDC-8768-447AD7517A2B.
Discovery
The remains of Calvarius were discovered in the Talarn Formation (Tremp Group) at the Masia de Ramón site, near the village of Figuerola d’Orcau, Pallars Jussà county, Lleida province, north-western Catalonia, Spain, by J. M. Méndez and R. Gaete during a joint expedition by the Museu de la Conca Dellà and the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont in 2019.
The holotype (MCD-8734) is a left metatarsal IV.
The Talarn formation has also yielded a troodontid theropod dinosaur called Tamarro which, funnily enough, is also known from just a single metatarsal (II).
