Pronunciation: duh-BREE-o-SOR-us
Meaning: The Dubreuil family lizard
Author/s: Ronan Allain (2005)
Synonyms: Poekilopleuron valesdunensis
First Discovery: Normandy, France
Discovery Chart Position: #560
Dubreuillosaurus valesdunensis
Dubreuillosaurus was initially identified as a new species of the much larger Poekilopleuron based on a few ribs and an unusually long and shallow skull that were recovered from the unused quarry of Conteville in 1994. Unfortunately, the quarry re-opened before the rest of the skeleton could be removed, and 2001-2003 was spent picking up 2000 bite-sized pieces of smashed postcrania that had been strewn about the site by heavyweight muck-diggers.
Long known as "the theropod of Conteville", this fragmentary specimen was still two years of graft away from being ready for study when Ronan Allain named it Poekilopleuron valesdunensi based on what he had seen. But as work progressed, Allain realised that this critter was more than it appeared to be, and in 2005 he coined Dubreuillosaurus, honouring André Dubreuil who found its remains and notified the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.
Although once classed as a basal tetanuran, Cerrano et al. found Dubreuillosaurus to be closest to Afrovenator, Magnosaurus, Leshansaurus and Piveteausaurus, and placed them all in a new megalosaurid sub-family which they named Afrovenatorinae.
Long known as "the theropod of Conteville", this fragmentary specimen was still two years of graft away from being ready for study when Ronan Allain named it Poekilopleuron valesdunensi based on what he had seen. But as work progressed, Allain realised that this critter was more than it appeared to be, and in 2005 he coined Dubreuillosaurus, honouring André Dubreuil who found its remains and notified the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.
Although once classed as a basal tetanuran, Cerrano et al. found Dubreuillosaurus to be closest to Afrovenator, Magnosaurus, Leshansaurus and Piveteausaurus, and placed them all in a new megalosaurid sub-family which they named Afrovenatorinae.
Etymology
Dubreuillosaurus is named in honor of the Dubreuil family who made the initial discovery, plus the Greek "sauros" (lizard). The specific epithet, valesdunensis, is a reference to "Val-es-Dunes", the Norman name of a battlefield near Conteville where the rebellious Bessin and Cotentin barons were defeated by William the Conqueror in 1047. "Ensis" is a Latin term meaning "from".
Discovery
Dubreuillosaurus was discovered in the Progracilis zone of the Calcaire de Caen Formation, Conteville, Normandy, France, by André Dubreuil (the Mayor of Conteville) in 1994.
Based on sediment study and the presence of fossilized fish, paleontologists reckon this area was the coast of an island in a European archipelago during the Late Cretaceous, though Poekilopleuron wasn't necessarily a specialist fish hunter as initially supposed.
The Holotype (MNHN 1998-13) includes an almost complete, unusual skull (over three times as long as it is high) plus various vertebrae, some ribs, a shoulder blade, a shin, a thigh, and possibly a toe, from a juvenile individual.
