Pronunciation: lee-may-SOR-us
Meaning: Rio Limay lizard
Author/s: Salgado et al. (2004)
Synonyms: Rebbachisaurus tessonei
First Discovery: Neuquén, Argentina
Discovery Chart Position: #554
Limaysaurus tessonei
The fossils that would become Limaysaurus were found in the Puesto Quiroga Member of the Lohan Cura Formation and (initially) referred to Rebbachisaurus as Rebbachisaurus tessonei by Jorge Calvo and Leonardo Salgado in 1995. Since then, many of the features that were highlighted
to justify uniting the pair have been found in other Rebbachisaurid sauropods too. With the hypothesis that Rebbachisaurus garasbae and "Rebbachisaurus" tessonei were more closely related to each other than to any other
rebbachisaurid sauropod lying in tatters, Salgado raised Limaysaurus tessonei for said Lohan Cura fossils in 2004.
First Paul Sereno (1999) then Jeff Wilson (2002) suggested that "Rebbachisaurus" tessonei should be assigned to Rayososaurus. But there are no anatomical characters that support the assignment of the former to the latter either.
First Paul Sereno (1999) then Jeff Wilson (2002) suggested that "Rebbachisaurus" tessonei should be assigned to Rayososaurus. But there are no anatomical characters that support the assignment of the former to the latter either.
(Tessone's Limay lizard)Etymology
Limaysaurus is derived from "Limay" (for the Limay River [RÃo Limay], the most important waterway in the area where its fossils were found) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard).
The species epithet, tessonei,
honors Lieto Francisco Tessone, who discovered the holotype.
Discovery
At almost 80% complete, the holotype skeleton (MUCPv-205) of Limaysaurus, discovered at "Villa El Chocón" in the Candeleros formation (Río Limay Subgroup, Neuquén Group), Neuquén Province, Argentina, in 1988 by Lieto Francisco Tessone, and collected in 1988 by a joint field party of the Natural Sciences Museum of the National University of Comahue and and the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences "Bernardino Rivadavia", is the most complete Cretaceous sauropod ever discovered in South America. The first specimen we now know belongs to Limaysaurus is a single vertebra found by Austrian Captain Zapalowicks way back in 1889 at "Alarcon Ridge" near El Chocón on the north side of Lake Ezequiel Ramos Mexía, which Nopcsa assigned to Bothriospondylus in 1902. More remains were discovered in the same area in 1987 (MUCPv-153, found by Ruben Carolini), in 1987 (MUCPv-206, found by Jorge Calvo), and in 1993 (MUCPv-272 and MUCPv-273, found by Ruben Carolini). In fact, the name-bearing specimen (holotype) of Limaysaurus was the last to be discovered. Until 2004, all Limaysaurus specimens were assigned to Rebbachisaurus as Rebbachisaurus tessonei.
