Pronunciation:
Meaning: Meseta lizard
Author/s: Núñez et al. (2026)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Paysandú department, Uruguay
Acta Ordinal: #1229
Mesetasaurus protector
(Meseta Lizard, The One Who Protects)Etymology
Mesetasaurus is derived from "Meseta" (for the Meseta de Artigas locality) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard).
The species epithet, protector, means "the one who protects" in Latin, in reference to José Artigas (1764–1850), a national hero of Uruguay, whose victory at the Battle of Las Piedras on 18 May 1811 established him as leader of the eastern revolutionaries. After rejecting the armistice negotiated between Buenos Aires and the royalist authorities later that year, he was followed northward by thousands of orientales in the Éxodo del Pueblo Oriental, a defining moment in the region’s political identity. Artigas was subsequently known as the "Protector de los Pueblos Libres", the head of the Liga Federal, a confederation of provinces encompassing present-day Uruguay and parts of Argentina.
Meseta de Artigas, overlooking the Río Uruguay, is a major patriotic landmark: every year, thousands gather there for the Jura de la Constitución celebrations, and a large bust of Artigas stands prominently on the plateau.
Discovery
The remains of Mesetasaurus were discovered in the Guichón Formation at the Meseta de Artigas locality, northern Paysandú department, Uruguay, by Guillermo Sena and Daniel Montano.
The holotype (FC-DPV 3740) is two tail vertebrae.
