Abstract
The first partial skeleton of a carcharodontosaurid theropod was described from the Egyptian Bahariya Oasis by Ernst Stromer in 1931. Stromer referred the specimen to the species Megalosaurus saharicus, originally described on the basis of isolated teeth from slightly older rocks in Algeria, under the new genus name Carcharodontosaurus saharicus. Unfortunately, almost all of the material from the Bahariya Oasis, including the specimen of Carcharodontosaurus was destroyed during World War II. In 1996, a relatively complete carcharodontosaurid cranium was described from similar aged rocks in Morocco and designated the neotype of the species Carcharodontosaurus saharicus in 2007. However, due to the destruction of the original material, comparisons of the neotype to the Egyptian fossils have so far only been done cursorily. A detailed reexamination of the available information on the Egyptian carcharodontosaurid, including a previously undescribed photograph of the exhibited specimen, reveals that it differs from the Moroccan neotype in numerous characters, such as the development of the emargination of the antorbital fossa on the nasals, the presence of a horn-like rugosity on the nasal, the lack of a dorsoventral expansion of the lacrimal contact on the frontals, and the relative enlargement of the cerebrum. The referability of the Egyptian specimen to the Algerian M. saharicus is found to be questionable, and the neotype designation of the Moroccan material for C. saharicus is accepted here under consideration of ICZN Atricle 75, as it both compares more favorably to M. saharicus and originates from a locality closer to the type locality. A new genus and species, Tameryraptor markgrafi gen. et sp. nov., is proposed for the Egyptian taxon. The theropods of the Bahariya Oasis and the Moroccan Kem Kem Group are thus not as closely related as previously thought, and the proposed faunal similarities between these two strata need further examination.
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| The holotype of Tameryraptor markgrafi (SNSB-BSPG 1922 X46). Photograph of the mounted specimen at a point prior to April 1944. |
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| Comparison between Tameryraptor markgrafi [SNSB-BSPG 1922 X 46] and SGM-Din 1. SNSB-BSPG 1922 X 46: (B) nasalia from left lateral, left maxilla from (D) lateral and (F) medial and endocast in (G) dorsal and (H) left lateral view; and SGM-Din1: (A) right nasal in lateral view, right maxilla in (C) lateral and (E) medial view and endocast in (I) dorsal and (J) left lateral view; Sources: (A, C, E, J) [18], (I) modified from [54], (B, D) UAT 678/20/SNSB-BSPG 1922 X 46, (F) [1], (G, H) MB. R. 2056. |
Systematic Paleontology
Theropoda Marsh, 1881
Allosauroidea Marsh, 1878
Carcharodontosauriformes new clade,
comprising Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, Sinraptor dongi and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor
Carcharodontosauridae Stromer, 1931
Tameryraptor gen nov.
Etymology: Tameryraptor meaning “thief from the beloved land” is a combination of one of the more informal ancient Egyptian names for Egypt, (ta-mery) meaning beloved land [Silver, 2021]; and the latin word for thief, raptor
Tameryraptor markgrafi sp. nov.
Etymology: markgrafi in reference to Richard Markgraf, the Austrian fossil collector who discovered most of the dinosaur remains described by Stromer.
Holotype: SNSB-BSPG 1922 X 46, now destroyed. The specimen included parts of the left and right maxilla, both nasals, parts of the braincase and endocast of the braincase, three cervical vertebrae, an anterior to anterior mid-caudal vertebra and chevron, the proximal part of a dorsal rib, a left ischium, right and left pubis, both femora and a left fibula. In the absence of the actual specimen, the descriptions and figures of Stromer [1, 25] and the photograph UAT 678/20 stand as representatives for the holotype, in accordance with ICZN article 73.1.4.
Horizon and Locality: SNSB-BSPG 1922 X 46 was found two kilometers from Ain Gedid on the Western foot of the Gebel Harra (Fig 1) in basal layers of hardened, gypsum-free marl (Layer p of Stromer’s 1914 profile) of the Bahariya Formation, Cenomanian.
Diagnosis: Tameryraptor markgrafi gen. nov sp. nov. is a carcharodontosaurid theropod characterized by the following unique character combination (autapomorphies marked with a *): antorbital fossa visible on nasals in lateral view; small nasal horn on the medial rim of the nasals*; maxilla with well-developed antorbital ridge; maxillary teeth highly symmetrical anteroposteriorly; prefrontal facet on frontal not expanded; frontals vaulted dorsally*; femur with spike like accessory trochanter; proximal fibula more anteriorly than posteriorly expanded.
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| Skeletal reconstruction of SNSB-BSPG 1922 X 46. Preserved elements shown in white. Each square is 1 sq.m. |
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| Life reconstruction of Tameryraptor markgrafi.
By Joschua Knüppe. |
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