Abelisauridae

{{Short description|Extinct family of dinosaurs}} {{pp-pc}} {{good article}} {{automatic taxobox | name = Abelisaurids | fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Cretaceous|earliest=Toarcian}}<small>Possibly present since Jurassic based on ''Eoabelisaurus'' and indeterminate fossils </small> | image = Majungasaurus SBU right.jpg | image_caption = ''Majungasaurus crenatissimus'' skeleton, Stony Brook University | taxon = Abelisauridae | authority = Bonaparte & Novas, 1985 | type_species = {{extinct}}''Abelisaurus comahuensis'' | type_species_authority = Bonaparte & Novas, 1985 | subdivision_ranks = Subgroups | subdivision = *{{extinct}}''Betasuchus''? *{{extinct}}''Chenanisaurus'' *{{extinct}}''Compsosuchus''?<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mohabey |first1=D. M. |last2=Samant |first2=B. |last3=Vélez-Rosado |first3=K. I. |last4=Wilson Mantilla |first4=J. A. |year=2024 |title=A review of small-bodied theropod dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of India, with description of new cranial remains of a noasaurid (Theropoda: Abelisauria) |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=43 |issue=3 |at=e2288088 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2023.2288088 }}</ref> *{{extinct}}''Dahalokely''? *{{extinct}}''Eoabelisaurus''? *{{extinct}}''Genusaurus''? *{{extinct}}''Indosuchus'' *{{extinct}}''Kryptops'' *{{extinct}}''Kurupi'' *{{extinct}}''Rugops'' *{{extinct}}''Spectrovenator'' *{{extinct}}''Tarascosaurus'' *{{extinct}}''Tralkasaurus'' *{{extinct}}''Vitosaura'' *{{extinct}}''Xenotarsosaurus'' *{{extinct}}'''Brachyrostra''' *{{extinct}}'''Majungasaurinae''' }}

'''Abelisauridae''' (meaning "Abel's lizards") is a family (or clade) of ceratosaurian theropod dinosaurs. Abelisaurids thrived during the Cretaceous period, mainly on the ancient southern supercontinent of Gondwana, and today their fossil remains are found on the modern continents of Africa, South America, and (western) Europe, as well as on the Indian subcontinent and the island of Madagascar.<ref name="tortosa2014">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.annpal.2013.10.003 |title=A new abelisaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of southern France: Palaeobiogeographical implications |journal=Annales de Paléontologie |volume=100 |pages=63–86 |year=2014 |last1=Tortosa |first1=Thierry |last2=Buffetaut |first2=Eric |last3=Vialle |first3=Nicolas |last4=Dutour |first4=Yves |last5=Turini |first5=Eric |last6=Cheylan |first6=Gilles |bibcode=2014AnPal.100...63T }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Buffetaut| first1=E. |last2=Tong |first2=H. |last3=Girard |first3=J. |last4=Hoyez |first4=B. |last5=Párraga |first5=J. |date=2024 |title=''Caletodraco cottardi'': A New Furileusaurian Abelisaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cenomanian Chalk of Normandy (North-Western France). |journal=Fossil Studies | volume=2 | issue=3 |language=en |pages=177–195 |doi=10.3390/fossils2030009 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Abelisaurids possibly first appeared during the Early Jurassic based on the putative abelisaurid ''Eoabelisaurus'' from Patagonia<ref name=eoabelisaurus>{{cite journal |doi=10.1098/rspb.2012.0660 |pmid=22628475 |title=A Middle Jurassic abelisaurid from Patagonia and the early diversification of theropod dinosaurs |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=279 |issue=1741 |pages=3170–5 |year=2012 |last1=Pol |first1=D. |last2=Rauhut |first2=O. W. M. |pmc=3385738 }}</ref><ref name=":Hendrickx2025">{{Cite journal |last1=Hendrickx |first1=C. |last2=Soto Núñez |first2=M. |last3=Araújo |first3=R. |last4=Meso |first4=J. G. |last5=Maganuco |first5=S. |last6=Ben-Salahuddin |first6=A. |year=2025 |title=Isolated abelisaurid teeth from Gondwana and dental evolution in Abelisauridae |url=https://www.ameghiniana.org.ar/index.php/ameghiniana/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/145 |journal=Ameghiniana |doi=10.5710/AMGH.17.09.2025.3654}}</ref> and some genera survived until the end of the Mesozoic era, around {{Ma|66}}.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2017.03.021 |title=An abelisaurid from the latest Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian) of Morocco, North Africa |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=76 |pages=40–52 |year=2017 |last1=Longrich |first1=Nicholas R. |last2=Pereda-Suberbiola |first2=Xabier |last3=Jalil |first3=Nour-Eddine |last4=Khaldoune |first4=Fatima |last5=Jourani |first5=Essaid |doi-access=free |bibcode=2017CrRes..76...40L }}</ref>

Like most theropods, abelisaurids were carnivorous bipeds. They were characterized by stocky hind limbs and extensive ornamentation of the skull bones, with grooves and pits. In many abelisaurids, such as ''Carnotaurus'', the forelimbs are vestigial, the skull is shorter, and bony crests grow above the eyes. Most of the known abelisaurids would have been between 5 and 9&nbsp;m (17 to 30&nbsp;ft) in length, from snout to tip of tail, with a new and as yet unnamed specimen from northwestern Turkana in Kenya, Africa reaching a possible length of 11–12 m (36 to 39&nbsp;ft).<ref name=bonapartetal1990>{{cite web|url=http://vertpaleo.org/PDFS/0d/0d20d609-f7e6-4bb3-a0c4-765fcffde49b.pdf|title=October/November 2013, Abstracts Of Papers, 73rd Annual Meeting|publisher=Society of Vertebrate Paleontology|year=2013|access-date=2013-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193314/http://vertpaleo.org/PDFS/0d/0d20d609-f7e6-4bb3-a0c4-765fcffde49b.pdf|archive-date=2013-10-29}}</ref> Before becoming well known, fragmentary abelisaurid remains were occasionally misidentified as possible South American tyrannosaurids.<ref name="ageofdinosaursabelisaurus">"Abelisaurus." In: Dodson, Peter & Britt, Brooks & Carpenter, Kenneth & Forster, Catherine A. & Gillette, David D. & Norell, Mark A. & Olshevsky, George & Parrish, J. Michael & Weishampel, David B. ''The Age of Dinosaurs''. Publications International, LTD. p. 105. {{ISBN|0-7853-0443-6}}.</ref>

==Description== thumb|left|Size comparison of five abelisaurids; ''Carnotaurus'', ''Ekrixinatosaurus'', ''Skorpiovenator'', ''Aucasaurus'', and ''Majungasaurus'' Abelisaurid hind limbs were more typical of ceratosaurs, with the astragalus and calcaneum (upper ankle bones) fused to each other and to the tibia, forming a tibiotarsus. The tibia was shorter than the femur, giving the hind limb stocky proportions. Three functional digits were on the foot (the second, third, and fourth), while the first digit, or hallux, did not contact the ground.<ref name="tykoskirowe2004"/>

===Skull=== [[File:Abelisaurus comahuensis.JPG|thumb|Skull of ''Abelisaurus''.]] Although skull proportions varied, abelisaurid skulls were generally very tall and very short in length. In ''Carnotaurus'', for example, the skull was nearly as tall as it was long. The premaxilla in abelisaurids was very tall, so the front of the snout was blunt, not tapered as seen in many other theropods.<ref name=bonapartetal1990/>

Two skull bones, the lacrimal and postorbital bones, projected into the eye socket from the front and back, nearly dividing it into two compartments. The eye would have been located in the upper compartment, which was tilted slightly outwards in ''Carnotaurus'', perhaps providing some degree of binocular vision. The lacrimal and postorbital also met above the eye socket, to form a ridge or brow above the eye.<ref name=bonapartetal1990/>

Sculpturing is seen on many of the skull bones, in the form of long grooves, pits, and protrusions. Like other ceratosaurs, the frontal bones of the skull roof were fused together. Carnotaurines commonly had bony projections from the skull. ''Carnotaurus'' had two pronounced horns, projecting outward above the eyes, while its close relative ''Aucasaurus'' had smaller projections in the same area. ''Majungasaurus'' and ''Rajasaurus'' had a single bony horn or dome, projecting upwards from the skull. These projections, like the horns of many modern animals, might have been displayed for species recognition or intimidation.<ref name="tykoskirowe2004"/><ref name="bonaparteetal1990">{{cite journal | last1 = Bonaparte | first1 = J.F. | last2 = Novas | first2 = F.E. | last3 = Coria | first3 = R.A. | year = 1990 | title = ''Carnotaurus sastrei'' Bonaparte, the horned, lightly built carnosaur from the middle Cretaceous of Patagonia | journal = Contributions in Science of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | volume = 416 | pages = 1–42 }}</ref><ref name="wilsonetal2003">{{cite journal | last1 = Wilson | first1 = J.A. | last2 = Sereno | first2 = P.C. | last3 = Srivastava | first3 = S. | last4 = Bhatt | first4 = D.K. | last5 = Khosla | first5 = A. | last6 = Sahni | first6 = A. | year = 2003 | title = A new abelisaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Lameta Formation (Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) of India | journal = Contributions of the Museum of Palaeontology of the University of Michigan | volume = 31 | pages = 1–42 }}</ref> In ''Arcovenator'', the dorsal margin of the postorbital (and probably also the lacrimal) is thickened dorsolaterally, forming a strong and rugose bony brow ridge rising above the level of the skull roof.<ref name="tortosa2014"/> Possibly, this rugose brow ridge supported a keratinous or scaly structure for displays.

===Fore limbs and hands=== [[File:Carnotaurus manus.svg|thumb|alt=Drawing of the hand bones of ''Carnotaurus''|Hand bones of ''Carnotaurus'', as interpreted by Ruiz and colleagues (2011)<ref name="ruiz2011">{{cite journal |volume=54 |issue=6 |pages=1271–1277 |last=Ruiz |first=Javier |author2=Torices, Angélica |author3=Serrano, Humberto |author4=López, Valle |title=The hand structure of ''Carnotaurus sastrei'' (Theropoda, Abelisauridae): implications for hand diversity and evolution in abelisaurids |journal=Palaeontology |year=2011 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01091.x |bibcode=2011Palgy..54.1271R |s2cid=43168700 |url=http://eprints.ucm.es/16940/1/38-Carnotauro_1.pdf |access-date=2019-07-12 |archive-date=2017-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922051617/http://eprints.ucm.es/16940/1/38-Carnotauro_1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>]] Data for the abelisaurid fore limbs are known from ''Eoabelisaurus'' and the carnotaurines ''Aucasaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'', and ''Majungasaurus''. All had small fore limbs, which seem to have been vestigial.<ref name=senter2010>{{cite journal | last1 = Senter | first1 = P. | year = 2010 | title = Vestigial skeletal structures in dinosaurs | journal = Journal of Zoology | volume = 280 | issue = 1| pages = 60–71 | doi = 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00640.x }}</ref> The bones of the forearm (radius and ulna) were extremely short, only 25% of the length of the upper arm (humerus) in ''Carnotaurus'' and 33% in ''Aucasaurus''. The entire arm was held straight, and the elbow joint was immobile.<ref name=senter2010/>

As is typical for ceratosaurs, the abelisaurid hand had four basic digits, but any similarity ends there. No wrist bones existed, with the four palm bones (metacarpals) attaching directly to the forearm. No phalanges (finger bones) were on the first or fourth digits, only one on the second digit and two on the third digit. These two external fingers were extremely short and immobile. Manual claws were very small in ''Eoabelisaurus'', and totally absent in carnotaurines.<ref name=senter2010/>

More primitive relatives such as ''Noasaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'' had longer, mobile arms with fingers and claws.<ref name=agnolin&chiarelli2009>{{cite journal | last1 = Agnolin | first1 = Federico L. | last2 = Chiarelli | first2 = Pablo | title = The position of the claws in Noasauridae (Dinosauria: Abelisauroidea) and its implications for abelisauroid manus evolution | journal = Paläontologische Zeitschrift | volume = 84 | issue = 2 | page = 293 | year = 2009 | doi = 10.1007/s12542-009-0044-2 | s2cid = 84491924 }}</ref> Paleobiologist Alexander O. Vargas suggested a major reason for the evolution towards vestigial fore limbs in the group was because of a genetic defect; the loss of function in'' HOXA11'' and ''HOXD11'', two genes that regulate the fore limbs' development.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/need-a-hand-dont-ask-an-abelisaurid-88125248/ |title=Need a Hand? Don't Ask an Abelisaurid |newspaper=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=2015-07-23 |archive-date=2015-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723080436/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/need-a-hand-dont-ask-an-abelisaurid-88125248/ |url-status=live |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian }}</ref>

==Distribution== [[File:Abelisaurus comahuensis jmallon.jpg|thumb|Illustration of ''Abelisaurus'']] Abelisaurids are typically regarded as a Cretaceous period group. The earliest possible abelisaurid taxon is ''Eoabelisaurus mefi'' from the Jurassic period of Argentina,<ref name=eoabelisaurus /> though other researchers either consider it as a ceratosaurid, an abelisauroid or its sister taxon outside abelisaurids.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Delcourt|first=Rafael|date=2018-06-27|title=Ceratosaur palaeobiology: new insights on evolution and ecology of the southern rulers|url= |journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=8|issue=1|page=9730|doi=10.1038/s41598-018-28154-x|issn=2045-2322|pmc=6021374|pmid=29950661|bibcode=2018NatSR...8.9730D }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Agnolín|first1=Federico L.|last2=Cerroni|first2=Mauricio A.|last3=Scanferla|first3=Agustín|last4=Goswami|first4=Anjali|last5=Paulina-Carabajal|first5=Ariana|last6=Halliday|first6=Thomas|last7=Cuff|first7=Andrew R.|last8=Reuil|first8=Santiago|date=2022-02-10|title=First definitive abelisaurid theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Northwestern Argentina|journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology|volume=41|issue=4|article-number=e2002348|doi=10.1080/02724634.2021.2002348|s2cid=246766133|issn=0272-4634}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Aranciaga Rolando|first1=Mauro|last2=Cerroni|first2=Mauricio A.|last3=Garcia Marsà|first3=Jordi A.|last4=Agnolín|first4=Federico l.|last5=Motta|first5=Matías J.|last6=Rozadilla|first6=Sebastián|last7=Brisson Eglí|first7=Federico|last8=Novas|first8=Fernando E.|date=2020-10-14|title=A new medium-sized abelisaurid (Theropoda, Dinosauria) from the late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Allen Formation of Northern Patagonia, Argentina|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981120304582|journal=Journal of South American Earth Sciences|volume=105|language=en|article-number=102915|doi=10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102915|hdl=11336/150468 |s2cid=225123133 |issn=0895-9811|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Indeterminate remains are also known from the Jurassic period of Madagascar and Tanzania.<ref name="maganucoetal2005">{{cite journal | last1 = Maganuco | first1 = S. | last2 = Cau | first2 = A. | last3 = Pasini | first3 = G. | year = 2005 | title = First description of theropod remains from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) of Madagascar | journal = Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano | volume = 146 | issue = 2| pages = 165–202 | title-link = Bathonian }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Rauhut |first=Oliver W. M. |year=2011 |title=Theropod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic of Tendaguru (Tanzania) |journal=Special Papers in Palaeontology |volume=86 |pages=195–239 |url=https://www.palass.org/publications/special-papers-palaeontology/archive/86/article_pp195-239 |access-date=2020-02-01 |archive-date=2020-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201075035/https://www.palass.org/publications/special-papers-palaeontology/archive/86/article_pp195-239 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":Hendrickx2025" /> Abelisaurid remains are mainly known in the southern continents, which once made up the supercontinent of Gondwana. When first described in 1985, only ''Carnotaurus'' and ''Abelisaurus'' were known, both from the Late Cretaceous of South America. Abelisaurids were then located in Late Cretaceous India (''Indosuchus'' and ''Rajasaurus'') and Madagascar (''Majungasaurus''), which were closely connected for much of the Cretaceous. It was thought that the absence of abelisaurids from continental Africa indicated that the group evolved after the separation of Africa from Gondwana, around 100 million years ago.<ref name="sampsonetal1998">{{cite journal | doi = 10.1126/science.280.5366.1048 | last1 = Sampson | first1 = S.D. | last2 = Witmer | first2 = L.M. | last3 = Forster | first3 = C.A. | last4 = Krause | first4 = D.A. | last5 = O'Connor | first5 = P.M. | last6 = Dodson | first6 = P. | last7 = Ravoavy | first7 = F. | year = 1998 | title = Predatory dinosaur remains from Madagascar: implications for the Cretaceous biogeography of Gondwana | journal = Science | volume = 280 | issue = 5366| pages = 1048–1051 | pmid = 9582112 | bibcode = 1998Sci...280.1048S }}</ref> However, the discovery of ''Rugops'' and other abelisaurid material from the middle of the Cretaceous in northern Africa disproved this hypothesis.<ref name="serenoetal2004">{{cite journal | doi = 10.1098/rspb.2004.2692 | last1 = Sereno | first1 = P.C. | last2 = Wilson | first2 = J.A. | last3 = Conrad | first3 = J.L. | year = 2004 | title = New dinosaurs link southern landmasses in the mid-Cretaceous | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B | volume = 271 | issue = 1546| pages = 1325–1330 | pmid=15306329 | pmc=1691741}}</ref><ref name="mahler2005">{{cite journal | doi = 10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0236:ROADTF]2.0.CO;2 | last1 = Mahler | first1 = L. | year = 2005 | title = Record of Abelisauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cenomanian of Morocco | journal = Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology | volume = 25 | issue = 1| pages = 236–239 | s2cid = 4974444 }}</ref> Mid-Cretaceous abelisaurids are now known from South America as well, showing that the group existed prior to the breakup of Gondwana.<ref name="coriasalgado1998"/><ref name="calvoetal2004"/><ref name="lamannaetal2002">{{cite journal |doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0058:ADATDF]2.0.CO;2 |last1=Lamanna |first1=M.C. |last2=Martinez |first2=R.D. |last3=Smith |first3=J.B. |year=2002 |title=A definitive abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the early Late Cretaceous of Patagonia |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=58–69|s2cid=86153297 }}</ref> In 2014, the description of ''Arcovenator escotae'' from southern France provided the first indisputable evidence of the presence of Abelisaurids in Europe. ''Arcovenator'' presents strong similarities with the Madagascan ''Majungasaurus'' and Indian abelisaurids, but not with the South American forms. ''Arcovenator'', ''Majungasaurus'', and Indian forms are united in the new clade Majungasaurinae.<ref name="tortosa2014"/>

==Classification== [[File:Carnotaurus DB 2.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration of ''Carnotaurus'']] Paleontologists Jose Bonaparte and Fernando Novas coined the name Abelisauridae in 1985 when they described the eponymous ''Abelisaurus''. The name is formed from the family name of Roberto Abel, who discovered ''Abelisaurus'', and from the Greek word {{lang|grc|σαυρος}} (''{{lang|grc-Latn|sauros}}'') meaning lizard. The very common suffix ''-idae'' is usually applied to zoological family names and is derived from the Greek suffix -ιδαι (''-{{lang|grc-Latn|idai}}'') meaning 'descendants'.<ref name="bonapartenovas1985">Bonaparte, J.F. & Novas, F.E. (1985). ["Abelisaurus comahuensis, n.g., n.sp., Carnosauria of the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia".] ''Ameghiniana''. 21: 259–265. [In Spanish]</ref>

Abelisauridae is a family in rank-based Linnaean taxonomy, within the infraorder '''Ceratosauria''' and the superfamily '''Abelisauroidea''', which also contains the family '''Noasauridae'''. It has had several definitions in phylogenetic taxonomy. It was originally defined as a node-based taxon including ''Abelisaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'', their common ancestor, and all of its descendants.<ref name="novas1997">Novas, F.E. (1997). "Abelisauridae". In: Currie, P.J. & Padian, K.P. ''Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs''. San Diego: Academic Press. Pp. 1–2 {{ISBN|0-12-226810-5}}.</ref><ref name="sereno1998">{{cite journal | last1 = Sereno | first1 = P.C. | year = 1998 | title = A rationale for phylogenetic definitions, with applications to the higher-level taxonomy of Dinosauria | journal = Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen | volume = 210 | pages = 41–83 | doi=10.1127/njgpa/210/1998/41}}</ref>

Later, it was redefined as a stem-based taxon, including all animals more closely related to ''Abelisaurus'' (or the more complete ''Carnotaurus'') than to ''Noasaurus''.<ref name="wilsonetal2003"/> The node-based definition would not include animals such as ''Rugops'' or ''Ilokelesia'', which are thought to be more basal than ''Abelisaurus'' and would be included by a stem-based definition.<ref name="taxonsearch">Sereno, P.C. (2005). [http://www.taxonsearch.org/dev/taxon_edit.php?Action=View&tax_id=6 Abelisauridae] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023221352/http://www.taxonsearch.org/dev/taxon_edit.php?Action=View&tax_id=6 |date=2007-10-23 }}. TaxonSearch. 7 November 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2006.</ref> Within the Abelisauridae is the subgroup '''Carnotaurinae''', and among carnotaurines, ''Aucasaurus'' and ''Carnotaurus'' are united in '''Carnotaurini'''.<ref name="serenoetal2004"/>

===Shared characteristics=== thumb|right|Skeletal diagram of the known material of ''Carnotaurus'' Complete skeletons have been described only for the most advanced abelisaurids (such as ''Carnotaurus'' and ''Aucasaurus''), making establishment of defining features of the skeleton for the family as a whole more difficult. However, most are known from at least some skull bones, so known shared features come mainly from the skull.<ref name="tykoskirowe2004">Tykoski, R.S. & Rowe, T. (2004). "Ceratosauria". In: Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P., & Osmolska, H. (Eds.) ''The Dinosauria'' (2nd edition). Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 47–70 {{ISBN|0-520-24209-2}}</ref> Many abelisaurid skull features are shared with carcharodontosaurids. These shared features, along with the fact that abelisaurids seem to have replaced carcharodontosaurids in South America, have led to suggestions that the two groups were related.<ref name="novas1997"/> However, no cladistic analysis has ever found such a relationship, and aside from the skull, abelisaurids and carcharodontosaurids are very different, more similar to ceratosaurs and allosauroids, respectively.<ref name="tykoskirowe2004"/>

===Phylogeny=== [[File:Majungasaurus crenatissimus skeleton.jpg|thumb|Known material of ''Majungasaurus'']] Below is a cladogram generated by Tortosa ''et al.'' (2014) in the description of ''Arcovenator'' and creation of a new subfamily Majungasaurinae.<ref name="tortosa2014"/>

{{clade| style=font-size:85%; line-height:85% |label1=Abelisauridae |1={{clade |1=''Kryptops'' |2=''Rugops'' |3=''Genusaurus'' |4=MCF-PVPH-237 abelisaurid |5=''Xenotarsosaurus'' |6=''Tarascosaurus'' |7=La Boucharde abelisaurid |label8= |8={{clade |label1=Majungasaurinae |1={{clade |1=Pourcieux abelisaurid |2=''Arcovenator'' 80 px |3=''Majungasaurus'' 80 px |4=''Indosaurus'' |5=''Rahiolisaurus'' |6=''Rajasaurus'' 80 px}} |label2=Brachyrostra |2={{clade |1=''Ilokelesia'' 80 px |label2= |2={{clade |1=''Ekrixinatosaurus'' 80 px |label2= |2={{clade |1=''Skorpiovenator'' 80 px |label2= |2={{clade |label1=Carnotaurini |1={{clade |1=''Abelisaurus'' |2=''Aucasaurus'' 80 px |3=''Pycnonemosaurus'' |4=''Quilmesaurus'' 80px |5=''Carnotaurus'' 80 px}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

''Ilokelesia'' was originally described as a sister group to the Abelisauroidea.<ref name="coriasalgado1998">Coria, R.A. & Salgado, L. "A basal Abelisauria Novas 1992 (Theropoda- Ceratosauria) from the Cretaceous Period of Patagonia, Argentina". In: Perez-Moreno, B, Holtz, T.R., Sanz, J.L., & Moratalla, J. (Eds.). ''Aspects of Theropod Paleobiology''. ''Gaia'' 15:89–102. [not printed until 2000]</ref> However, Sereno tentatively places it closer to ''Abelisaurus'' than to noasaurids, a result which agrees with several other recent analyses.<ref name="tykoskirowe2004"/><ref name="calvoetal2004">{{cite journal | last1 = Calvo | first1 = J.O. | last2 = Rubilar-Rogers | first2 = D. | last3 = Moreno | first3 = K. | year = 2004 | title = A new Abelisauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from northwest Patagonia | journal = Ameghiniana | volume = 41 | issue = 4| pages = 555–563 }}</ref><ref name="coriaetal2002">{{cite journal | doi = 10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0460:ANCROC]2.0.CO;2 | last1 = Coria | first1 = R.A. | last2 = Chiappe | first2 = L.M. | last3 = Dingus | first3 = L. | year = 2002 | title = A close relative of ''Carnotaurus sastrei'' Bonaparte 1985 (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia | journal = Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology | volume = 22 | issue = 2| pages = 460–465 | s2cid = 131148538 }}</ref> If a stem-based definition is used, ''Ilokelesia'' and ''Rugops'' are therefore basal abelisaurids. However, as they are more basal than ''Abelisaurus'', they are outside of the Abelisauridae if the node-based definition is adopted. ''Ekrixinatosaurus'' was also published in 2004, so it was not included in Sereno's analysis. However, an independent analysis, performed by Jorge Calvo and colleagues, shows it to be an abelisaurid.<ref name="calvoetal2004"/>

Some scientists include ''Xenotarsosaurus'' from Argentina and ''Compsosuchus'' from India as basal abelisaurids,<ref name="novasetal2004">{{cite journal | last1 = Novas | first1 = F.E. | last2 = Agnolin | first2 = F.L. | last3 = Bandyopadhyay | first3 = S. | year = 2004 | title = Cretaceous theropods from India: a review of specimens described by Huene and Matley (1933)" | journal = Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales | volume = 6 | issue = 1| pages = 67–103 | doi = 10.22179/REVMACN.6.74 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name="Rauhut">{{cite journal | last1 = Rauhut | first1 = O.W.M. | year = 2003 | title = The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs | journal = Special Papers in Palaeontology | volume = 69 | pages = 1–213 }}</ref> while others consider them to be outside the Abelisauroidea.<ref name="MartinezNovas">Martínez, R.D. and Novas, F.E. (2006). "''Aniksosaurus darwini gen. et sp. nov''., a new coelurosaurian theropod from the early Late Cretaceous of central Patagonia, Argentina". ''Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales'', nuevo serie 8(2):243-259</ref> The French ''Genusaurus'' and ''Tarascosaurus'' have also been called abelisaurids but both are fragmentary and may be more basal ceratosaurians,<ref name="tykoskirowe2004"/> though Tortosa ''et al.'' (2014) considered both to be distinct abelisaurids.<ref name="tortosa2014"/> Subsequent phylogenetic analyses recover ''Xenotarsosaurus'' and ''Tarascosaurus'' as an abelisaurid,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Salem |first1=Belal S. |last2=Lamanna |first2=Matthew C. |last3=O'Connor |first3=Patrick M. |last4=El-Qot |first4=Gamal M. |last5=Shaker |first5=Fatma |last6=Thabet |first6=Wael A. |last7=El-Sayed |first7=Sanaa |last8=Sallam |first8=Hesham M. |year=2022 |title=First definitive record of Abelisauridae (Theropoda:Ceratosauria) from the Cretaceous Bahariya Formation, Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt |journal=Royal Society Open Science |volume=9 |issue=6 |page= |bibcode=2022RSOS....920106S |doi=10.1098/rsos.220106 |doi-access=free|pmc=9174736 |pmid=35706658 |article-number=220106}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Malafaia |first1=Elisabete |last2=Escaso |first2=Fernando |last3=Coria |first3=Rodolfo A. |last4=Ortega |first4=Francisco |date=2023-01-19 |title=An Eudromaeosaurian Theropod from Lo Hueco (Upper Cretaceous. Central Spain) |journal=Diversity |language=en |volume=15 |issue=2 |page=141 |doi=10.3390/d15020141 |issn=1424-2818|doi-access=free }}</ref> but ''Genusaurus'' as either a noasaurid or an abelisaurid.<ref>{{cite journal | first1 = S. | last1 = Wang | first2 = J. | last2 = Stiegler | first3 = R. | last3 = Amiot | first4 = X. | last4 = Wang | first5 = G.-H. | last5 = Du | first6 = J.M. | last6 = Clark | first7 = X. | last7 = Xu | title = Extreme Ontogenetic Changes in a Ceratosaurian Theropod | journal = Current Biology| volume = 27 | issue = 1 | pages = 144–148 | date = 2017 | doi = 10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.043 | pmid = 28017609 | url = http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(16)31269-6.pdf| doi-access = free | bibcode = 2017CBio...27..144W }}</ref><ref name="filippi">{{cite journal |author1=Leonardo S. Filippi |author2=Ariel H. Méndez |author3=Rubén D. Juárez Valieri |author4=Alberto C. Garrido |year=2016 |title=A new brachyrostran with hypertrophied axial structures reveals an unexpected radiation of latest Cretaceous abelisaurids |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=61 |pages=209–219 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2015.12.018 |bibcode=2016CrRes..61..209F |hdl=11336/149906 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Baiano |first1=M. A. |last2=Coria |first2=R. |last3=Chiappe |first3=L. M. |last4=Zurriaguz |first4=V. |last5=Coria |first5=L. |year=2023 |title=Osteology of the axial skeleton of ''Aucasaurus garridoi'': phylogenetic and paleobiological inferences |journal=PeerJ |volume=11 |at=e16236 |doi=10.7717/peerj.16236 |pmc=10655716 |doi-access=free |pmid=38025666 }}</ref> [[File:MEF Eoabelisaurus.jpg|thumb|Skeleton of ''Eoabelisaurus'', a close relative of the Abelisauridae]] With the description of ''Skorpiovenator'' in 2008, Canale ''et al.'' published another phylogenetic analysis focusing on the South American abelisaurids. In their results, they found that all South American forms, including ''Ilokelesia'' (except ''Abelisaurus''), grouped together as a subclade of carnotaurines, which they named the Brachyrostra.<ref name="canaleetal2008">{{cite journal | last1 = Canale | first1 = Juan I. | last2 = Scanferla | first2 = Carlos A. | last3 = Agnolin | first3 = Federico L. | last4 = Novas | first4 = Fernando E. | title = New carnivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of NW Patagonia and the evolution of abelisaurid theropods | journal = Naturwissenschaften | volume = 96 | issue = 3 | pages = 409–14 | year = 2008 | pmid = 19057888 | doi = 10.1007/s00114-008-0487-4 | bibcode = 2009NW.....96..409C | hdl = 11336/52024 | s2cid = 23619863 | hdl-access = free }}</ref> In the same year Matthew T. Carrano and Scott D. Sampson published new large phylogenetic analysis of ceratosaurian.<ref name=C&S08>{{Cite journal | volume = 6 | year = 2007 | doi = 10.1017/S1477201907002246 | journal = Journal of Systematic Palaeontology | title = The Phylogeny of Ceratosauria (Dinosauria: Theropoda) | first1 = M. T. | last1 = Carrano | last2 = Sampson | first2 = S. D. | issue = 2 | page = 183 | bibcode = 2008JSPal...6..183C | s2cid = 30068953 | url = https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/7641/paleo_Carrano_Sampson_08a.pdf | access-date = 2018-08-06 | archive-date = 2018-07-20 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180720095334/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/7641/paleo_Carrano_Sampson_08a.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> With the description of ''Eoabelisaurus'', Diego Pol and Oliver W. M. Rauhut (2012) combined these analyses and added 10n new characters. The following cladogram follows their analysis.<ref name=Eoabelisaurus>{{cite journal | author = Diego Pol & Oliver W. M. Rauhut | year = 2012 | title = A Middle Jurassic abelisaurid from Patagonia and the early diversification of theropod dinosaurs | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences | volume = 279 | issue = 1804 | pages = 3170–5 | doi = 10.1098/rspb.2012.0660 | pmid=22628475 | pmc=3385738}}</ref>

{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:85% |label1=Ceratosauria |1={{clade |1=''Berberosaurus'' |2=''Deltadromeus'' |3={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Spinostropheus'' |2={{clade |1=''Limusaurus'' 80 px |2=''Elaphrosaurus'' 80 px }} }} |label2=Neoceratosauria |2={{clade |label1=Ceratosauridae |1={{clade |1=''Ceratosaurus'' 80 px |2=''Genyodectes'' }} |label2=Abelisauroidea |2={{clade |label1=Noasauridae |1={{clade |1=''Laevisuchus'' |2=''Masiakasaurus'' 80 px |3=''Noasaurus'' |4=''Velocisaurus'' }} |label2='''Abelisauridae''' |2={{clade |1=''Eoabelisaurus'' |2={{clade |1=''Rugops'' |2={{clade |1=''Abelisaurus'' |label2=Carnotaurinae |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Majungasaurus'' 80 px |2=''Indosaurus'' |3=''Rajasaurus'' 80 px}} |label2=Brachyrostra |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Ilokelesia'' 80 px |2=''Ekrixinatosaurus'' 80 px |3=''Skorpiovenator'' 80 px}} |label2=Carnotaurini |2={{clade |1=''Carnotaurus'' 80 px |2=''Aucasaurus'' 80 px }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}In the 2021 description of ''Llukalkan'', the following consensus tree was recovered.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gianechini |first1=Federico A. |last2=Méndez |first2=Ariel H. |last3=Filippi |first3=Leonardo S. |last4=Paulina-Carabajal |first4=Ariana |last5=Juárez-Valieri |first5=Rubén D. |last6=Garrido |first6=Alberto C. |date=2020-12-10 |title=A new furileusaurian abelisaurid from La Invernada (Upper Cretaceous, Santonian, Bajo de la Carpa Formation), northern Patagonia, Argentina |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2020.1877151 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |language=en |volume=40 |issue=6 |article-number=e1877151 |bibcode=2020JVPal..40E7151G |doi=10.1080/02724634.2020.1877151 |issn=0272-4634 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=2024-06-13 |access-date=2024-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613061213/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2020.1877151 |url-status=live |hdl=11336/167187 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

{{Clade|{{clade |1=''Kryptops'' 15px 70px |2={{clade |1=''Rugops'' 15px <div style="{{mirrorH}}">70px</div>

|2={{clade |label1=Majungasaurinae |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Genusaurus'' 15px |2=''Arcovenator'' 15px }} |2={{clade |1=''Rajasaurus'' 15px 70px |2=''Indosaurus'' 15px |3=''Majungasaurus'' 15px 70px}} }} |label2= Brachyrostra |2={{clade |1=''Xenotarsosaurus'' 15px |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Dahalokely'' 15px |2=''Rahiolisaurus'' 15px}} |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Ilokelesia'' 15px |2={{clade |1=''Ekrixinatosaurus'' 15px 70px |2=''Skorpiovenator'' 15px 70px}} }} |label2=Furileusauria |2={{clade |1=''Llukalkan'' 15px |2=''Pycnonemosaurus'' 15px |3=''Quilmesaurus'' 15px 70px |4=''Viavenator'' 15px 70px |label5=Carnotaurini |5={{clade |1=''Carnotaurus'' 15px 70px |2={{clade |1=''Aucasaurus'' 15px 70px |2=''Abelisaurus'' 15px }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}|label1=Abelisauridae}}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" ! Timeline of genera |- | <timeline> ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px

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==Paleobiology==

===Feeding=== Dental microwear features of abelisaurid teeth from the Marília Formation of Brazil indicate that they predated heavily on large prey.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Tooth wear and microwear of theropods from the Late Maastrichtian Marília Formation (Bauru Group), Minas Gerais State, Brazil |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/earth-and-environmental-science-transactions-of-royal-society-of-edinburgh/article/tooth-wear-and-microwear-of-theropods-from-the-late-maastrichtian-marilia-formation-bauru-group-minas-gerais-state-brazil/DF0F1434CC7D0DA8DA95BF2A8FD45B9A |journal=Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh |date=December 2015 |issn=1755-6910 |pages=229–233 |volume=106 |issue=4 |doi=10.1017/S175569101600013X |language=en |first1=Carlos Roberto A. |last1=Candeiro |first2=Philip John |last2=Currie |first3=Caio L. |last3=Candeiro |first4=Lílian P.|last4=Bergqvist |via=Cambridge Core |access-date=28 November 2025}}</ref> Fossil teeth found amid the bones of a titanosaur from the Allen Formation of Argentina suggest that abelisaurids preyed upon or at least scavenged titanosaurs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://app.pan.pl/article/item/app008472020.html |title=Isolated theropod teeth associated with a sauropod skeleton from the Late Cretaceous Allen Formation of Río Negro, Patagonia, Argentina - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2021-06-30 |archive-date=2021-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609070508/http://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app008472020.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Ontogeny and growth=== Studies of the abelisaurid ''Majungasaurus'' indicate that it was a much slower-growing dinosaur than other theropods, taking nearly 20 years to reach adult size.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.livescience.com/56897-slow-growing-theropod-dinosaur.html | title=Fearsome Malagasy Dinosaur Remained a Pipsqueak Most of Its Life | website=Live Science | date=16 November 2016 | access-date=22 November 2016 | archive-date=22 November 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122082140/http://www.livescience.com/56897-slow-growing-theropod-dinosaur.html | url-status=live }}</ref> However, other mature abelisaurid specimens indicate that they generally reached a faster rate of maturation. The holotype of ''Aucasaurus'' had a minimum age of 11 years,<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Baiano MA, Cerda IA |title=Osteohistology of ''Aucasaurus garridoi'' (Dinosauria, Theropoda, Abelisauridae): inferences on lifestyle and growth strategy |journal=Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology |year=2022 |volume=35 |issue=5 |pages=693–704 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2022.2063052 |s2cid=248288065 }}</ref> the holotype of ''Niebla'' had a minimum age of 9 years,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Aranciaga Rolando|first1=Mauro|last2=Cerroni|first2=Mauricio A.|last3=Garcia Marsà|first3=Jordi A.|last4=Agnolín|first4=Federico L.|last5=Motta|first5=Matías J.|last6=Rozadilla|first6=Sebastián|last7=Brisson Eglí|first7=Federico|last8=Novas|first8=Fernando E.|date=2020-10-14|title=A new medium-sized abelisaurid (Theropoda, Dinosauria) from the late cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Allen Formation of Northern Patagonia, Argentina|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981120304582|journal=Journal of South American Earth Sciences|volume=105|language=en|article-number=102915|doi=10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102915|s2cid=225123133|issn=0895-9811|hdl=11336/150468|hdl-access=free}}</ref> and MMCh-PV 69 had a minimum age of 14 years.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=J.I. |last1=Canale |first2=I. |last2=Cerda |first3=F.E. |last3=Novas |first4=A. |last4=Haluza |title=Small-sized abelisaurid (Theropoda: Ceratosauria) remains from the Upper Cretaceous of northwest Patagonia, Argentina |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=62 |year=2016 |pages=18–28 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2016.02.001|bibcode=2016CrRes..62...18C |hdl=11336/59930 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Dinosaurs}} * Timeline of ceratosaur research

==References== {{Reflist|3}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130929072019/http://archosaur.us/theropoddatabase/Ceratosauria.htm#Abelisauridae Abelisauridae at The Theropod Database]

{{Theropoda|B.}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q134184}}

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* Category:Dinosaur families Category:Cretaceous dinosaurs