Appointed Obelignathus of the weekThe new species lived in the European archipelago approximately 72 million years ago (Cretaceous period) and belonged to a family of Iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaurs called rhabdodontidae.
Restoration of the life of Obelignathus of the week In the late environment of the Cretaceous recorded in the formation of “reptile sandstones”, with a pair of dromaeosaurides dinosaurs in the background. Image credit: Edyta Felcyn-Kowalska.
Rhabdodontides dinosaurs were from small to average, probably herbivores usually two-way between 2 and 6 m (6.6-20 feet).
These dinosaurs were characterized by a rather stocky construction, with strong posterior limbs, short previous limbs, a long tail and a relatively large triangular skull which shrinks forward and ends with a pointed muzzle.
They lived in the European archipelago of the upper Cretaceous, a large archipelago with many small and large islands located in a shallow tropical sea.
Currently, the family includes less than ten species, which have been found in the south of France, northern Spain, east of Austria, Western Hungary and western Romania.
“Rhabdodontides are generally considered to represent a group of small and medium -sized dinosaurs endemic for the European archipelago of the upper Cretaceous,” said Dr łukasz Czepiński and Dr Daniel Madzia, both of the Paleobiology Institute to the Polish Science Academy.
“Eight to nine distinct species are currently recognized on the basis of discovered specimens of East Austria, southern France, western Hungary, western Romania and northern Spain.”
“However, understanding the diversity of rhabdodontidae and their intrarelations is far from complete.”
The fossilized remains of Obelignathus of the week – A right dental – was found in the formation of “reptile sandstones” in the south of France.
The specimen was previously attributed to a species named ‘Rhabdodon’ Sirverly.
“”Rhabdodon week is a little -known species of the Campanian superior at the bottom of the Maastrichtian in the south of France, “said paleontologists.
“It was established on the basis of a particularly robust dental bone which was subject to contradictory taxonomic interpretations.”
“Our reissued sample, combined with a multivariate and phylogenetic assessment, shows that this species is a clear morphological maternal value among European rhabdodontomorphs, providing a base for its assignment to a new genre, Obelignathus. “”
“Although other large-scale studies, in particular detailed osteological descriptions, are necessary to clarify the taxonomic significance of certain European rhabdodomorphs, our results indicate that the group presents greater diversity than currently recognized, with several sympatrical co-busy species, at least in the south of France and possibly in Romania.”
The team’s article was published this week in the newspaper Scientific relationships.
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L. Czepiński and D. Madzia. 2025. Exploration of the diversity and disparity of the Rhabdodontomorphs ornithopods of the European Archipelago of the upper Cretaceous. SCI REP 15, 15209; DOI: 10.1038 / S41598-025-98083-Z
