Quick
Search: 		  
advanced search
 GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help 
Bulletin de la Societe Geologique de France Don't get GSW? Talk to your librarian.
JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Bulletin de la Societe Geologique de France; March-April 2009; v. 180; no. 2; p. 145-154; DOI: 10.2113/gssgfbull.180.2.145
© 2009 Societe Geologique de France
This Article
Right arrow Résumé
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chanthasit, P.
Right arrow Articles by Buffetaut, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
GeoRef
Right arrow GeoRef Citation

New data on the Dromaeosauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of southern France

Phornphen Chanthasit1 and Eric Buffetaut2

1 UMR 5125-Paléoenvironnement et Paléobiosphère, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, Bâtiment Géode, 2 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622 Villeurbanne cedex, France. E-mail: phornphen.chanthasit{at}pepsmail.univ-lyon1.fr
2 UMR 8538-Laboratoire de Géologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France. E-mail: eric.buffetaut{at}wanadoo.fr

Since the first discovery of dromaeosaurid remains from the Late Cretaceous of southern France, two genera and species, Variraptor mechinorum LE LOEUFF & BUFFETAUT, 1998, and Pyroraptor olympius ALLAIN & TAQUET, 2000, have been erected. Their validity and possible synonymy have been debated. New remains of Dromaeosauridae from Late Campanian – Early Maastrichtian localities near Cruzy (Hérault) and Fox-Amphoux (Var) are described. A sacrum from Hérault is remarkably comparable to that of Variraptor. An ilium from Fox-Amphoux and the holotype sacrum of Variraptor mechinorum probably belong to the same individual. Shared elements between Variraptor and Pyroraptor do not show any diagnostic characters. The question of the synonymy between Variraptor and Pyroraptor is still unresolved on the basis of these new specimens. Nevertheless, the available evidence suggests that these two species may be valid. The specimens from Cruzy suggest that faunal interchange between Europe and Asia lasted longer than that between Europe and North America, and that European dromaeosaurids evolved on their own during the Late Cretaceous isolation of Europe.

Key Words: Dinosauria • Dromaeosauridae • Late Cretaceous • France






JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2009 by Societe Geologique de France