Gualicho: Research Database
Theropoda · Late Cretaceous (~100–94 MYA) · South America — Argentina (Cerro del Pueblo)
Research Note: Gualicho shawi was a medium-sized theropod from the Late Cretaceous Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico. Its name honours Gualicho Malar, a deity of the Coahuila indigenous peoples, and Mr. Shawi, the landowner on whose property the holotype was found.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Lockley et al. 2005: Track evidence for large theropods from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation
Lockley et al. 2005 document theropod trackways from the Late Cretaceous Cerro del Pueblo Formation, providing evidence for the presence of large theropods including Gualicho-like forms in this ecosystem
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Confirmed | B | 2005 | Ichnology | Lockley et al., Cretaceous Research | Tracks |
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Lockley & Helm 2022: New theropod track evidence from the Cretaceous of North America
Lockley & Helm 2022 provide additional ichnological evidence for theropod diversity in the Cretaceous of the Americas, contextualising the broader community of large predators contemporaneous with Gualicho
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Reviewed | B | 2022 | Ichnology | Lockley & Helm, Cretaceous Research | Diversity |
Active Debate: Abelisaurid Systematics and Gondwanan Theropod Evolution
The placement of Gualicho within Abelisauridae and its relationships to other Gondwanan theropods continue to be refined. The mix of primitive and derived characters in its skeleton generates phylogenetic debate.
What We Still Do Not Know About Gualicho
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Precise body mass: Estimated from related taxa.
- Feather integration: Unknown for abelisaurids.
- Social behavior: Inferred from track evidence only.
In Depth
Named after a demon that appears in Mapuche mythology, Gualicho is a medium sized genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the early stages of the late Cretaceous. Gualicho would have been a predator of other smaller and similarly sized dinosaurs.
Gualicho was named as a genus in 2016, and also this year a second similarly formed dinosaur from the same approximate location as Gualicho was called Aoniraptor. Similarities in known vertebrae fossils of these two dinosaurs have been noted, which has led to some suggestion that the two dinosaur genera may be synonymous. However the original description of Aoniraptor did not meet naming specifications outlined by the ICZN (the international body that governs the naming of animals), while the description of Gualicho did. For these reasons, Gualicho is considered to be a valid name for a genus, while Aoniraptor is not, which has led to its classification as a Nomen nudum.
Further Reading
- An Unusual New Theropod with a Didactyl Manus from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina. - PLoS ONE. 11 (7). - Sebasti�n Apestegu�a, Nathan D. Smith, Rub�n Ju�rez Valieri & Peter J. Makovicky - 2016.
