Invictibellatrix
| Invictibellatrix Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
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| Photographs (left) and line drawings (right) of the holotype specimen | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | â Megaraptora |
| Genus: | â Invictibellatrix Morrison et al., 2026 |
| Species: | â I. amberina |
| Binomial name | |
| â Invictibellatrix amberina Morrison et al., 2026 | |
Invictibellatrix (Latin: "unconquered warrior") is an extinct genus of megaraptoran theropod dinosaur known from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian age) Wessex Formation of England. The genus contains a single species, Invictibellatrix amberina, known from a single braincase.[1]
Discovery and naming
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The Invictibellatrix fossil material was discovered in outcrops of the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The specimen is housed in the Natural History Museum in London, where it is permanently accessioned as specimen NHMUK PV R 6775. It was sold to the museum in May 1924 by the widow of the collector Reginald Walter Hooley. It consists of an isolated braincase (part of the skull that houses the brain).[1] Prior to the formal naming of Invictibellatrix, the fossil material was reported in a conference abstract in 2024.[2] In 2026, Cassius Morrison and colleagues described Invictibellatrix amberina as a new genus and species of megaraptoran theropod based on these fossil remains, designating NHMUK PV R 6775 as the holotype specimen.[1]
Description
[edit]Invictibellatrix is estimated to have a body mass between 200â300Â kg (440â660Â lb) and a body length of around 4Â m (13Â ft).[1]
Three autapomorphies were established, unique derived traits. On each side of the parabasisphenoÃd in front of the recessus tympanicus anterior, a small recessus basipterygoideus is present. The crest on the back of the skull is lightly tranvsersely compressed and has an hourglass profile. On the crest distinctive lightly curved depressions are present on the midline.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Morrison, Cassius; Scherer, Charlie Roger R.; Mannion, Philip; Porro, Laura B.; Clark, Brett; Folkes, Daniel D.; Barrett, Paul M. (2026-09-16). "A new megaraptoran dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation, UK, and its implications for theropod evolution and biogeography". Royal Society Open Science. 13 (10) 260937. doi:10.1098/rsos.260937.
- â Morrison, C. D. I.; Perkins, J.; Scherer, C.; Mannion, P. D.; Porro, L. B.; Clark, B.; Barrett, P. M. (2024). The first reported megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from Europe and the implications for megaraptoran origins (PDF). 21st Conference of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists. pp. 37â38.
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