Protathlitis cinctorrensis
"champion"
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (129.4–125 Mya)
- Place
- Europe · China · Spain
- Food
- Piscivore (fish-eater)
- Clade
- Spinosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Crocodile-snouted fish-eaters with sail or hump.
Protathlitis (meaning “champion”) is a potentially dubious and chimeric genus of theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Arcillas de Morella Formation of Castellón, Spain. The type and only species is Protathlitis cinctorrensis, known from a partial skeleton. It was originally identified as a basal member of the Baryonychinae. If a spinosaurid identity of the material is correct, its discovery, as well as those of the spinosaurids Camarillasaurus, Iberospinus, Riojavenatrix, and the contemporary Vallibonavenatrix shows that the Iberian Peninsula held a diverse assemblage of these theropods during the Early Cretaceous.
What we know
- Named by Santos-Cubedo et al., 2023.
- Fossils found in Europe and China.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Protathlitis — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.