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Obelignathus septimanicus

Osteichthyes

Taxonomy
Rhabdodon septimanicus was named by Buffetaut and Le Loeuff (1991). Its type specimen is MDE D30, a mandible (right dentary missing the anteriormost portion), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Montouliers, Saint-Chinian, which is in a Campanian/Maastrichtian terrestrial horizon in the Grès à Reptiles Formation of France. It is the type species of Obelignathus.

It was recombined as Obelignathus septimanicus by Czepiński and Madzia (2025).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1991Rhabdodon septimanicus Buffetaut and Le Loeuff
1995Rhabdodon septimanicus Le Loeuff and Buffetaut p. 183
1997Rhabdodon septimanicus Le Loeuff p. 454
1998Rhabdodon septimanicus Le Loeuff p. 56
2004Rhabdodon septimanicus Norman p. 414
2005Rhabdodon septimanicus Buffetaut p. 44
2016Rhabdodon septimanicus Dieudonné et al. p. 2
2017Rhabdodon septimanicus Godefroit et al. p. 1
2019Rhabdodon septimanicus Párraga and Prieto-Márquez p. 254
2025Obelignathus septimanicus Czepiński and Madzia p. 7

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
RankNameAuthor
Diapsida()
Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
Crocopoda
ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
Eucrocopoda
Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
Ornithodira
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauria()
Ornithischia()
Genasauria
Cerapoda
Ornithopoda()
Clypeodonta
Iguanodontia()
Rhabdodontomorpha
genusObelignathus
speciesseptimanicus()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Obelignathus septimanicus Buffetaut and Le Loeuff 1991
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
Ł. Czepiński and D. Madzia 2025A medium-sized rhabdodontomorph dinosaur with the following unique combination of
characters (*previously identified autapomorphy; **newly identified autapomorphy):
(1)** Dentary bone with a robust appearance, being anteroposteriorly shorter (with the main body of the dentary being about 3 times longer than high), labiolingually wider, and dorsoventrally higher than in other rhabdodontomorphs (where the dentary is about 4 times longer than high);
(2)* Absence of the buccal platform lateral to the alveolar row;
(3)** Absence of the horizontal buccal crest in the posterior part of the dentary due to the poorly developed anterolateral ridge of the coronoid process;
(4)* Coronoid process of the dentary placed directly posterior to the alveolar row, resulting in contact with a surangular being in line with the alveolar row and not displaced laterally as in other rhabdodontomorphs;
(5)** Coronoid process rotated lateroposteriorly, such as the lateral and coronoid surfaces of the process face, respectively, more posteriorly and more anteriorly than in other rhabdodontomorphs;
(6)** Meckelian canal mediolaterally and dorsoventrally deep, reaching 50% of the height of the medial wall of dentary below the alveolar groove (in other rhabdodontomorphs the dorsoventral height of the Meckelian canal is up to 33% of the medial height of the dentary wall).
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Entire body: yeso
Adult length: 10 to < 100o
Adult width: 1.0 to < 10o
Adult height: 1.0 to < 10o
Architecture: compact or denseo
Ontogeny: accretion, modification of partso
Grouping: gregariouso
Environment: terrestrialo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: ground dwellingo
Diet: herbivoresubo
Reproduction: oviparouso
Dispersal: direct/internalo
Dispersal 2: mobileo
Created: 2009-01-03 20:40:05
Modified: 2009-01-03 22:40:05
Source: subo = suborder, o = order
References: Benton 1983, Kiessling 2004, Marsh 1875

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Campanian to the top of the Early/Lower Maastrichtian or 83.60000 to 66.00000 Ma

Collections (2 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Campanian - Early/Lower Maastrichtian83.6 - 66.0France (Languedoc-Roussillon) Ornithopoda indet. (type locality: 68875) Rhabdodon septimanicus (48870)