New giant theropod material from the Kem Kem Compound Assemblage (Morocco) with implications on the diversity of the mid-Cretaceous carcharodontosaurids from North Africa

ABSTRACT

The ‘Kem Kem Compound Assemblage’ (KKCA) along the Algerian-Moroccan border is a series of fossiliferous localities, Cenomanian in age, particularly rich in large-bodied theropod dinosaurs. Two species of carcharodontosaurid allosauroids have been identified in these units, Carcharodontosaurus saharicus and Sauroniops pachytholus. Recently, the validity of the second species has been challenged, and all carcharodontosaurid material from the KKCA has been referred uniquely to the former species. Here, we describe a new theropod cranial material from the KKCA which is referred to Carcharodontosauridae, including one partial maxilla which shows a morphology distinct from that of C. saharicus. We review the arguments used to interpret Sauroniops holotype as an immature individual of Carcharodontosaurus and show that they were based on non-homologous comparisons and on the misinterpretation of the original description of S. pachytholus: The latter is confirmed to be a valid taxon, distinct from C. saharicus and with an inferred body size comparable to the largest carcharodontosaurids. The presence of more than one giant carcharodontosaurid species in the Cenomanian of Morocco recalls the carcharodontosaurid diversity from penecontemporary units from Argentina.

KEYWORDS:

• Carcharodontosauridae
• Cretaceous
• Dinosauria
• Morocco
• Theropoda

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the Gruppo Medico D’Archivio (Giulianova, Italy), in particular, to Claudio D’Archivio, Gabriele D’Archivio and Sandro Galantini, for their help and for submitting the material to computed tomography. We thank Stephen Brusatte (University of Edinburgh, UK) for sharing photographic material of Eocarcharia dinops and Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis. Christophe Hendrickx (Museo de Ciencias Naturales ‘Miguel Lillo’, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina) is thanked for providing photographic material of C. saharicus. We thank Juan Canale (National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina) for sharing unpublished photographic material of Meraxes gigas. Marco Auditore (Associazione Paleontologica e Paleoartistica Italiana, Italy) kindly gave permission for use of the skeletal drawing in Figures 1 and 2. Careful reviews by Juan Canale and Mattia Baiano (National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina) improved the quality of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was not supported by any funding agency.