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{{Short description|Extinct clade of dinosaurs}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Abelisauroidea
| fossil_range = [[Middle Jurassic]] - [[Late Cretaceous]], {{Fossilrange|179|66}}
| image = Majungasaurus SBU right.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Majungasaurus crenatissimus]]'' skeleton, [[Stony Brook University]]
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Abelisauroidea
| authority = [[Jose Bonaparte|Bonaparte]] & [[Fernando Novas|Novas]], 1985
| subdivision_ranks = Families
| subdivision =
** ''[[Betasuchus]]''
** ''[[Coeluroides]]''?
** ''[[Dahalokely]]''
** ''[[Ligabueino]]''?
** ''[[Ozraptor]]''?
** ''[[Orthogoniosaurus]]''?
*{{extinct}}[[Abelisauridae]]
*{{extinct}}[[Noasauridae]]
}}

'''Abelisauroidea''' is typically regarded as a [[Cretaceous]] group, though the [[Earliest known life forms|earliest]] [[abelisauridae]] remains are known from the [[Middle Jurassic]] of [[Argentina]] (classified as the species Eoabelisaurus mefi) and possibly [[Madagascar]] (fragmentary remains of an unnamed species) possible [[abelisauridae]] remains (an isolated left [[tibia]], right [[femur]], and right tibia) were also discovered in [[Late Jurassic]] [[Tendaguru Formation|Tendaguru]] Beds in [[Tanzania]].
Abelisauroids flourished in the [[Southern hemisphere]] during the [[Cretaceous]] period, but their origins can be traced back to at least the [[Middle Jurassic]], when they had a more global distribution (the earliest known abelisauroid remains come from [[Australia]]n and [[South America]]n deposits dated to about 170 million years ago).<ref>{{cite book| author = David B. Weishampel|author2=Peter Dodson|author3=Halszka Osmólska| title = The Dinosauria: Second Edition| date = 2004-11-06| publisher = University of California Press| isbn = 978-0-520-24209-8| page = 109 }}</ref> By the Cretaceous period, abelisauroids had apparently become extinct in Asia and North America, possibly due to competition from [[Tyrannosauroidea|tyrannosauroids]]. However, advanced abelisauroids of the family Abelisauridae persisted in the southern continents until the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event ]] {{period start|Paleogene}} million years ago.<ref name="ezcurraetal2012">Martín D. Ezcurra, M.D. and Agnolín, F.L. (2012). "An abelisauroid dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Laurasia and its implications on theropod palaeobiogeography and evolution." ''Proceedings of the Geologists' Association'', (advance online publication).</ref>

== Discussion ==
In order to assess the phylogenetic position of [[Eoabelisaurus]], the analysis places [[Eoabelisaurus]] as the most basal member of the [[Abelisauridae]]. [[Abelisauridae|Abelisaurid]] synapomorphies include the laterally covered lacrimal antorbital fossa, broad cervical prespinal fossae, anteroposteriorly short anterior caudal neural spines, absence of a ventral groove in the anterior [[Caudals|caudals]], presence of rudimentary centrodiapophyseal laminae in the anterior mid-caudals, reduced distal ginglymus in the manual phalanges, and the presence of a flexor depression in the pedal [[Ungual|unguals]]. Alternative phylogenetic placements of [[Eoabelisaurus]] are significantly suboptimal, except for a slightly more basal position.<ref>{{cite web |last1=T Carrano |first1=Matthew |title=The appendicular skeleton of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230808681_The_appendicular_skeleton_of_Majungasaurus_crenatissimus_Theropoda_Abelisauridae_from_the_Late_Cretaceous_of_Madagascar |website=ResearchGate}}</ref> Noasaurids had longer arms than their relatives the abelisaurids, whose arms were tiny and diminished. Although by no means as large or specialized as the arms of advanced bird-like theropods, [[Noasauridae]] arms were nevertheless capable of movement and use, possibly even for hunting in large-clawed genera such as [[Noasaurus]]. Some genera such as Limusaurus did have somewhat reduced arms and hands, but far from the extent that [[Abelisauridae|Abelisaurids]] acquired. [[Noasauridae|Noasaurids]] were also nimble and lightly built, with feet showing adaptations for running such as a long central foot bone. [[Noasauridae|Noasaurids]] varied in size, from the small [[Velocisaurus]] which was under 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, to much larger genera such as [[Elaphrosaurus]] and [[Deltadromeus]], which were more than 20 feet (6.2 meters) in length.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Middle Jurassic abelisaurid from Patagonia and the early diversification of theropod dinosaurs |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3385738/}}</ref>

== Classification ==
Abelisauroidea is a superfamily which contains the family [[Noasauridae]] and [[Abelisauridae]]. [[Noasauridae]] was a very diverse group, with the two most complete members, [[Masiakasaurus]] and [[Limusaurus]], showing unusual features very different from each other. [[Masiakasaurus]] had an unusually downturned [[jaw]], with long and sharply pointed spoon-shaped [[Tooth|teeth]]. Some of these teeth were nearly horizontal in orientation. [[Limusaurus]], on the other hand, was completely toothless as an [[adult]] and likely possessed a horny [[beak]]. This large disparity means that it is difficult to find any [[skull]] [[features]] shared by [[members]] of Noasauridae as a whole. [[Abelisauridae]] remains are mainly known in the [[southern]] [[Continent|continents]], which once made up the [[supercontinent]] of [[Gondwana]]. It has had several definitions in phylogenetic taxonomy. It was originally defined as a node-based taxon including [[Abelisaurus]], [[Carnotaurus]], and all of its descendants. Later, it was redefined as a stem-based taxon, including all animals more closely related to [[Abelisaurus]] (or the more complete [[Carnotaurus]]) than to [[Noasaurus]].

{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%
|label1=&nbsp;[[Abelisauroidea]]&nbsp;
         |1={{clade
            |label1=&nbsp;[[Noasauridae]]&nbsp;
            |1={{clade
               |1=''[[Laevisuchus]]''
               |2=''[[Masiakasaurus]]'' [[File:Masiakasaurus BW (flipped).jpg|80 px]]
               |3=''[[Noasaurus]]''
               |4=''[[Velocisaurus]]'' }}
            |label2=&nbsp;'''Abelisauridae'''&nbsp;
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Eoabelisaurus]]''
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Rugops]]''
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Abelisaurus]]''
                     |label2=&nbsp;[[Carnotaurinae]]&nbsp;
                     |2={{clade
                        |1={{clade
                           |1=''[[Majungasaurus]]'' [[File:Majungasaurus BW (flipped).jpg|80 px]]
                           |2=''[[Indosaurus]]''
                           |3=''[[Rajasaurus]]'' [[File:Rajasaurus restoration.jpg|80 px]]}}
                        |label2=&nbsp;[[Brachyrostra]]&nbsp;
                        |2={{clade
                           |1={{clade 
                              |1=''[[Ilokelesia]]'' [[File:Ilokelesia (flipped).jpg|80 px]]
                              |2=''[[Ekrixinatosaurus]]'' [[File:Ekrixinatosaurus novasi by Henrique Paes.png|80 px]]
                              |3=''[[Skorpiovenator]]'' [[File:Skorpiovenator bustingorryi by D-Juan.jpg|80 px]]}}
                           |label2=&nbsp;[[Carnotaurini]]&nbsp; 
                           |2={{clade
                              |1=''[[Carnotaurus]]'' [[File:Carnotaurus DB 2 white background.jpg|80 px]]
                              |2=''[[Aucasaurus]]'' [[File:Aucasaurus garridoi by Paleocolour.jpg|80 px]] }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

== Shared characteristics ==
Complete [[Skeleton|skeletons]] have been described only for the most advanced [[abelisauridae]] (such as [[Carnotaurus]] and [[Aucasaurus]]), making the establishment of defining features of the skeleton for the family as a whole more difficult. However, most are known from at least some skull bones, so known shared features come mainly from the skull. Many abelisaurid [[skull]] features are shared with [[Carcharodontosauridae|carcharodontosaurids]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=T Carrano |first1=Matthew |title=The appendicular skeleton of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230808681_The_appendicular_skeleton_of_Majungasaurus_crenatissimus_Theropoda_Abelisauridae_from_the_Late_Cretaceous_of_Madagascar |publisher=June 2007}}</ref> These shared features, along with the fact that [[abelisauridae]] seem to have replaced [[carcharodontosauridae]] in [[South America]], has led to suggestions that the two groups were related.
Noasaurids were considered to be distinctive Abelisauroidea with a peculiar "sickle claw" on the second toe of the foot, convergently developed with that of [[Deinonychosauria|Deinonychosaurians]]. Among [[Noasauridae|Noasaurids]], the Argentinean species [[Noasaurus|Noasaurus leali]](Lastest Cretaceous) and Ligabueino(Early Cretaceous) are known from incomplete specimens, including dissarticulated non-ungueal phalanges and in Noasaurus, a claw. A detailed overview of these elements indicates that the supposed raptorial claw of the second pedal digit actually belongs to the first or second finger of the manus, and the putative pedal non-ungual phalanges or both genera also pertain to the manus.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Agnolin |first1=Federico |last2=Chiarelli |first2=Pablo |title=The position of the claws in Noasauridae (Dinosauria: Abelisauroidea) and its implications for abelisauroid manus evolution |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225424245_The_position_of_the_claws_in_Noasauridae_Dinosauria_Abelisauroidea_and_its_implications_for_abelisauroid_manus_evolution |website=ResearchGate}}</ref>

== Discovery ==
Most Abelisauroid were found in [[Madagascar]], [[Asia]], or sometimes in [[Africa]]. [[Abelisauridae]] thrived during the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|Cretaceou]]<nowiki/>s period, on the [[Ancient history|ancient]] southern [[supercontinent]] of [[Gondwana]], and today their [[fossil]] remains are found on the modern [[Continent|continents]] of [[Africa]] and [[South America]], as well as on the [[Indian National Congress|Indian]] [[subcontinent]] and the [[island]] of [[Madagascar]]. In Madagascar, we are known as “[[Majungasaurus]]”, were [[discovered]] by [[Charles Depéret]] (French [[Paleontology|paleontologist]]). [[Majungasaurus]] was the most common abelisauroid which we know. [[Studies]] of the [[abelisauridae]] [[Majungasaurus]] indicate that it was a much slower-growing dinosaur than other theropods, taking nearly 20 years to reach [[adult]] size. Not only [[Majungasaurus]] was found in [[Madagascar]] but also [[Masiakasaurus]] which was the most complete [[fossil]] [[noasauridae]] found. Similar studies on other abelisaurid genera indicate that this slow [[maturation]] may have been a common trait to the whole of the [[Abelisauridae]]. [[Noasauridae|Noasaurines]] are [[Late Cretaceous]] [[Noasauridae|noasaurids]] known exclusively from southern continents and islands such as [[South America]], [[Madagascar]], and [[India]] which was an [[island]] near [[Madagascar]] during the [[Cretaceous]]. [[Noasauridae|Elaphrosaurines]] were lightly built [[Theropoda|theropods]], with small [[Skull|skulls]] and long [[Neck|necks]] and [[Leg|legs]]. If [[Limusaurus]] is any indication, [[adult]] [[Noasauridae|elaphrosaurines]] were completely toothless, and their [[Mouth|mouths]] were probably edged with a horny [[beak]]. It is likely that Limusaurus and other [[elaphrosaurines]] were primarily herbivorous as [[Adult|adults]], due to mature [[Limusaurus]] [[Specimen|specimens]] preserving [[Gastrolith|gastroliths]] and chemical [[Signature|signatures]] resembling those of [[herbivorous]] [[Dinosaur|dinosaurs]]. In [[South America]], many of abelisauroids were discovered such as [[Skorpiovenator]], Tarasscosaurus, Erikasaurus, Quilmesaurus, Aucasarus, Ilokelesia, [[Pycnonemosaurus]] etc. In Africa, we can find many abelisauroid which were [[Rugops]], [[Kryptops]], etc. Many abelisauroid can [[grow]] in [[South America]], because they can evolve in a fruitful place. [[Kurupi itaata]] represents the first formally named [[vertebrate]] of the [[Marília Formation]] ([[Bauru Group]], [[Bauru Basin]]) and one of the few [[Theropoda|theropod]] records for the [[Maastrichtian]] of the [[Bauru Group|Bauru Basin]]. Its [[abelisauridae]] affinities are well-established based on the [[anatomy]] of the [[Pelvis|pelvi]]<nowiki/>s and [[anterior]] [[Caudate nucleus|caudal]] [[Vertebra|vertebrae]]; however, closer relationships with other [[abelisauridae]] are still unclear. The specimens provide new information on abelisauroids which are still poorly known in the Brazilian fossil record, and on the distribution of this diverse group of theropod dinosaurs in South America.<ref>{{cite web |last1=A. Farke |first1=Andrew |title=“An Abelisauroid Theropod Dinosaur from the Turonian of Madagascar” |url=https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062047 |access-date=April 18, 2013}}</ref> These discoveries indicate that abelisauroids were the most common large predatory dinosaurs in the outcrops where they come from.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Méndez |first1=Ariel |last2=E Novas |first2=Fernando |last3=Vidoi Iori |first3=Fabiano |title=New records of abelisauroid theropods from the Bauru Basin (Upper Cretaceous), Sao Paulo State, Brazil |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265381596_New_records_of_abelisauroid_theropods_from_the_Bauru_Basin_Upper_Cretaceous_Sao_Paulo_State_Brazil |website=ResearchGate}}</ref>

== Distribution ==
Abelisauroidea were common in Gondwana during the Cretaceous, but exceedingly rare in the Northern Hemisphere. The oldest definitive [[Abelisauridae|abelisaurids]] so far come from the late Early Cretaceous of South America and Africa, and the early evolutionary history of the clade is still poorly known. Here, we report a new [[Abelisauridae|abelisaurid]] from the [[Middle Jurassic]] of Patagonia, [[Eoabelisaurus|Eoabelisauru]]s, which predates the so far oldest known secure member of this lineage by more than 40 Million years ago. The almost complete skeleton reveals the earliest evolutionary stages of the distinctive features of abelisaurids, such as the modification of the forelimb, which started with a reduction of the distal elements. The find underlines the explosive radiation of [[Theropoda|theropod]] [[Dinosaur|dinosaurs]] in the [[Middle Jurassic]] and indicates an unexpected diversity of ceratosaurs at that time. The apparent endemism of abelisauroids to southern Gondwana during Pangean times might be due to the presence of a large, central [[Gondwana|Gondwanan]] desert. This indicates that, apart from continent-scale geography, aspects such as regional geography and climate are important to reconstruct the biogeographical history of Mesozoic vertebrates.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Middle Jurassic abelisaurid from Patagonia and the early diversification of theropod dinosaurs |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3385738/}}</ref> The diversity of Australia’s theropod fauna from the [[Middle Cretaceous|Middle-Cretaceous]] (Albian–Cenomanian) is distinctly biased towards the medium-sized [[Megaraptora|megaraptorids]], despite the preponderance of abelisauroids in the younger but latitudinally equivalent Patagonian theropod fauna. Here, we present new evidence for the presence of [[Ceratosauria|ceratosaurian,]] and specifically Abelisauroid, theropods from the [[Cenomanian]] Griman Creek [[Formation]] of [[Lightning Ridge, New South Wales|Lightning Ridge]], [[New South Wales]]. A partial [[Cervical vertebrae|cervical vertebra]] is described that bears a mediolaterally concave ventral surface of the centrum delimited by sharp ventrolateral ridges that contact the parapophyses. Among theropods, this feature has been reported only in a [[Cervical vertebrae|cervical vertebra]] attributed to the noasaurid Noasaurus. We also reappraise evidence recently cited against the [[Ceratosauria|ceratosaurian]] interpretation of a recently described astragalocalcaneum from the upper Barremian–lower Aptian San Remo Member of the upper [[Strzelecki]] Group in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]. Inclusion of the Lightning Ridge cervical vertebra and Victorian astragalocalcaneum into a revised phylogenetic analysis focused on elucidating ceratosaurian affinities reveals support for the placement of both specimens within [[Noasauridae]], which among other characters is diagnosed by the presence of a medial eminence on the ascending process of the astragalus. The Lightning Ridge and Victorian specimens simultaneously represent the first [[Noasauridae|Noasaurids]] reported from [[Australia]] and the astragalocalcaneum is considered the earliest known example of a [[Noasauridae|Noasaurid]] in the world to date. The recognition of Australian [[Noasauridae|Noasaurids]] further indicates a more widespread [[Gondwana|Gondwanan]] distribution of the clade outside of [[South America]], [[Madagascar]], and [[India]] consistent with the timing of the [[Fragmentation (computing)|fragmentation]] of the supercontinent.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brougham |first1=Tom |last2=T. Smith |first2=Elizabeth |last3=R. Bell |first3=Phil |title=Noasauridaes are a component of the Australian Middle-Cretaceous theropod fauna |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-57667-7 |website=Scientific Report}}</ref>

== Paleobiology ==
=== Behavior ===
Using three methods, namely a cladistic analysis performed on a dentition-based data matrix, and discriminant and cluster analyses conducted on a large dataset of theropod teeth measurements, we identify three dental morphotypes which are confidently referred to abelisaurid theropods. Whether the morphotypes represent different abelisaurid subclades or different positional entities within the jaw of the same abelisaurid species, is unknown. Such an identification, nevertheless, provides additional evidence of abelisaurids feeding on sauropod carcasses.<ref>{{cite web |last1=G. Meso |first1=Jorge |last2=Hendrickx |first2=Christophe |last3=A. Baiano |first3=Mattia |last4=I. Canale |first4=Juan |last5=Salgado |first5=Leonardo |last6=Diaz Martinez |first6=Ignacio |title="Isolated theropod teeth associated with a sauropod skeleton from the Late Cretaceous Allen Formation of Río Negro, Patagonia, Argentina" |url=https://app.pan.pl/article/item/app008472020.html |website=Acta Paleontologica Polonica |access-date=2021-06-30}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}