New abelisaurid material from the Anacleto Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia, Argentina, shed light on the diagnosis of the Abelisauridae (Theropoda, Ceratosauria)

Abelisauridae is a theropod clade with a wide distribution in the Late Cretaceous of Gondwana. Some of the best preserved abelisaurid specimens were recovered from Patagonia (Argentina) such as Skorpiovenator, Ilokelesia, Carnotaurus and Aucasaurus. Here we describe a dorsal part of a neural spine; a middle caudal vertebra; a distal part of a left metatarsal IV; a complete right phalanx IV-1; left phalanges IV-1, 2 and 3; and a pedal ungual phalanx. These materials were recovered from the same quarry of a recently published indeterminate abelisaurid specimen (MPCN-PV-69). The most distinctive characters are a triangular shape of the distal end of metatarsal IV (present in other abelisauroids); phalanx IV-1 with the proximal surface dorsoventrally tall and the ventral surface wider than the dorsal one causing a medial tilting of bone (set of features considered autapomorphic in Velocisaurus, although is also present in different abelisaurids); phalanx IV-1 and 2 with a ridge which spans from the proximodorsal projection, splits in two branch and surrounds a laterally displaced and obliquely oriented oval hyperextensor pit; a pedal ungual phalanx with two medial and lateral vascular grooves, and lacking a flexor tubercle (abelisauroids synapomorphies). The mentioned feature of phalanges IV-1 and 2 is only found among abelisaurids and is here considered as a possible new synapomorphy of Abelisauridae. Thus, besides they constitute new abelisaurid remains from Patagonia, the new materials provide valuable morphological data that could expand the diagnosis of Abelisauridae. •New abelisaurid material are described.•Some elements of a recently described abelisaurid were re-interpreted.•Abelisaurid pedal phalanx IV-1 shows a particular morphology.•These new materials provide novel phylogenetic information on Abelisauridae group.