A New Carcharodontosauria (Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Guangxi, Southern China

A new large‐bodied theropod dinosaur, Datanglong guangxiensis gen. et sp. nov., was recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Xinlong Formation of the Datang Basin, Guangxi. It is unique in several features including: posteriormost dorsal vertebra with teardrop‐shaped pneumatic foramen confined by enlarged pcdl, acpl and the centrum; posteriormost dorsal with well‐developed, horizontal prpl; posteriormost dorsal with a parapophysis projecting more laterally than the diapophysis; brevis fossa shallow with short, ridge‐like medial blade; and iliac pubic peduncle with posteroventrally expanded margin. Cladistic analysis supports the idea that this new taxon Datanglong guangxiensis is a primitive member of the Carcharodontosauria in possessing two unambiguous synapomorphies: large external pneumatic foramina and internal spaces present in the lateral surface of ilium, and a peg‐and‐socket ischiac articulation with the ilium. The presence of the new taxon from Guangxi further confirms that Carcharodontosauria were cosmopolitan large‐bodied predators during the Early‐mid Cretaceous.