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Pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) cranial remains from the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Scollard Formation of Alberta, Canada

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Abstract

Maastrichtian terrestrial deposits throughout Laramidia (western North America) have yielded a wealth of ancient dinosaur diversity. Yet, despite intense collecting in some areas, latitudinal sampling unevenness still limits biogeographic studies, making new records of dinosaur occurrences significant. Here, we describe the first non-dental pachycephalosaurid cranial material from the late Maastrichtian Scollard Formation of central Alberta, Canada, which allows more precise taxonomic identification of pachycephalosaurids from the northern part of the Western Interior Basin during this time interval. A domed parietal, although weathered, retains several features that allow it to be referred to the tribe Pachycephalosaurini within the subfamily Pachycephalosaurinae, and likely to the genus Pachycephalosaurus. This specimen provides further support for the suggestion that late Maastrichtian dinosaur communities were generally cosmopolitan with no discrete faunal provinces in Laramidia, and underscores the importance of collecting fragmentary, but identifiable remains that often go unreported.

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Abbreviations

MPM:

Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

ROM:

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

TMP:

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by funding from the Canada Research Chairs to H.C.E.L. and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grants to H.C.E.L. and D.C.E. (NSERC Grant File Number: RGPIN 355845). Figures 2 and 3 were done by Danielle Dufault. Brandon Strilisky (Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology) helped facilitate the loan of TMP 2004.300.0001. We would like to thank Robin Sissons for comments that improved the paper, and Tom Williamson and Mark Goodwin for their helpful reviews of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to David C. Evans.

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Evans, D.C., Vavrek, M.J. & Larsson, H.C.E. Pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) cranial remains from the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Scollard Formation of Alberta, Canada. Palaeobio Palaeoenv 95, 579–585 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-015-0188-x

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