Patagopelta
| Patagopelta Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
| |
|---|---|
| Skeletal reconstruction showing known osteoderms (top) and other skeletal remains (bottom) in white | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | †Ornithischia |
| Clade: | †Thyreophora |
| Clade: | †Ankylosauria (?) |
| Clade: | †Parankylosauria |
| Genus: | †Patagopelta Riguetti et al., 2022 |
| Species: | †P. cristata
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Patagopelta cristata Riguetti et al., 2022
| |
Patagopelta (meaning "Patagonian shield") is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (upper Campanian–lower Maastrichtian) Allen Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, P. cristata, known from several partial skeletons, isolated bones, and osteoderms. While originally described as a member of the family Nodosauridae, later discoveries provided support for parankylosaurian affinities. Patagopelta is a small armored dinosaur, comparable in size to the 'dwarf' nodosaurid Struthiosaurus, at about 2 m (6.6 ft) long. It is larger, more robust, and more heavily armored than other paranklyosaurs such as Stegouros.