Berberosaurus

Berberosaurus (meaning "Berber lizard", in reference to the Berbers of Morocco) is a genus of neotheropod dinosaur, possibly a ceratosaur, from the Toarcian-age (Lower Jurassic) "Toundoute Continental Series" (Azilal Formation) found in the Central High Atlas of Toundoute, Ouarzazate, Morocco. The type species of the genus Berberosaurus is B. liassicus, in reference to the Lias epoch. Berberosaurus might be the oldest known ceratosaur, and is based on partial postcranial remains. This genus represents the oldest formally identified theropod from the North of Africa, as well one of the few from the region in the Early Jurassic.

==Discovery and history== The remains of Berberosaurus were discovered during a series of expeditions to the High Atlas beginning in the early 2000s, where over 6 years, they dug in the local redbeds. It is based on an associated partial postcranial skeleton of a subadult individual cataloged in the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Marrakech; bones from this skeleton include MHNM-Pt9 a neck vertebra; MHNM-Pt23, an anterior part of the sacrum; MHNM-Pt22, a metacarpal; MHNM-Pt19, a femur; MHNM-Pt21, proximal end of the left tibia; MHNM-Pt16, distal end of the right tibia; MHNM-Pt20, left fibula; MHNM-To1–218, part of another femur, has been assigned to the genus as well. Its remains were found alongside those of Tazoudasaurus and an indeterminate large-bodied theropod within bone beds in mudflow deposits. Later tectonic activity has affected the bones. Recent papers have quoted that new material of this genus was recovered on the same area, namely the axis, a postorbital, the cranium and teeth, that are currently being studied. Berberosaurus is characterized by the following features: the cervical vertebra is highly pneumatic, with short cervical centra and holes in the neural arch, with low and short neural spine, unlike Elaphrosaurus and Ceratosaurus. It has anteroposteriorly short centra and neural spine; the sacral series markedly arched; the central sacrum narrow transversely; the metacarpal with a very grooved proximal end; anterior femoral trochanter reaches proximally to the midpoint of the femoral head, unlike Ceratosaurus; large femoral trochanteric platform; tibia with subtriangular distal profile; presence of an oblique ridge that covers proximally the medial sulcus of the fibula.