Tlatolophus
Tlatolophus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur belonging to the tribe Parasaurolophini that lived during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now Mexico. The only species is the type species, Tlatolophus galorum.
Discovery and naming
The holotype, specimen CIC/P/147, was first discovered as a semi-articulated tail in 2005 in sediments of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation in Coahuila, Mexico. In 2013, the Instituto [Nacional de Antropología e Historia|Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History] and the National [Autonomous University of Mexico] launched a joint project to recover it. The holotype represents most complete lambeosaurine known from Mexico with an almost complete skull, jaws, and additional parts of the postcranial skeleton including an articulated tail.It was named as the new genus and species Tlatolophus galorum in 2021. The generic name comes from the Náhuatl word tlatolli, meaning "word", combined with Greek lophos due to the crest's resemblance to the glyph "word" in Aztec iconography, resembling an inverse comma. The species is named after the Garza and López families for their collaboration in collecting and preserving the specimen.
Description
The holotype specimen of Tlatolophus, CIC/P/147, represents a large individual, around in length and weighing nearly. It preserves an almost complete skull, complete with lower jaws. CIC/P/147 only lacks the surangular and quadrate bones. TlatolophusCIC/P/147 also preserves partial postcranial elements. The scapular neck is relatively stout, and the iliac postacetabular process is long. The ischium possesses a large ischial foot, and its tip is cranioventrally projected. A partial, articulated tail is also preserved, the first remains to be discovered of this taxon.