biology

Spinostropheus

Spinostropheus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Spinostropheus rather than just read about it. In short: Spinostropheus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in the Middle Jurassic period and has been found in the Tiourarén Formation, Niger. The type and only species is S. gautieri.

Key takeaways

Spinostropheus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Spinostropheus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Spinostropheus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Spinostropheus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in the Middle Jurassic period and has been found in the Tiourarén Formation, Niger. The type and only species is S. gautieri.

History of discovery In 1959, Albert-Félix de Lapparent excavated fossils near Oued Timmersöi, west of In Tedreft in the Agadez desert. Among the finds were the remains of a theropod. In 1960, de Lapparent, based on these, named a second species of the genus Elaphrosaurus, E. gautieri. The specific name honours François Gautier, the discoverer of the type locality. In 2004, Paul Sereno, Jeffrey A. Wilson and John Conrad named a separate genus: Spinostropheus. The generic name is derived from Latin spina, "spine", and Greek στροφεύς, stropheus, "vertebra", and refers to the epipophyseal processes of the cervical vertebrae, which are prominent and dorso-ventrally flattened. The holotype, MNHN 1961-28, was found in a layer of the Tiouraren Formation dating from the Bathonian-Oxfordian. De Lapparent had presumed that the strata dated from the Early Cretaceous. It consists of a cervical vertebra, seven pieces of the dorsals, three pieces of the sacrum, five tail vertebrae, a humerus, the lower end of a pubic bone, the lower end of a thighbone, a piece of a shinbone, a piece of a fibula, a metatarsal, four additional pieces of the metatarsus and a phalanx of a toe. The paratypes were an ulna, a metatarsal and a second partial skeleton consisting of vertebrae and limb elements. In 2004, Sereno et al. referred a third skeleton, specimen MNN TIG6 consisting of a series of cervical and dorsal vertebrae with some ribs. However, this specimen differs from Spinostropheus and likely belongs to a different noasaurid taxon. Other material referred to it includes cervical, dorsal, and caudal vertebra, partial left humerus, ulna, distal pubis, distal femur, incomplete tibia, fibulae, metatarsals, pedal phalangeal fragments, and manual unguals.

Description

Spinostropheus was a relatively small theropod. In 2010, Gregory S. Paul estimated its length at 4 metres (13 feet), and its weight at 200 kg (441 lbs). In 2012 Thomas R. Holtz Jr gave a length of 6.2 meters (20.3 feet).

Classification

In 2002, a cladistic analysis by Sereno et al found Spinostropheus to be the sister taxon of the Abelisauria. In this study only the data from specimen MNN TIG6 were considered. Subsequent studies have recovered it as a basal ceratosaur based on the specimen MNN TIG6, outside of Neoceratosauria, more closely in the evolutionary tree to Elaphrosaurus. According to Carrano et al. (2012), this taxon is a basal Tetanuran. Spinostro Rauhut and Carrano (2016) believe that the holotype and paratype specimens of Spinostropheus lack ceratosaurian features, unlike the specimen MNN TIG6 which they consider ceratosaurian, and suggest that Spinostropheus might be a basal tetanuran. In their 2020 description of the abelisaurid Spectrovenator, Zaher et al. recovered the Spinostropheus holotype as the sister taxon to the Averostra. The referred specimen, MNN TIG6, was found in a clade with Camarillasaurus as the basalmost noasaurids:

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Spinostropheus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Spinostropheus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Spinostropheus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Spinostropheus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Spinostropheus

In research: Spinostropheus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Spinostropheus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Spinostropheus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ceratosauria, Dinosaur genera, Dinosaurs of Niger, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Spinostropheus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Spinostropheus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Spinostropheus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Spinostropheus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spinostropheus in simple terms?

Spinostropheus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in the Middle Jurassic period and has been found in the Tiourarén Formation, Niger. The type and only species is S. gautieri.

Why does Spinostropheus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Spinostropheus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Spinostropheus.