Describer

Sampson, Loewen, Farke, Roberts, Forster, Smith & Titus 2010

Time

Cretaceous Late Campanian

Classification

Ornithischia Genasauria Cerapoda Marginocephalia Ceratopia Neoceratopia Ceratopidae Chasmosaurinae

Diet

Herbivore

Fossilsite

Kaiparowits Formation, southern Utah, US

Info

Holotype

The holotype specimen is UMNH VP 16784, a partial skull.

Etymology

The generic name refers to Utah, the state of discovery, and ceratops, (Greek) meaning ‘‘horned face.’’ The species name honors Mike Getty, who discovered the holotype and who has played a pivotal role in the recovery of fossils from GSENM.

Type Locality, Horizon and Age

The holotype and assigned specimens occur in the upper portion of the lower unit and the lower portion of the middle unit of the late Campanian Kaiparowits Formation, GSENM, southern Utah, USA.

Referred Specimens

UMNH VP 12198, a fragmentary but mostly complete skull about 2.3 m long together with an associated postcranium; UMNH VP 12225, a fragmentary subadult skull including a partial postorbital with the mostly complete supraorbital horncore; UMNH VP 16404, a partial postorbital consisting of the nearly complete supraorbital horncore; UMNH VP 13913, a small, partial juvenile postorbital with complete supraorbital horncore; and several associated elements from bonebed locality 942 consisting of at least two individuals of Utahceratops, including a rostrum (UMNH VP 16675), premaxilla (UMNH VP 16672), nasal fragment (UMNH VP 16676), jugal (UMNH VP 16673), squamosal (UNMH VP 16674), and parietal (UMNH VP 16671).

Diagnosis

Chasmosaurine ceratopsid diagnosed by the following autapomorphies: nasal horncore caudally positioned, almost entirely behind external naris; supraorbital horncores short, robust, dorsolaterally directed, and oblate in shape with blunt tip; episquamosals on mid portion of lateral frill margin low and extremely elongate (some .10 cm long); and median portion of transverse bar of parietal rostrally curved.