Abstract The theropod record from the Cretaceous of northeastern Brazil is rare and consists mostly of isolated and incomplete remains, with only four species described. Here we describe, identify and evaluate the diversity of theropod materials from the Albian–Cenomanian Acu Formation, Potiguar Basin. The material consists of seven isolated theropod vertebrae and a tooth. We identify the material as belonging to four theropod groups: Spinosauroidea, Carcharodontosauria, Megaraptora, and Maniraptora. One of the significant results is the occurrence of Megaraptora in the Potiguar Basin; based on the general morphology, some of the bones we describe are very similar to those of Aerosteon and Megaraptor. Another unexpected result is the identification and presence of a maniraptoran caudal vertebrae; these dinosaurs are very rare in Brazil, with few fossils previously described. Furthermore, we identify other groups that have already been found in coeval basins of the Northeast region of Brazil and Africa, including Carcharodontosauria and Spinosauroidea. The presence of these theropod groups in the Acu Formation reveals a dinosaur richness in the Potiguar Basin similar to coeval basins in Northern Africa and increases the known diversity of dinosaurs that once thrived in northern South America.

中文翻译：

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来自巴西东北部 Potiguar 盆地（早-晚白垩世 – Cenomanian）的兽脚亚目（恐龙）多样性

摘要 巴西东北部白垩纪的兽脚类恐龙记录罕见，多为孤立残存残骸，仅描述过四种。在这里，我们描述、识别和评估来自 Potiguar 盆地 Albian-Cenomanian Acu 地层的兽脚类动物材料的多样性。该材料由七个孤立的兽脚类动物椎骨和一颗牙齿组成。我们确定该材料属于四个兽脚亚目动物：棘龙目、鲨齿龙目、巨盗龙目和手盗龙目。重要的结果之一是在Potiguar 盆地发现了巨盗龙；根据一般形态，我们描述的一些骨骼与 Aerosteon 和 Megaraptor 的骨骼非常相似。另一个出乎意料的结果是识别和存在手盗龙尾椎；这些恐龙在巴西非常罕见，之前描述的化石很少。此外，我们还确定了在巴西东北部和非洲的同时期盆地中已经发现的其他群体，包括鲨齿龙亚目和棘龙亚目。这些兽脚类恐龙群在 Acu 地层中的存在揭示了 Potiguar 盆地中恐龙的丰富性，类似于北非的同时代盆地，并增加了曾经在南美洲北部繁衍生息的已知恐龙多样性。