Aoniraptor is a genus of possibly megaraptoran or bahariasaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina (Huincul Formation).
| Aoniraptor | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | †Megaraptora |
| Genus: | †Aoniraptor Motta et al., 2016 |
| Species: | †A. libertatem
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Aoniraptor libertatem Motta et al., 2016
| |
Discovery and naming
editThe holotype, MPCA-Pv 804/1 to 804/25, which consists of the last sacral vertebra, six proximal caudal vertebrae, four mid-caudal vertebrae, and five haemal arches, was recovered by Matias Motta from the Violante Farm, part of the Huincul Formation. It was discovered in 2010, but only formally described in 2016.[1]
Aoniraptor comes from the Tehuelche language word "Aoni", which means south, and the Latin word "raptor", meaning thief. The specific name, libertatem, comes from the Latin word for freedom, as it was discovered on the bicentennial of Argentina's independence from Spain in 1810.[1]
Description
editAoniraptor grew up to 6 metres (20 ft) long.[1]
Aoniraptor has been considered as synonymous with the theropod Gualicho, described from the same formation, due to the similarities of their caudal vertebrae.[2][3] If found to be true, the name Gualicho would have precedent. Aranciaga Rolando et al. in 2020 performed a comparative analysis between Aoniraptor and Gualicho, and found many differences between the two.[4]
Classification
editThe majority of studies recover Aoniraptor as a megaraptoran.[1][4][5] However, Cau (2024) recovered Aoniraptor as a bahariasaurid, along with Bahariasaurus, Deltadromeus, and Gualicho, with this clade as the sister taxon to Elaphrosaurus.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Motta, Matías J.; Aranciaga Rolando, Alexis M.; Rozadilla, Sebastián; Agnolín, Federico E.; Chimento, Nicolás R.; Egli, Federico Brissón; Novas, Fernando E. (June 2016). "New theropod fauna from the Upper Cretaceous (Huincul Formation) of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 71: 231–253 – via ResearchGate.
- ^ Mortimer, Mickey (2016-07-13). "Is Gualicho Aoniraptor?". The Theropod Database Blog. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Cau, Andrea. "Nuovi resti di Aoniraptor? Ehm... Benvenuto Gualicho!". Theropoda. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Rolando, Mauro Aranciaga; Marsà, Jordi Garcia; Novas, Fernando (2020). "Histology and pneumaticity of Aoniraptor libertatem' (Dinosauria, Theropoda), an enigmatic mid-sized megaraptoran from Patagonia". Journal of Anatomy. 237 (4): 741–756. doi:10.1111/joa.13225. ISSN 1469-7580. PMC 7495275. PMID 32470191.
- ^ Rolando, Alexis M. A.; Motta, Matias J.; Agnolín, Federico L.; Manabe, Makoto; Tsuihiji, Takanobu; Novas, Fernando E. (April 26, 2022). "A large Megaraptoridae (Theropoda: Coelurosauria) from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Patagonia, Argentina". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): Article number 6318. Bibcode:2022NatSR..12.6318A. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-09272-z. PMC 9042913. PMID 35474310.
- ^ Cau, Andrea (2024). "A Unified Framework for Predatory Dinosaur Macroevolution" (PDF). Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana. 63 (1): 1–19. doi:10.4435/BSPI.2024.08. ISSN 0375-7633.
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