Scientists have described a brand new unenlagiine theropod taxon from Argentina.  The brand new dinosaur has been named Diuqin lechiguanae.  Its fossils come from the Bajo de los angeles Carpa Formation of the Neuquén Basin of Neuquén Province in northern Patagonia.  Diuqin lechiguanae has been described from fragmentary postcranial stays.  A damaged enamel tentatively assigned to a megaraptor was once present in shut proximity to the specimen.  The left humerus (higher arm bone) has two, distinct puncture marks.  Those marks had been interpreted as imaginable proof of predation or autopsy feeding strains at the Diuqin carcase.

Diuqin lechiguanae life reconstruction.

Diuqin lechiguanae existence reconstruction. Image credit score: Hannah Jones and Andrew McAfee.

Diuqin lechiguanae

This carnivorous theropod measured round 2.5 to three metres in duration. The researchers known a collection of distinctive anatomical characters. This enabled them to hopefully erect a brand new taxon. Diuqin lechiguanae had hole bones, and more than likely a protracted snout and jaws coated with quick, however sharp tooth.

The genus title is derived from the language of the indigenous Mapuce other people. It interprets as “hen of prey”. The species title comes from “Lechiguana”, a witch within the 1975 horror movie “Nazareno Cruz y el Lobo”. This movie was once directed by way of the eminent Argentinian filmmaker Leonardo Favio.  The binomial clinical title interprets as “Lechiguana’s hen of prey”.

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D. lechiguanae is the primary unenlagiine to be described from fossils related to the Bajo de los angeles Carpa Formation. It lived round 85 million years in the past (Santonian faunal degree of the Past due Cretaceous). As such, it is helping to plug an opening of a number of million years within the unenlagiine fossil document. This new dinosaur supplies a contemporary standpoint at the evolution of theropods in opposition to the foundation of nowadays’s birds.

The Unenlagiinae Subfamily

The Unenlagiinae are an enigmatic subfamily of theropod dinosaurs carefully associated with birds. Maximum palaeontologists believe them to be a subfamily of the Dromaeosauridae. On the other hand, their taxonomy stays arguable and extra fossil discoveries might problem this view. As an example, a revision in response to a extra entire phylogenetic research may result in their separation from the dromaeosaurids and the established order of the circle of relatives Unenlagiidae.

The oldest recognized unenlagiine described up to now is Buitreraptor gonzalezorum.  Buitreraptor was once named and described in 2005. 4 fossil specimens of B. gonzalezorum have been excavated from deposits related to the Candeleros Formation (northern Patagonia). It’s believed to have roamed Argentina roughly 98 million years in the past (early Cenomanian faunal degree of the Past due Cretaceous). The geologically youngest unenlagiine is the six-metre-long Austroraptor cabazai which, like Buitreraptor is understood from fossils discovered within the Neuquén Province of Argentina.  Its fossils are related to the Allen Formation.  Austroraptor lived round seventy million years in the past.

Beasts of the Mesozoic Buitreraptor model

A fashion of Buitreraptor gonzalezorum from the Beasts of the Mesozoic Wetlands Accent Pack.

The fashion (above) is a illustration of Buitreraptor gonzalezorum, the oldest unenlagiine theropod described up to now.  The determine is from the Beasts of the Mesozoic articulated fashions vary.

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To view the variability of Beasts of the Mesozoic figures in inventory: Beasts of the Mesozoic Figures.

The Unenlagiinae subfamily was once erected in 1999 by way of the celebrated Argentinian palaeontologist José Bonaparte (1999). It is composed of a number of genera of small to medium-sized theropods and for the time-being they’re confined to the southern portion of the Gondwana landmass (Antarctica and South The usa). Their geographical and temporal distribution might alternate as fossil specimens from Europe, North The usa, Madagascar and Australia had been putatively assigned to the Unenlagiinae.

Diuqin lechiguanae and Different South American Theropods

Different dromaeosaurids from Neuquén Province come with Pamparaptor micros, Unenlagia paynemili and Neuquenraptor argentinus.  Each Unenlagia and Neuquenraptor are assigned to the Unenlagiinae, while the taxonomic placement of Pamparaptor as a member of the Unenlagiinae subfamily stays unsure.

To learn an editorial from 2021 concerning the discovery of an unenlagiine theropod from south-eastern Brazil (Ypupiara lopai): New Fish-eating Dinosaur from Brazil.

For an editorial describing a basal member of the Dromaeosauridae from Mongolia (Halszkaraptor escuilliei) that resulted in a revision of the Dromaeosauridae circle of relatives: The Outstanding Halszkaraptor.

A piece of writing at the strange and in all probability semi-aquatic Natovenator polydontus that illustrates the variety of the Dromaeosauridae: New Analysis Means that Natovenator Hunted Fish.

The whole lot Dinosaur recognizes the help of Dr Juan Porfiri (Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Buenos Aires) within the compilation of this newsletter.

The clinical paper: “Diuqin lechiguanae gen. et sp. nov., a brand new unenlagiine (Theropoda: Paraves) from the Bajo de los angeles Carpa Formation (Neuquén Workforce, Higher Cretaceous) of Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina” by way of Juan D. Porfiri, Mattia A. Baiano, Domenica D. dos Santos, Federico A. Gianechini, Michael Pittman and Matthew C. Lamanna printed in BMC Ecology and Evolution.

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