New specimens of Elmisaurus rarus from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia (Nemegt Formation) preserve bones not previously found in “elmisaurids” that help elucidate their relationships to Leptorhynchos elegans and other oviraptorosaurs. Elmisaurus rarus and the North American Leptorhynchos elegans are known from numerous but incomplete specimens that are closely related to, but nevertheless clearly distinguished from, Chirostenotes pergracilis and Epichirostenotes curriei. These specimens include the first known cranial bone attributed to Elmisaurus, the frontal, which clearly shows this animal had a cranial crest (most of which would have been formed by the nasal bones). The first vertebrae, scapula, femora, and tibiae from Elmisaurus are also described. The Elmisaurinae can be distinguished from the Caenagnathinae by the coossification of the tarsometatarsus and smaller size at maturity. Examination of oviraptorosaur hindlimbs reveals four distinct morphotypes, possibly attributable to paleoecological differences.
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27 January 2015
New Specimens of the Crested Theropod Dinosaur Elmisaurus rarus from Mongolia
Philip J. Currie,
Gregory F. Funston,
Halszka Osmólska
Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
Vol. 61 • No. 1
March 2016
Vol. 61 • No. 1
March 2016
Caenagnathidae
Cretaceous
Dinosauria
Elmisaurinae
Mongolia
Oviraptorosauria