A new dromaeosaurid dinosaur—Velociraptor osmolskae n. sp.—is described on the basis of associated paired maxillae and a left lacrimal discovered in Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) deposits at Bayan Mandahu (Inner Mongolia, P. R. China). The maxilla of this new taxon is characterized by its long rostral plate and its enlarged, teardrop-shaped promaxillary fenestra, which is as large as the maxillary fenestra. The teeth are robust and the serrations are weakly developed on their distal carinae. This new taxon appears more closely related to Velociraptor mongoliensis, from the Campanian Djadokhta Formation in Mongolia, than to other dromaeosaurids described to date. The identification of the Bayan Mandahu Velociraptor as a distinct species is in keeping with the taxonomic distinction of the entire dinosaur fauna of this locality. Minor regional differences among Djadokhta-like localities in regards to their dinosaur faunas may reflect either some kind of geographic isolation, or small differences in their age or in their paleoenvironment.
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1 June 2008
A New Species Of Velociraptor (Dinosauria: Dromaeosauridae) From the Upper Cretaceous Of Northern China
Pascal Godefroit,
Philip J. Currie,
Li Hong,
Shang Chang Yong,
Dong Zhi-Ming
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Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
Vol. 28 • No. 2
June 2008
Vol. 28 • No. 2
June 2008