Acheroraptor

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For the similar-named illegal fossil hoax, see Archaeoraptor.

Acheroraptor
Temporal range:
Ma
↓
Casts of the holotype maxilla and referred dentary, National Museum of Natural History.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Pennaraptora
Clade: Paraves
Family: †Dromaeosauridae
Genus: †Acheroraptor
Evans et al., 2013
Type species
†Acheroraptor temertyorum
Evans et al., 2013

Acheroraptor is an

theropod dinosaur known from the latest Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation of Montana, United States. It contains a single species, Acheroraptor temertyorum. A. temertyorum is one of the two geologically youngest known species of dromaeosaurids, the other being Dakotaraptor
, which is also known from Hell Creek. A basal cousin of Velociraptor, Acheroraptor is known from upper and lower jaw material.

Discovery and naming

Known material

Acheroraptor was first described and named by David C. Evans, Derek W. Larson and Philip J. Currie in

Board of Governors and his wife, who have supported the museum for many years.[1]

Acheroraptor is known from the

GPS and photographs of the specimen in situ in the ground on the day of discovery. Both specimens were subsequently purchased by the Royal Ontario Museum from a private collector.[1]

Classification

Restoration

The

Microraptorinae, confirming its referral to the Dromaeosauridae, and possibly to Eudromaeosauria. Within that clade, however, most taxa were recovered in a large polytomy, due to the limited codings available for Acheroraptor.[1]

Evans et al. (2013) also coded the specimens of Acheroraptor (together and separately) into an updated version of the smaller, dromaeosaur-specific dataset from Longrich and Currie (2009).

Bayanshiree Formation. Several characters were also rescored and modified, and two maxillary characters were added to the matrix from Turner et al. (2012). This analysis yielded a more resolved topology, placing Acheroraptor in a relatively basal position within the Velociraptorinae, which was otherwise found to include only Asian dromaeosaurids. The cladogram below shows the phylogenetic position of Acheroraptor following this analysis.[1]

Dromaeosauridae 

Mahakala omnogovae

 Unenlagiinae 

Rahonavis ostromi

Austroraptor cabazai

Buitreraptor gonzalezorum

Neuquenraptor argentinus

Unenlagia paynemili

Unenlagia comahuensis

 Microraptoria 

Graciliraptor lujiatunensis

Hesperonychus elizabethae

Microraptor

Shanag ashile

Sinornithosaurus millenii

 Eudromaeosauria 

Bambiraptor feinbergi

Saurornitholestes langstoni

Atrociraptor marshalli

Deinonychus antirrhopus

 Dromaeosaurinae 

Achillobator giganticus

Balaur bondoc

Dromaeosaurus albertensis

Dakotaraptor steini

Utahraptor ostrommaysorum

 Velociraptorinae 

Acheroraptor temertyorum

Velociraptor mongoliensis

Adasaurus mongoliensis

Tsaagan mangas

Velociraptor osmolskae

A 2022 study of eudromaeosauria reclassified Acheroraptor as a derived member of Saurornitholestinae, with Atrociraptor as its sister taxon.[2]

Paleoecology

Acheroraptor and other fauna from Hell Creek (Acheroraptor in light orange)

Acheroraptor is the youngest species of dromaeosaurid, and is from the Hell Creek Formation.

Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, and has been dated to 66 ± 0.07 million years ago.[3] Many animals and plants have been found in the Hell Creek Formation,[4] the discovery site of Acheroraptor. As it is known from the Tyrannosaurus-Triceratops fauna, Acheroraptor is the youngest dromaeosaurid, along with the much larger Dakotaraptor.[1][5]

Evans et al. found that Acheroraptor was the only dromaeosaurid from the Hell Creek Formation. Common teeth previously referred to

coelurosaur is known from similar fossil formations includes Richardoestesia
.

Life reconstruction of A. temertyorum

Dracorex,[13] Pachycephalosaurus,[4]
and an undescribed specimen from North Dakota.

Mammals are plentiful in the Hell Creek Formation. Groups represented include

cimolestids Cimolestes and Batodon, the gypsonictopsid Gypsonictops, and the possible nyctitheriid Paranyctoides.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 14978813
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  2. S2CID 247039404
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  3. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2011.03.008
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 0520242092
    .
  5. ^
    S2CID 17099603
    .
  6. ^
    PMID 21914849
    .
  7. ^
    PMID 24647078
    .
  8. ^ Triebold, M. (1997). "The Sandy site: Small dinosaurs from the Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota". In Wolberg, D.; Stump, E.; Rosenberg, G. (eds.). Dinofest International: Proceedings of a Symposium Sponsored by Arizona State University Academy of Natural Science. pp. 245–248.
  9. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2012.02.005
    .
  10. ^ Maltese, A. (17 December 2013). "Giant Oviraptor Tracks from the Hell Creek". RMDRC paleo lab. Blogspot. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  11. ISBN 9780253353580
    .
  12. PMID 21969872
    .
  13. ^ Bakker, R.T.; Sullivan, R.M.; Porter, V.; Larson, P.; Saulsbury, S.J. (2006). "Dracorex hogwartsia, n. gen., n. sp., a spiked, flat-headed pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota". In Lucas, S.G.; Sullivan, R.M. (eds.). Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the Western Interior. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. Vol. 35. pp. 331–345.
  14. ^
    OCLC 61160163
    .
  15. ^
    S2CID 36025237
    .
  16. ^
    S2CID 16724836
    .
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