Graciliraptor
| Graciliraptor | |
|---|---|
| |
| Skeletal restoration of known remains | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Paraves |
| Family: | †Dromaeosauridae |
| Clade: | †Microraptoria |
| Genus: | †Graciliraptor Xu & Wang, 2004 |
| Type species | |
| Graciliraptor lujiatunensis Xu & Wang, 2004
| |
Graciliraptor (meaning "graceful thief") is a
The
Description
The type and only known specimen comprised part of the
Graciliraptor has been found in the lowest portions of the Yixian Formation, the Lujiatun Member, below the rocks where similar early dromaeosaurids (such as Sinornithosaurus and Microraptor) were found. It is, in geological age, the oldest named dromaeosaurid, and the oldest known from good fossil remains (dromaeosaurid fossils date back all the way to the Middle Jurassic, but consist mostly of teeth).[1]
Classification
As an early dromaeosaurid, Graciliraptor provided information on the early evolution and diversification of the group. It shares several characteristics in common with both early troodontids and avialan birds, supporting a close relationship between avialans, troodontids, and dromaeosaurids.[1]
Xu and Wang considered Graciliraptor to have been closely related to
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Xu, X. and Wang, X.-L. (2004). "A New Dromaeosaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Western Liaoning." Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 42(2): 11-119.
- ^ Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2011) Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages, Winter 2010 Appendix.
- ^ Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press p. 132
- ^ F. Knoll and J. I. Ruiz-Omeñaca. 2009. "Theropod teeth from the basalmost Cretaceous of Anoual (Morocco) and their palaeobiogeographical significance". Geological Magazine 146(4): 602-616