Dalianraptor
Extinct genus of dinosaurs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dalianraptor (meaning "Dalian thief") is a dubious, possibly chimeric, genus of theropod dinosaurs from the Jiufotang Formation of China, dating to the Early Cretaceous.[1] It was initially believed to have been a possible dromaeosaurid before it was described in 2005.[2]
| Dalianraptor Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Paraves |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Genus: | †Dalianraptor Gao & Liu, 2005 |
| Species: | †D. cuhe |
| Binomial name | |
| †Dalianraptor cuhe Gao & Liu, 2005 | |
Discovery and naming
The holotype, D2139, was discovered sometime before the 2000s, when Matthew Martyniuk saw a photograph of the holotype, which was then labelled as an undescribed possible dromaeosaurid.[2] The type, and only known species, D. cuhe, was named and described by Gao & Liu in 2005.[1]
More recently, it is being suspected that the specimen is a chimera forged for the fossil trade,[3] namely a Jeholornis with the arms exchanged by those of an unnamed flightless theropod.[4][2] If the holotype is not a chimera, then the phylogenetic placement of Dalianraptor is still uncertain.[4]
Description
Dalianraptor is very similar to the contemporary avialian Jeholornis, though it has a longer digit I (thumb-equivalent) and shorter forelimbs,[5] which suggests it may have been flightless. It also reached about 80 centimetres (31 in) in length.