Caenagnathasia
| Caenagnathasia Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 90Ma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | †Oviraptorosauria |
| Superfamily: | †Caenagnathoidea |
| Family: | †Caenagnathidae |
| Genus: | †Caenagnathasia Currie, Godfrey & Nesov, 1993 |
| Species: | † C. martinsoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Caenagnathasia martinsoni Currie, Godfrey & Nesov, 1993 | |
Caenagnathasia ('recent jaw from Asia') is a small oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan.
The type species Caenagnathasia martinsoni was named and described in 1993/1994 by Philip J. Currie, Stephen Godfrey and Lev Nesov. The generic name is a combination of a reference to the species' placement in the Caenagnathidae, with Asia, the continent of its provenance. The specific name honours Gerbert Genrikhovich Martinson. The genus is based on holotype N 401/12457, a pair of fused dentaries of the lower jaws. The specimen was found near Dzharakuduk in layers of the Bissekty Formation, dating to the Turonian-Coniacian, around 90 mya, making it the oldest known caenagnathoid. A second specimen was referred to the species, N 402/12457, a right dentary of a slightly smaller individual. Both individuals were adult.[1] It is only from these samples that the species is known.
Caenagnathasia is the smallest known oviraptorosaur and one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs. The jaw fragments are only a few centimetres long and total skull length has been estimated at 3 inches (7.6 cm). A 2010 estimate by Gregory S. Paul gave it a length of 2 feet (0.61 m) and a weight of 3 pounds (1.4 kg).[2] If it were built like all oviraptorosaurs, Caenagnathasia was feathered, warm-blooded and had three fingers on each 'hand' (manus) and four toes on each 'foot' (pes), with bone fusion distinctly similar to that of birds. The lower jaws are deep with a steep front edge. They are flat, not strongly convex on top, as with more derived oviraptorosaurs. Whereas the latter are toothless, the lower jaws of Caenagnathasia show the rudiments of tooth sockets.
Caenagnathasia was originally assigned to the Caenagnathidae. Using the definition by Hans-Dieter Sues of that clade it would even by definition be a member. It has been suggested however, that it might have a more basal position in the Oviraptorosauria, outside of the Caenagnathoidea.[3]
Notes
- ↑ P.J. Currie, S.J. Godfrey, and L. Nessov, 1994, "New caenagnathid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) specimens from the Upper Cretaceous of North America and Asia", Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 30(10-11): 2255-2272
- ↑ Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press p. 152
- ↑ Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2010) Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages, Winter 2010 Appendix.