Boreonykus
| Boreonykus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous 73 Ma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Dromaeosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Velociraptorinae |
| Genus: | †Boreonykus Bell & Currie, 2015 |
| Type species | |
| Boreonykus certekorum Bell & Currie, 2015 | |
Boreonykus is an extinct genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur, that lived during the Late Cretaceous in the area of present Canada.[1]
Fragmentary dromaeosaurid remains were discovered in the eighties at the Pipestone Creek site in central Alberta during excavations of a bonebed containing at least twenty-seven individuals of the ceratopsid Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai.[1] They were initially partly referred to a Saurornitholestes sp.[2]
The type species Boreonykus certekorum was named and described by Phil Bell and Philip John Currie in 2015.[1] The genus name is a variation of "Boreonychus", "northern claw". The specific name certekorum honors the Certek Heating Solutions company, that works in the oil industry, and provided financial support for the excavations.[1]
The holotype specimen of Boreonykus, TMP 1989.055.0047, was found in a layer of the Wapiti Formation in central Alberta, which dates from the late Campanian, 73.27 ± 0.25 million years ago. It consists of a right frontal bone. Fourteen loose teeth have been referred to the species, as well as several postcranial bones, perhaps of the same individual: the specimen TMP 1988.055.0129, a rear caudal vertebra; UALVP 53597, a claw of the second finger, and the specimen TMP 1986.055.0184.1, a sicle claw of the foot.[1]
A single autapomorphy, unique derived trait, was indicated: the ridges bordering the fronts of the depressions around the supratemporal fenestrae form an acute angle of 55° together, pointing to the rear.[1]
Boreonykus was, within the Dromaeosauridae, placed in the Velociraptorinae. It was seen as both an indication of faunal provincialism and a quick species turn-over rate.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bell, P. R., and P. J. Currie. 2015. A high-latitude dromaeosaurid, Boreonykus certekorum, gen. et sp. nov. (Theropoda), from the upper Campanian Wapiti Formation, west-central Alberta. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2015.1034359.
- ↑ Ryan M.J. and Russell, A.P., 2001, "The dinosaurs of Alberta (exclusive of Aves)", In: Tanke and Carpenter (eds.), Mesozoic Vertebrate Life: New Research Inspired by the Paleontology of Philip J. Currie, Indiana University Press, pp 279-297
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