Nomingia

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Nomingia
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 70  Ma
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Nomingia gobiensis.jpg
Diagram showing known elements
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Caenagnathidae
Genus: Nomingia
Barsbold et al. 2000
Species

Nomingia is a genus of oviraptorosaur theropod dinosaur hailing from the Late Cretaceous Bugin Tsav Beds of Mongolia.

Contents

Discovery and naming

Restoration with hypothetical head, arms, and feet Nomingia gobiensis.png
Restoration with hypothetical head, arms, and feet
Vertebrae and tail of the holotype specimen Nomingia.jpg
Vertebrae and tail of the holotype specimen

The remains, consisting of most of the vertebral column, pelvic girdle and left tibio-tarsus, holotype GIN 100/119, were found in 1994 in layers of the Nemegt Svita, dating to the Maastrichtian. They were named and described as the type species Nomingia gobiensis by Barsbold, Halszka Osmólska, Mahito Watabe, Philip Currie and Khishigjaw Tsogtbaatar in 2000. The etymology of the binomial refers to the location where the fossils were found, with the generic name mentioning the Nomingiin Gobi (Mongolian : Номингийн говь), one of the "Thirty-Three Gobis" which compose the Gobi Desert, which is itself mentioned in the specific descriptor. [1]

A 2021 article by Funston and colleagues suggested Nomingia is a synonym of Elmisaurus . [2]

Description

Nomingia is a medium-sized oviraptorosaur, estimated by Gregory S. Paul to have been 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) long and 20 kilograms (44 lb) in weight. [3] It is characterized by a pygostyle-like mass of five fused vertebrae at the tail end, which Barsbold et al. inferred probably supported a feather fan as in Caudipteryx . [1] A similar bone structure had only been found in birds before this fossil was discovered.

As other oviraptorids such as Chirostenotes , N. gobiensis would have been a medium-sized theropod sporting beaked jaws and, probably, a crest used for display.

Phylogeny

Barsbold et al. only formally assigned Nomingia to a more general Oviraptorosauria, though they considered that it was likely a member of the Caenagnathidae (=Elmisaurinae). [1] Subsequent cladistic analyses have been contradictory regarding to which precise subgroup it belonged.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Anserimimus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

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<i>Avimimus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

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<i>Conchoraptor</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayan Shireh Formation</span> Geological formation in Mongolia

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<i>Heyuannia</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

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<i>Elmisaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

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<i>Nemegtomaia</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

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Natovenator is a genus of halszkaraptorine dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Barun Goyot Formation of Mongolia. The genus is known from a single species, N. polydontus. Natovenator is crucial to the understanding of halszkaraptorines due to it providing more support for the semi-aquatic lifestyle that has been proposed for this clade. This discovery is important as the semi-aquatic lifestyles of halszkaraptorines was contested in early 2022.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Barsbold, R.; Osmólska, H.; Watabe, M.; Currie, P.J.; Tsogtbaatar, K. (2000). "New Oviraptorosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) From Mongolia: The First Dinosaur With A Pygostyle". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 45 (2): 97–106.
  2. Funston, Gregory F.; Currie, Philip J.; Tsogtbaatar, Chinzorig; Khishigjav, Tsogtbaatar (2021). "A partial oviraptorosaur skeleton suggests low caenagnathid diversity in the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia". PLOS ONE. 16 (7): e0254564. Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1654564F. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254564 . PMC   8274908 . PMID   34252154.
  3. Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press p. 152