Dalianraptor (meaning "Dalian thief") is a dubious, possibly chimeric, genus of theropod dinosaurs from the Jiufotang Formation of China, dating to the Early Cretaceous. It was initially believed to have been a possible dromaeosaurid before it was described in 2005.
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. 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,[2] namely a Jeholornis with the arms exchanged by those of an unnamed flightless theropod.[3] [4] If the holotype is not a chimera, then the phylogenetic placement of Dalianraptor is still uncertain.
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 80cm (30inches) in length.