Jaculinykus Explained

Jaculinykus (meaning "Jaculus claw") is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia. The genus contains a single species, J. yaruui, known from a nearly complete articulated skeleton including bones of the skull. Jaculinykus is notable for its unique hand, which has a hypertrophied first digit and greatly reduced second digit, which is intermediate between the tridactyl hand of Shuvuuia and monodactyl hand of Linhenykus.[1]

Discovery and naming

The Jaculinykus holotype specimen, MPC-D 100/209, was discovered in sediments of the Baruungoyot Formation (Nemegt locality), of Ömnögovi Province, Mongolia. The specimen consists of a nearly complete skeleton with most of the skull.[1]

In 2023, Kubo et al. described Jaculinykus yaruui as a new genus and species of parvicursorine alvarezsaurid based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Jaculinykus", combines a reference to the Jaculus, a small dragon in Greek mythology with the Greek word "onykus," meaning "claw". The specific name "yaruui" is derived from "yaruu" ("яаруу"), the Mongolian word for "speedy" or "hasty".[1]

Classification

Jaculinykus was added to a phylogenetic analysis and found to be in the clade Parvicursorinae, in a clade consisting of all alvarezsaurs from the Nemegt Basin. The cladogram from Kubo et al. (2023) is shown below:

Paleoecology

Fossils of Ondogurvel, another parvicursorine alvarezsaurid, as well as fossils of Nemegtomaia, an oviraptorosaur, are also known from the Nemegt locality of the Mongolian Barun Goyot Formation.[2] Other localities from the formation have yielded dinosaurs including additional alvarezsaurids (Ceratonykus, Khulsanurus, and Parvicursor),[1] as well as dromaeosaurs (Hulsanpes,[3] Kuru, and Shri[4]), oviraptorosaurs (Conchoraptor and Heyuannia),[5] a sauropod (Quaesitosaurus),[6] ceratopsians (Bagaceratops and Breviceratops),[7] a pachycephalosaur (Tylocephale),[8] and ankylosaurs (Saichania,[9] Tarchia,[10] and Zaraapelta[11]).

Notes and References

  1. Kubo . Kohta . Kobayashi . Yoshitsugu . Chinzorig . Tsogtbaatar . Tsogtbaatar . Khishigjav . 2023-11-15 . A new alvarezsaurid dinosaur (Theropoda, Alvarezsauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia provides insights for bird-like sleeping behavior in non-avian dinosaurs . PLOS ONE . en . 18 . 11 . e0293801 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0293801 . 1932-6203. free . 10651048 .
  2. Fanti . F. . Currie . P. J. . Badamgarav . D. . Lalueza-Fox . C. . 2012 . New specimens of Nemegtomaia from the Baruungoyot and Nemegt Formations (Late Cretaceous) of Mongolia . PLOS ONE . 7 . 2 . e31330 . 2012PLoSO...731330F . 10.1371/journal.pone.0031330 . 3275628 . 22347465 . free.
  3. Osmólska . H. . 1982 . Hulsanpes perlei n.g. n.sp. (Deinonychosauria, Saurischia, Dinosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Barun Goyot Formation of Mongolia . Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte . 1982 . 7 . 440–448 . 10.1127/njgpm/1982/1982/440.
  4. Napoli. J. G.. Ruebenstahl. A. A.. Bhullar. B.-A. S.. Turner. A. H.. Norell. M. A.. 2021. A New Dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Coelurosauria) from Khulsan, Central Mongolia. American Museum Novitates. 3982. 1–47. 10.1206/3982.1. 0003-0082. 2246/7286. 243849373.
  5. Funston. G. F.. Mendonca. S. E.. Currie. P. J.. Barsbold. R.. 2018-04-01. Oviraptorosaur anatomy, diversity and ecology in the Nemegt Basin. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. THE LATE CRETACEOUS NEMEGT ECOSYSTEM: DIVERSITY, ECOLOGY, AND GEOLOGICAL SIGNATURE. en. 494. 101–120. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.10.023. 2018PPP...494..101F. 0031-0182.
  6. Kurzanov. S. M.. Bannikov. A. F.. 1983. A new sauropod from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Paleontological Journal. 2. 90−96.
  7. Czepiński . Łukasz . 2020-11-25 . Ontogeny and variation of a protoceratopsid dinosaur Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi from the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert . Historical Biology . 32 . 10 . 1394–1421 . 10.1080/08912963.2019.1593404 . 132780322 . 0891-2963.
  8. Maryańska. T.. Osmólska. H.. 1974. Pachycephalosauria, a new suborder of ornithischian dinosaurs. Palaeontologica Polonica. 30. 45−102.
  9. Carpenter, K., Hayashi, S., Kobayashi, Y., Maryańska, T., Barsbold, R., Sato, K., and Obata, I., 2011,"Saichania chulsanensis (Ornithischia, Ankylosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia", Palaeontographica, Abteilung A, 294(1-3): 1-61
  10. Maryańska, T. 1977. "Ankylosauridae (Dinosauria) from Mongolia". Palaeontologia Polonica 37: 85-151
  11. Arbour. Victoria M.. Currie. Philip J.. Badamgarav. Demchig. 2014-10-27. The ankylosaurid dinosaurs of the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot and Nemegt formations of Mongolia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 172. 3. 631–652. 10.1111/zoj.12185. 0024-4082.

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