Diuqin
From Mapudungun diuqin: 'bird of prey', referring to its classification as a predatory theropod.
Late Cretaceous stages
Diuqin is an extinct genus of unenlagiine theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) Bajo de la Carpa Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Diuqin lechiguanae, known from a humerus and fragmentary vertebrae.
Under dispute
Diuqin is an incomplete, somatically immature unenlagiine whose describers recovered it as a paravian with several plausible positions, the strongest affinity being with Unenlagiinae (Porfiri and colleagues, 2024). It is placed in Unenlagiinae following that assessment, with its instability noted.
Diagnosis
- Horizontal accessory lamina between spinopostzygapophyseal laminae on posteriormost sacral vertebra
- Pair of elliptical, bilateral, dorsolaterally-ventromedially oriented foramina immediately anterolateral to base of neural spine in posteriormost sacral and anterior caudal vertebrae
- Distolateral deltopectoral ridge of humerus arises on distal half of deltopectoral crest, extending across anterolateral one-third of shaft
Species
Diuqin lechiguanae Porfiri et al., 2024
Type species
Named for Lechiguana, the witch character in the 1975 Argentine film Nazareno Cruz y Lobo.
- Holotype
- MUCPv 1401 , Universidad Nacional del Comahue
- Material
- Most of left humerus and pieces of sacral and caudal vertebra
- Horizon
- Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Santonian, Late Cretaceous , 85.7–83.6 million years ago
- Locality
- Isthmus between Lago Barreales and Lago Mari Menuco, Neuquén, Argentina
References
- Porfiri, J. D.; Baiano, M. A.; dos Santos, D. D.; Gianechini, F. A.; Pittman, M.; Lamanna, M. C. (2024). Diuqin lechiguanae gen. et sp. nov., a new unenlagiine (Theropoda: Paraves) from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Neuquén Group, Upper Cretaceous) of Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina. BMC Ecology and Evolution 24(1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1186/s12862-024-02247-w porfiri2024a