Open Paleo

Fujianvenator

Xu et al., 2023 foo-JYEN-ven-AY-tor

From Fujian (Fujian Province, China, where it was discovered) + Latin venator (hunter): 'Fujian hunter'.

154.8–149.2 million years ago Kimmeridgian, Late Jurassic
Late Jurassic stages

Fujianvenator is an extinct genus of anchiornithid theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Nanyuan Formation of Fujian Province, China. The genus contains a single species, F. prodigiosus, known from a partial articulated skeleton. It is suggested to possibly have had a terrestrial or wading lifestyle.

Diagnosis

  1. Metacarpals I and II with asymmetric ginglymoid distal articulations bearing hypertrophied medial condyles projecting medially well beyond the medial margin of the shaft (autapomorphy)
  2. Tibia twice as long as the femur, markedly exceeding the ratio in all other known Mesozoic theropods (autapomorphy)
  3. Short ischium with obturator process distally located and constricted at its base, and posterior process distally located (autapomorphy)
  4. Chevrons posterior to the fourth caudal vertebra twice longer anteroposteriorly than dorsoventrally
  5. Scapula less than half the length of the humerus
  6. Pubic apron mediolaterally broad and imperforated

Species

Fujianvenator prodigiosus Xu et al., 2023

Type species

From Latin 'prodigiosus' meaning 'bizarre', referring to the unusual combination of anatomical features in the holotype specimen.

Holotype
IVPP V31985 , Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Material
Articulated and partially complete skeleton preserved on a slab and counter slab
Horizon
lower Nanyuan Formation, Kimmeridgian, Late Jurassic , 154.8–149.2 million years ago
Locality
near Yangyuan Village, Zhenghe, Fujian, China Xu and colleagues (2023) bracket the fossil-bearing layers with zircon ages of 150.2 ± 1.1 Ma below and 149.9 ± 1.1 Ma above, both Kimmeridgian on the ICS chart v2024/12 at their central values; the paper's "Tithonian stage" belongs to an older chart.

References

  1. Xu, L.; Wang, M.; Chen, R.; Dong, L.; Lin, M.; Xu, X.; Tang, J.; You, H.; Zhou, G.; Wang, L.; He, W.; Li, Y.; Zhang, C.; Zhou, Z. (2023). A new avialan theropod from an emerging Jurassic terrestrial fauna. Nature 621(7978): 336-343. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06513-7 xu2023a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length and hip height estimates, and the appearance features.

    jones2026c