Open Paleo

Gobivenator

Tsuihiji et al., 2014 GOH-bee-ven-AY-tor

From the Gobi Desert (where it was found) combined with Latin venator (hunter); meaning 'Gobi hunter'

83.6–72.2 million years ago Campanian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Gobivenator is an extinct genus of troodontid theropod dinosaur known from the late Campanian Djadokhta Formation of central Gobi Desert, Mongolia. It contains a single species, Gobivenator mongoliensis. G. mongoliensis is known from a single individual, which represents the most complete specimen of a Late Cretaceous troodontid currently known.

Under dispute

Gobivenator is a derived troodontid recovered within Troodontinae (as a basal member with Hypnovenator, or near Saurornithoides/Zanabazar/Troodon) by most analyses (Tsuihiji and colleagues, 2014; van der Reest and Currie, 2017; Kubota and colleagues, 2024), the placement followed, though Sellés and colleagues (2021) place it just stemward of the subfamily.

Diagnosis

  1. Fossa on the surangular in front of the posterior surangular foramen.
  2. Pointed anterior end of the fused parietal that wedges into a V-shaped notch between the contralateral frontals.
  3. Gracile anterior, posterior, and ventral rami of the postorbital.
  4. Dorsoventrally elongated proximal chevrons up to 4.5 times as long as the height of the preceding caudal vertebrae.
  5. Interfenestral bar between internal antorbital and maxillary fenestrae recessed medially from lateral surface of the maxilla.
  6. Posterior margin of external naris lying farther anteriorly than the anterior border of the antorbital fossa.

Species

Gobivenator mongoliensis Tsuihiji et al., 2014

Type species

Named for Mongolia, where the holotype was found in the Djadokhta Formation.

Holotype
MPC-D 100/86 , Paleontological Center, Mongolian Academy of Sciences
Material
Nearly complete skeleton
Horizon
Djadokhta Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
Locality
Zamyn Khond, Ömnögovi, Mongolia

References

  1. Tsuihiji, T.; Barsbold, R.; Watabe, M.; Tsogtbaatar, K.; Chinzorig, T.; Fujiyama, Y.; Suzuki, S. (2014). An exquisitely preserved troodontid theropod with new information on the palatal structure from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Naturwissenschaften 101(2): 131-142. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1007/s00114-014-1143-9 tsuihiji2014a
  2. Kubota, K.; Kobayashi, Y.; Ikeda, T. (2024). Early Cretaceous troodontine troodontid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Ohyamashimo Formation of Japan reveals the early evolution of Troodontinae. Scientific Reports 14(1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-66815-2

    Recovered Gobivenator's placement within Troodontinae in troodontid phylogenetic analysis.

    kubota2024a
  3. Sellés, A. G.; Vila, B.; Brusatte, S. L.; Currie, P. J.; Galobart, À. (2021). A fast-growing basal troodontid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the latest Cretaceous of Europe. Scientific Reports 11(1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-83745-5

    Placed Gobivenator just stemward of Troodontinae in basal troodontid study.

    sellés2021a
  4. van der Reest, A. J.; Currie, P. J. (2017). Troodontids (Theropoda) from the Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, with a description of a unique new taxon: implications for deinonychosaur diversity in North America. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 54(9): 919-935. doi:10.1139/cjes-2017-0031

    Described Dinosaur Park Formation troodontids, informing Gobivenator's phylogenetic placement among troodontids

    vanderreest2017a