Open Paleo

Nomingia

Barsbold et al., 2000 no-MING-gee-uh /noʊˈmɪŋɡiə/ Disputed

Named after the Nomingiin Gobi (one of the 'Thirty-Three Gobis' of the Gobi Desert) where the holotype was found

72.2–66.0 million years ago Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Nomingia is a genus of oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur known from the Late Cretaceous Bügiin Tsav Beds of Mongolia.

Under dispute

Nomingia was originally described as an oviraptorid but is now generally recovered as a caenagnathid (Funston and colleagues, 2018; Funston, 2020). Its validity is also questioned: Funston and colleagues (2021) suggested that Nomingia is a junior synonym of Elmisaurus, in which case the older name would take priority, and Hao and colleagues (2024) followed this by merging its scores into Elmisaurus. It is retained as a valid caenagnathid pending broader acceptance of the synonymy.

Diagnosis

  1. Tail composed of only 24 vertebrae with last five fused into dagger-like pygostyle
  2. Chevrons wide and dorsoventrally elongate on most caudals, equilateral rectangles on last three or four
  3. Pelvis weakly propubic with pubic axis at ~20° to vertical
  4. Dorsal iliac margin convex along preacetabular process, horizontal along postacetabular process
  5. Preacetabular process approximately 25% longer than postacetabular process
  6. Postacetabular process equally deep along entire length
  7. Iliac process of pubis twice as long as iliac process of ischium
  8. Pneumatized proximal caudals
  9. Deep cervicodorsal hypapophyses

Species

Nomingia gobiensis Barsbold et al., 2000 Disputed

Type species

gobiensis refers to the Gobi Desert

Holotype
GIN 100/119 , Paleontological Center, Mongolian Academy of Sciences
Material
Incomplete postcranial skeleton with 13 presacrals, 5 synsacrals, 24 caudals, complete pelvis, thoracic ribs, gastralia, femur, tibiae, fibulae.
Horizon
Nemegt Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
Locality
Bügiin Tsav, Ömnögovi, Mongolia

References

  1. Barsbold, R.; Osmólska, H.; Watabe, M.; Currie, P. J.; Tsogtbaatar, K. (2000). A new oviraptorosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from Mongolia: the first dinosaur with a pygostyle. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 45(2): 97-106. barsbold2000a
  2. Funston, G. F.; Mendonca, S. E.; Currie, P. J.; Barsbold, R. (2018). Oviraptorosaur anatomy, diversity and ecology in the Nemegt Basin. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 494: 101-120. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.10.023

    Recovered Nomingia as a caenagnathid in Nemegt oviraptorosaur anatomy/diversity analysis.

    funston2018a
  3. Funston, G. F.; Chinzorig, T.; Tsogtbaatar, K.; Kobayashi, Y.; Sullivan, C.; Currie, P. J. (2020). A new two-fingered dinosaur sheds light on the radiation of Oviraptorosauria. Royal Society Open Science 7(10): 201184. The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rsos.201184

    Recovered Nomingia as a caenagnathid rather than an oviraptorid in a revised oviraptorosaur phylogeny.

    funston2020a
  4. Funston, G. F.; Currie, P. J.; Tsogtbaatar, C.; Khishigjav, T.; Dececchi, T. A. (2021). A partial oviraptorosaur skeleton suggests low caenagnathid diversity in the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. PLoS ONE 16(7): e0254564. Public Library of Science (PLoS). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0254564

    Suggested Nomingia is a junior synonym of Elmisaurus.

    funston2021a
  5. Hao, M.; Li, Z.; Wang, Z.; Wang, S.; Ma, F.; Qinggele; Logan King, J.; Pei, R.; Zhao, Q.; Xu, X. (2024). A new oviraptorosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Miaogou Formation of western Inner Mongolia, China. Cretaceous Research 167(78): 106023. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106023 hao2024a