A new small deinonychosaur (Dinosauria:Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract

Here we report on a new small deinonychosaurian theropod, Pamparaptor micros gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina. Pamparaptor micros exhibits a pedal structure previously unknown among South American deinonychosaurians. The new material provides new evidence about the morphology and taxonomic diversity of Patagonian deinonychosaurs. Pamparaptor is the smaller non-avialae Patagonian deinonychosaur, probably with about 0.50-0.70 meters, long. The pedal construction resembles, that of Troodontid or basal Dromaeosaurids. Nevertheless, up to now, we considered Pamparaptor a peculiar Patagonian Dromaeosaurid with troodontid-like pes.