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Falcarius utahensis

Reptilia

Taxonomy
Falcarius utahensis was named by Kirkland et al. (2005). Its type specimen is UMNH VP 15000 and is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Crystal Geyser Quarry (UMNH VP Loc. 157), which is in a Berriasian/Valanginian spring mudstone/limestone in the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
2005Falcarius utahensis Kirkland et al. p. 84
2006Falcarius utahensis Zanno p. 637
2007Falcarius utahensis Li et al. p. 545
2007Falcarius utahensis Naish and Martill p. 504
2007Falcarius utahensis Suarez et al. p. 500
2009Falcarius utahensis Zanno et al. p. S15
2010Falcarius utahensis Zanno pp. 197-198
2012Falcarius utahensis Qian et al. p. 342
2012Falcarius utahensis Senter et al. p. 1
2013Falcarius utahensis Brusatte et al. p. 5 fig. 1.2
2013Falcarius utahensis Pu et al.
2013Falcarius utahensis Zanno et al. p. 512
2014Falcarius utahensis Delcourt and Grillo p. 312
2015Falcarius utahensis Milàn et al. p. 522
2016Falcarius utahensis Kirkland et al. p. 24
2019Falcarius utahensis You et al. p. 8

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
RankNameAuthor
Romeriida
Diapsida()
Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
Crocopoda
ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
Eucrocopoda
Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
Ornithodira
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauria()
Theropoda()
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria()
Maniraptoriformes
TherizinosauriaRussell 1997
genusFalcarius
speciesutahensis

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Falcarius utahensis Kirkland et al. 2005
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
L. E. Zanno 2010Falcarius utahensis is a primi- tive therizinosaur, currently best known from sub- adult individuals, the largest of which is estimated at approximately 4–5 m in length. Falcarius utahensis can be differentiated from all other therizinosaurs by the absence of a lateral shelf on the dentary and possession of elongate distal caudal centra with length to width ratio greater than 4 : 1, and by the combination of the following autapomorphic features: antorbital fenestra extends onto lateral margin of nasal; facet for postorbital on frontal rostral to pos- torbital process; expansive, deeply depressed, and highly pneumatic subcondylar and subotic recesses each possessing multiple pneumatic fossae; inflated basisphenoid with hypertrophied basispenoidal recess; rostral dentary teeth conical and extending to, at minimum, the fifth dentary tooth position; cupped, dorsoventrally elongate rostral teeth lacking den- ticles; median ridge dividing ventral sulcus of cervical vertebrae; infraprezygapophyseal fossa on cranial dorsal vertebrae divided into three accessory fossae; accessory caudal centrodiapophyseal lamina on cranial dorsal vertebra; hypertrophied, obliquely ori- entated entepicondyle, with concave caudal margin, and well-defined groove extending proximally up humeral shaft; flexor tubercle on PI-II with deep, distally positioned collateral ligament pits; proximal pubic tubercle (sensu Hutchinson, 2001), well devel- oped and caudolaterally orientated, occurring at cra- nialmost margin of acetabulum; mid-series chevrons possessing markedly distinct cranial tubercles.
L. E. Zanno 2010A therizinosaurian bearing the following autapomorphies: antorbital fenestra extends onto lateral margin of nasal; facet for postorbital on frontal rostral to postorbital process; expansive, deeply depressed, and highly pneumatic subcondylar and subotic recesses each possessing multiple pneumatic fossae; inflated basisphenoid with hypertrophied basisphenoidal recess; rostral dentary teeth conical, extending to, at minimum, the fifth dentary tooth position; cupped, dorsoventrally elongate rostral teeth lack- ing denticles; median ridge dividing ventral sulcus of cervical vertebrae; infraprezygapophyseal fossa on cranial dorsal vertebrae divided into three accessory fossae; accessory caudal centrodiapophyseal lamina on cranial dorsal vertebra; hypertrophied, obliquely oriented humeral entepicondyle, with concave caudal margin, and well-defined groove extending proximally up humeral shaft; flexor tubercle on manual PI-II with deep, distally positioned collateral ligament pits; proximal pubic tubercle (sensu Hutchinson 2001) well developed and caudolaterally oriented, occurring at cranialmost margin of acetabulum; midseries chevrons possessing markedly distinct cranial tubercles (Zanno 2010).
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Entire body: yeso
Adult length: 10 to < 100o
Adult width: 1.0 to < 10o
Adult height: 1.0 to < 10o
Architecture: compact or denseo
Ontogeny: accretion, modification of partso
Grouping: solitaryo
Environment: terrestrialo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: ground dwellingo
Diet: carnivoresubo
Reproduction: oviparouso
Dispersal: direct/internalo
Dispersal 2: mobileo
Created: 2009-01-03 20:39:15
Modified: 2009-01-03 22:39:15
Source: subo = suborder, o = order
References: Benton 1983, Marsh 1875

Age range: base of the Berriasian to the top of the Valanginian or 145.00000 to 132.90000 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Berriasian - Valanginian145.0 - 132.9USA (Utah) Therizinosauroidea indet. (type locality: 50052)