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Shuvuuia deserti

Reptilia - Alvarezsauridae

Taxonomy
Shuvuuia deserti was named by Chiappe et al. (1998). Its type specimen is MGI 100/975, a partial skeleton, and it is not a trace fossil. Its type locality is Ukhaa Tolgod (AMNH), which is in a Campanian eolian sandstone/mudstone in the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1998Shuvuuia deserti Chiappe et al.
1999Shuvuuia deserti Norell and Makovicky p. 11
2002Shuvuuia deserti Chiappe p. 452
2002Shuvuuia deserti Chiappe et al. p. 91
2002Shuvuuia deserti Suzuki et al. p. 2
2004Shuvuuia deserti Padian p. 211
2007Shuvuuia deserti Martinelli and Vera p. 14 fig. 11
2007Shuuvia deserti Turner et al. p. 24
2009Shuvuuia deserti Alifanov and Barsbold p. 95
2009Shuuvia deserti Bever and Norell p. 21
2009Shuvuuia deserti Longrich and Currie p. 246
2009Shuvuuia deserti Turner et al. p. 2
2010Shuvuuia deserti Choiniere et al. p. 573 fig. 2B
2010Shuvuuia deserti Longrich et al. p. 955
2010Shuvuuia deserti Xu et al. p. 14 fig. 8
2011Shuvuuia deserti Gianechini et al. p. 285
2011Shuvuuia deserti Turner et al. p. 8
2013Shuvuuia deserti Xu et al. p. 25
2014Shuvuuia deserti Delcourt and Grillo p. 312
2018Shuvuuia deserti Norell et al. p. 2
2020Shuvuuia deserti Czepiński p. 490
2023Shuvuuia deserti Averianov et al. p. 69
2023Shuvuuia deserti Kubo et al. p. 2

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Life
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()
infraorderAlvarezsauria
Alvarezsauroidea()
familyAlvarezsauridae
subfamilyParvicursorinae()
genusShuvuuia()
speciesdeserti

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.

Shuvuuia deserti Chiappe et al. 1998
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
L. M. Chiappe et al. 1998A mononykine distinguished from Mononykus olecranus by its less compressed cervical centra with large pneumatic foramina, humeral deltopectoral crest that is continuous with its head, pubis of subcircular section, femoral and tibiotarsal shafts bowed latero–medially, and medial margin of astragalus’ ascending process less excavated. Shuvuuia deserti shows less co-ossification of the proximal tarsals to the tibia and among metacarpals in specimens of comparable size to the holotype of Mononyku solecranus, suggesting a lower rate of bone co-ossification. The new species differs from Parvicursor remotus because it lacks a ventral keel inthe most rostrally located synsacral vertebra and because it has less co-ossification between proximal tarsals and the tibia. Shuvuuia deserti differs from all alvarezsaurids because it has a sharp ridge on the medial margin of the distal tibiotarsus, a character that we have interpreted to be an autapomorphy (a novel character of a terminal taxon that evolved from an existing character). The skull of Shuvuuia deserti shows several charactersistics that we have interpreted as autapomorphies, including the articulation between quadrate and postorbital, the elongated basipterygoid processes, the numerous teeth, and the hypertrophied prefrontal/ectethmoid (see below for a discussion of the problematic interpretation of this bone). These characters, however, may prove to diagnose a more inclusive taxon after the discovery of additional alvarezsaurid cranial material.
S. Suzuki et al. 2002Autapomorphic characters of Shuvuuia deserti include an articulation between the
quadrate and postorbital, elongated basipterygoid processes, hypertrophied prefrontal/ectethmoid, and the presence of a sharp ridge on the medial margin of the distal tibiotarsus (Chiappe et al., 1998). This taxon is differentiated from the closely related mononykine Mononykus olecranus because it has less compressed cervical centra that bear large pneumatic foramina, a humeral head that is continuous with the deltopectoral crest, a pubis of subcircular section, femoral and tibiotarsal shafts that are bowed lateromedially, and a medial margin of the ascending process of the astragalus that is less excavated (Chiappe et al., 1998). The pes of Shuvuuia deserti also has a much longer proximal phalanx of the hallux than that of Mononykus olecranus, an intermediate phalanx of digit II subequal in length to its ungual phalanx (instead of much shorter as in Mononykus olecranus), and longer and more slender intermediate phalanges of digit
IV. Shuvuuia deserti is differentiated from the poorly known mononykine Parvicursor remotus because pedal digit IV in Shuvuuia deserti is longer than half the length of metatarsal IV (in Parvicursor remotus, digit IV is less than half of metatarsal IV)
and this digit is shorter than digit II (without counting ungual phalanges). Shuvuuia deserti also lacks the ventral keel in the most rostrally located synsacral vertebra and has less coossification between the proximal tarsals and the tibia (Chiappe et al., 1998).
L. M. Chiappe et al. 2002Very similar to M. olecranus but differs in having cervical centra that are less compressed laterally and bearing large pneumatic foramina; deltopectoral crest of humerus continuous with humeral head; a pubis of subcircular section; femoral and tibiotarsal shafts bowed mediolaterally; medial border of distal end of tibiotarsus with a sharp ridge; medial margin of the ascending process of the astragalus less notched; much longer proximal phalanx of the hallux; an intermediate phalanx of digit II similar in length to its ungual (instead of much shorter as in M. olecranus), and longer and more slender intermediate phalanges of digit IV and lesser degree of co-ossificatioin of proximal tarsals and metacarpals, suggesting a size larger than M. olecranus. S. deserti differs from P. remotus because pedal digit IV is longer than half the length of metatarsal IV (in P. remotus, digit IV is less than half of metatarsal IV) and this digit is shorter than digit II (without counting ungual phalanges).