| Tugulusaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A hypothetical skeletal reconstruction ofTugulusaurus with known material in white | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | †Alvarezsauria |
| Superfamily: | †Alvarezsauroidea |
| Genus: | †Tugulusaurus Dong, 1973 |
| Species: | †T. faciles |
| Binomial name | |
| †Tugulusaurus faciles Dong, 1973 | |
Tugulusaurus (meaning "Tugulu lizard") is agenus ofcoelurosauriantheropoddinosaur, belonging to theAlvarezsauroidea, that is known from the EarlyCretaceousTugulu Group in theUrhe area ofChina. It was one of the first members of Alvarezsauria ever discovered. Thetype and only known species isT. faciles.
From 1964 dinosaur fossils were excavated in theJunggar Basin ofXinjiang. In 1973 a number of these were described by paleontologistDong Zhiming, among them the bones of a small theropod which he namedTugulusaurus faciles. The generic name refers to the Tugulu Group. Thespecific name is derived fromLatinfacilis, here with the meaning of "easily moving", referring to the agility of the animal as indicated by its "delicate bones".[1]
Theholotype,IVPP V4025, was found in layers of theLianmuqin Formation dating from the Barremian–Albian. It consists of a partial skeleton including four partial tailvertebrae, much of the left leg and part of the right, the first fingers of both hands, and a rib. Thefemur has a length of about 215 millimetres (8.5 in). The left firstmetacarpal is very short: 26 millimetres (1.0 in). The skeleton represents the only remains of the species that have ever been discovered.[2]
Tugulusaurus was an early alvarezsaur, likely measuring at 1.9–3 metres (6.2–9.8 ft) in length. It probably had a relatively long neck and tail, as well as a streamlined head with a beak-like snout, and large, hooked claws. It was an agile animal, likely having long legs, which would aid in reaching high speeds, in order to chase prey and retreat from potential threats. Being an alvarezsauroid, it likely used its long claws to dig and tear into wood or dirt in order to find food.[1]
Tugulusaurus was originally classified by Dong in 1973 as a member of theOrnithomimidae, within theCoelurosauria.[3] In the years that followed, the genus was often considered anomen dubium.[4] However, in 2005Oliver Rauhut andXu Xing concluded that it is a valid genus ofbasal coelurosaurian of unknown affinities.[2] In their cladistic analysis of the newly described taxaBannykus andXiyunykus, Xu et al. (2018) recoveredTugulusaurus as a member ofAlvarezsauria.[5]
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