| Parvicursor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A reconstruction ofParvicursor sitting on anest | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Alvarezsauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Parvicursorinae |
| Genus: | †Parvicursor Karhu &Rautian, 1996 |
| Species: | †P. remotus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Parvicursor remotus Karhu & Rautian, 1996 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Parvicursor (meaning "small runner") is agenus of tinymaniraptorandinosaur with long slender legs for fast running.[3]
The holotypePIN no. 4487/25, mostly consisting of vertebrae, thepelvis and the right hindlimb, was discovered in 1992 and described in 1996.[4] It was discovered inBarun Goyot Formation of Khulsan,Mongolia, dated at approximately 72 million years old.[1]
At only about 39 centimetres (15 in; 1.28 ft) from snout to end of tail, and 162 g (5.7 oz) in weight, it was initially seen as one ofthe smallest non-avian dinosaurs known from an adult specimen.[5] However, in 2022 itsholotype was concluded to represent a juvenile individual.[1]
Like other members of thefamilyAlvarezsauridae, the forelimbs ofParvicursor were short and stubby, with hands all but completely reduced to a single large claw, possibly useful for opening toughtermite mounds or other types of digging. It is unlikely that the claw could have served much for defense, as it was short and not adapted for flexible movements — it is more likely it would do as the animal's name implies:cursor meansrunner.
Close relatives includeShuvuuia andMononykus, and together with these it is classified in the alvarezsaurid subfamilyParvicursorinae.
There may be a second, yet-unnamed, species ofParvicursor. Two specimens of tiny alvarezsaurids were described by Suzukiet al. in 2002. These authors considered the specimens to be juvenileShuvuuia, which lived in the same formation.[6] However, a study by Nick Longrich andPhil Currie in 2009 suggested that several characters of the skeleton, including fused wrist and pelvic bones, indicated that these specimens were in fact adults of a tiny alvarezsaurid species. Aphylogenetic analysis found that they grouped together withParvicursor, and the authors provisionally referred them toParvicursor sp. pending further study.[7]
It has been suggested thatLinhenykus andCeratonykus may be junior synonyms ofParvicursor.[2][1]
Parvicursor in acladogram after Fowleret al. (2020):[8]
.jpg)
