Aviatyrannis
Encyclopedia
Aviatyrannis is a genus
of tyrannosauroid
dinosaur
from the Kimmeridgian
stage
of the Late Jurassic
found in Portugal
. It was described by Oliver Rauhut in 2003. The name means "Jurassic grandmother tyrant". Aviatyrannis is one of the oldest tyrannosaurs ever found, the oldest being Proceratosaurus
(or, possibly, Iliosuchus
).
Aviatyrannis may have been a contemporary of another ancient tyrannosaur, the American Stokesosaurus
. Aviatyrannis was even originally assigned to Stokesosaurus, and the fragmentary nature of the referred material fails to fully resolve the possibility that the two taxa are synonyms.
Like other early tyrannosaurs, Aviatyrannis was rather small. The holotype
(IPFUB
Gui Th 1), for example, is an ilium
only 90 millimeters long. The type species
, Aviatyrannis jurassica, was described by Rauhut in 2003.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of tyrannosauroid
Tyrannosauroidea
Tyrannosauroidea is a superfamily of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that includes the family Tyrannosauridae as well as more basal relatives. Tyrannosauroids lived on the Laurasian supercontinent beginning in the Jurassic Period...
dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Kimmeridgian
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age or stage in the Late or Upper Jurassic epoch or series. It spans the time between 155.7 ± 4 Ma and 150.8 ± 4 Ma . The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian and precedes the Tithonian....
stage
Faunal stage
In chronostratigraphy, a stage is a succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic timescale, which usually represents millions of years of deposition. A given stage of rock and the corresponding age of time will by convention have the same name, and the same boundaries.Rock...
of the Late Jurassic
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago , which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata. In European lithostratigraphy, the name "Malm" indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age...
found in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. It was described by Oliver Rauhut in 2003. The name means "Jurassic grandmother tyrant". Aviatyrannis is one of the oldest tyrannosaurs ever found, the oldest being Proceratosaurus
Proceratosaurus
Proceratosaurus is a genus of small-sized carnivorous theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of England. It was originally thought to be an ancestor of Ceratosaurus, due to the similar small crest on its snout...
(or, possibly, Iliosuchus
Iliosuchus
Iliosuchus is a genus of theropod dinosaur known from Bathonian–age rocks of England. It was perhaps long....
).
Aviatyrannis may have been a contemporary of another ancient tyrannosaur, the American Stokesosaurus
Stokesosaurus
Stokesosaurus is a genus of small , early tyrannosaur from the Late Jurassic period of Utah and England. It was named after Utah geologist William Lee Stokes...
. Aviatyrannis was even originally assigned to Stokesosaurus, and the fragmentary nature of the referred material fails to fully resolve the possibility that the two taxa are synonyms.
Like other early tyrannosaurs, Aviatyrannis was rather small. The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
(IPFUB
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
Gui Th 1), for example, is an ilium
Ilium (bone)
The ilium is the uppermost and largest bone of the pelvis, and appears in most vertebrates including mammals and birds, but not bony fish. All reptiles have an ilium except snakes, although some snake species have a tiny bone which is considered to be an ilium.The name comes from the Latin ,...
only 90 millimeters long. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, Aviatyrannis jurassica, was described by Rauhut in 2003.
External links
- Aviatyrannis at DinoData