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Variraptor Mechinorum
''Variraptor'' ( ; "Var thief") is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of France. Discovery Between 1992 and 1995 amateur paleontologists Patrick Méchin and Annie Méchin-Salessy uncovered the remains of a small theropod in the Grès à Reptiles Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian) at La Bastide Neuve, near Fox-Amphoux. The first finds were in 1992 assigned to the dubious theropod genus ''Elopteryx''. A second article, in 1997, concluded they represented a new species. In 1998 this was named by Jean Le Loeuff and Eric Buffetaut as the type species ''Variraptor mechinorum''. The generic name is derived from Latin ''Varus'', referring to the Var River in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence region of southern France, and ''raptor'' meaning "thief". The specific name honours the Méchin couple. The genus is based on three type specimens: a posterior dorsal vertebra (MDE-D168), a sacrum (MDE-D169) with five fused vertebrae, and an ilium ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1998 In Paleontology
Flora Lycophytes Lycophyte research *Wehr (1998) reports, without description, ''Selaginella'' species spikemoss fossils occurring in the Eocene Okanagan highlands Klondike Mountain Formation. Fungi Fungal research *Currah, Stockey, & LePage (1998) describe the a phyllachoralean " tar spot" parasitizing ''Uhlia'' palm leaves, and host for a hyperparasitic pleosporalean fungus. They note them to be one of the first occurrences of hyperparasitic relationships in the fossil record. Arthropods Insects Molluscs Bivalves Amphibians newly named anurans Archosauromorpha Dinosaurs * A paper in the journal ''Nature'' is published by Karen Chin and others announcing the earlier discovery of a "king-sized coprolite" attributed to ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. * ''Lourinhasaurus'' gastroliths documented.Dantas et al. (1998). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167. * ''Cedarosaurus'' gastroliths documented.Sanders and Carpenter (1998). Sanders, Manley, and Car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
