''Vayuraptor'' (meaning "wind thief") is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of basal

coelurosauria Coelurosauria (; from Greek, meaning "hollow tailed lizards") is the clade containing all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds than to carnosaurs. Coelurosauria is a subgroup of theropod dinosaurs that includes compsognathids, tyrann ...

theropod Theropoda (; ), whose members are known as theropods, is a dinosaur clade that is characterized by hollow bones and three toes and claws on each limb. Theropods are generally classed as a group of saurischian dinosaurs. They were ancestrally c ...

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

that lived in the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous ( geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145 Ma to 100.5 Ma. Geology Pro ...

(

Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 129.4 ± 1.5 Ma (million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma). It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous Epoch (or Lower Cretaceous Series). It is preceded ...

)

Sao Khua Formation The Sao Khua Formation () is a middle member of the Khorat Group. It consists of an alteration of pale red to yellowish-gray, fine to medium-grained sandstone and grayish-reddish brown siltstone and clay. Rare pale red to light gray conglomerates, ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The genus contains a single

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, ''V. nongbualamphuensis'', known from a partial skeleton.

Discovery

The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

and referred specimens of ''Vayuraptor'' (stored in the Sirindhorn Museum under the Department of Mineral Resources) were discovered in 1988 by Paladej Srisuk at Phu Wat Site A1,

Nong Bua Lamphu Province Nong Bua Lamphu ( th, หนองบัวลำภู, , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in upper northeastern Thailand also called Isan. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, ...

, Thailand. The generic name means "wind thief", named after the Hindu god of wind

Vayu Vayu (, sa, वायु, ), also known as Vata and Pavana, is the Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine massenger of the gods. In the ''Vedic scriptures'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king of ...

and the Latin word ''raptor'', which means thief. This name was chosen because ''Vayuraptor'' possesses a long and gracile , which suggests it was very fast and agile. The specific name is named after the province ''Vayuraptor'' was found in (

). The holotype of ''Vayuraptor'' (SM-NB A1-2) is a left tibia with an associated and , which are fused together, collectively referred to as an astragalocalcaneum. Referred material of ''Vayuraptor'' consist of a right (PRC-NB A1-11), part of a (PRC-NB A1-4), a rib from an unknown part of the skeleton (PRC-NB A1-10), probably part of a (PRC-NB A1-3), a (PRC-NB A2-20), and a probable (PRC-NB A2-16).

Description

''Vayuraptor'' was a mid-size theropod, estimated at . The holotype of ''Vayuraptor'' was inferred to be a mature individual, based on the fusion of its astragalus and calcaneum. As a possible megaraptoran, ''Vayuraptor'' would have had a long snout, large claws, light body, and long slender legs. The elements which correspond to the forelimb of ''Vayuraptor'' are very fragmentary. In overall morphology, the (the bone which extends from the shoulder blade) is higher than long and is shaped like a semicircle. The posteroventral (runs from the rear to the bottom) process of the coracoid tapers from the back of the coracoid to the bottom due to breakage. The bottom of the coracoid is expanded beyond the rim of the glenoid facet. The infraglenoid groove is absent from the coracoid. The distal (farther from the body) part of a manual phalanx is preserved. It does not have distinct extensor pits on the upper surface proximal (closer to the body) to the distal articulation surface, which is a trait only found in coelurosaurs. Part of the pubis is preserved, and the morphology of the pubic shaft is generally similar to other theropods, such as ''

Neovenator ''Neovenator'' (nee-o-ven-a-tor meaning "new hunter") is a genus of carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur. It is known from several skeletons found in the Early Cretaceous (Barremian~130-125 million years ago) Wessex Formation on the south coa ...

.''

Paleoenvironment

With the first fossils of the genus being discovered in the Sao Khua Formation, ''Vayuraptor'' possibly shared its habitat with the dinosaurs ''

Phuwiangvenator ''Phuwiangvenator'' ("hunter of Phu Wiang") is a genus of 6 meter long megaraptoran theropod that lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Thailand. It contains a single species, ''P. yaemniyomi'', recovered from the Sao Khua Fo ...

'' (which was also named in the same paper as ''Vayuraptor''), ''

Kinnareemimus ''Kinnareemimus'' is a genus of ornithomimosaurian theropod dinosaur from Thailand. It is known only from incomplete remains discovered no later than the early 1990s that includes vertebrae, partial pubic bones, metatarsals, and an incomplete fi ...

'', ''

Siamosaurus ''Siamosaurus'' (meaning "Siam reptile") is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what is now known as China and Thailand during the Early Cretaceous period (Barremian to Aptian) and is the first reported spinosaurid from Asia. It is ...

'', '' Siamotyrannus'' and ''

Phuwiangosaurus ''Phuwiangosaurus'' (meaning "Phu Wiang lizard") is a genus of titanosaur dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian) Sao Khua Formation of Thailand. The type species, ''P. sirindhornae'', was described by Martin, Buffetaut, and ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q63981557 Prehistoric coelurosaurs Barremian life Early Cretaceous dinosaurs of Asia Cretaceous Thailand Fossils of Thailand Fossil taxa described in 2019