Papiliovenator

Papiliovenator (meaning "butterfly hunter", after a butterfly-shaped feature on its first two dorsal vertebrae) is a genus of troodontid theropod dinosaur from the Bayan Mandahu Formation of Inner Mongolia, China. The type and only species is Papiliovenator neimengguensis.^[1]

Papiliovenator Temporal range: 83.6–72.1 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Campanian
Holotype skull diagram
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Family:	†Troodontidae
Genus:	†Papiliovenator Pei et al., 2022
Species:	†P. neimengguensis
Binomial name
†Papiliovenator neimengguensis Pei et al., 2022

Description

Life restoration

The holotype, BNMNH-PV030, is a partial, semi-articulated subadult skeleton consisting of a nearly complete cranium and other postcranial bones. Uniquely, its snout was short and subtriangular, more similar to that of Early Cretaceous troodontids such as Mei long than the long, low snouts of Late Cretaceous troodontids. This and other unique traits of its skeleton suggest a high diversity of troodontid morphotypes in the Late Cretaceous Gobi Desert.^[1]

Classification

Pei et al. recover Papiliovenator as the earliest-diverging member of a clade consisting of all Late Cretaceous troodontids except for Almas ukhaa.^[1]

	Dromaeosauridae Troodontidae Sinovenator Mei Jinfengopteryx Sinusonasus Jianianhualong Sinornithoides EK Troodontid Almas Papiliovenator Xixiasaurus Gobivenator Byronosaurus Zanabazar Linhevenator Saurornithoides Latenivenatrix