A new ornithomimid theropod from the Upper Cretaceous Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan

Dzharacursor gen. nov. is established for the reception of Archaeornithomimus(?) bissektensis Nesov, 1995 from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. Dzharacursor bissektensis is represented by cranial elements and many isolated postcranial bones that show considerable ontogenetic and some individual variation. Several of the morphological characters previously hypothesized as autapomorphies for Qiupalong henanesis and Aepyornithomimus tugrikinensis are found to be variable in the hypodigm for Dzaracursor bissektensis. Dzharacursor bissektensis is one of the oldest known ornithomimids in Asia. Phylogenetic analysis places this taxon at the base of the ornithomimid radiation, but more derived than Archaeornithomimus asiaticus.

本文建立新属Dzharacursor（gen. nov.），用以收纳产自乌兹别克斯坦上白垩统（土仑阶）比塞克泰组、原暂归入古似鸟龙属（Archaeornithomimus）的分类存疑物种bissektensis（Nesov, 1995）。比塞克泰Dzharacursor（Dzharacursor bissektensis）以头骨骨骼与大量孤立颅后骨骼为代表，该类化石展现出显著的个体发育变异与部分个体间差异。此前被认为是河南秋扒龙（Qiupalong henanensis）与图格里克高鸟似鸟龙（Aepyornithomimus tugrikinensis）自衍征的若干形态特征，在比塞克泰Dzharacursor的归模标本群中被发现存在变异。比塞克泰Dzharacursor是亚洲已知最古老的似鸟龙科成员之一。系统发育分析将该分类单元置于似鸟龙科辐射演化的基部，但较亚洲古似鸟龙（Archaeornithomimus asiaticus）更为衍化。