Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria
Maniraptoriformes
Maniraptora
Alvarezsauroidea
Alvarezsauridae
Pronunciation: al-VAH-rez-suh-ROY-dee-uh
Author: Bonaparte
Year: 1991
Meaning: Alvarezsaurus-like (See etymology)
Locomotion: Bipedal (two legs)
Synonyms: None known
Author: Bonaparte
Year: 1991
Meaning: Alvarezsaurus-like (See etymology)
Locomotion: Bipedal (two legs)
Synonyms: None known
[Choiniere et al. 2010]Definition
The most inclusive clade sharing a more recent common ancestor with
Alvarezsaurus calvoi than with Passer domesticus (house sparrow).
About
Click here to view Dinochecker's A-Z list of alvarezsauroids.
Etymology
Alvarezsauroidea is derived from Alvarezsaurus—which is itself derived from "Alvarez" (for the historian Don Gregorio Alvarez, not the more familiar physicist Luis Alvarez, or his son Walter) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard)—and the Latin "oidea" (like, resembling, form).
Relationships
References
• Bonaparte JF (1991) "Los vertebrados fósiles de la Formación Rio Colorado, de la Ciudad de Neuquén y Cercanías, Cretácico Superior, Argentina" [The vertebrate fossils of the Rio Colorado Formation, from the city of Neuquén and surrounding areas, Upper Cretaceous, Argentina]. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia e Instituto Nacional de Investigación de las Ciencias Naturales. Paleontología 4(3): 17-123.
• Chiappe LM, Norrell MA and Clark JM (2002) "The Cretaceous, short-armed Alvarezsauridae: Mononykus and its kin". Iin Chiappe (ed.) "Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs".
• Holtz TR Jr. (2007) "Ornithomimosaurs and Alvarezsaurs". The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages.
• Choiniere JN, Xu X, Clark JM, Forster CA, Guo Y and Han F (2010) "A Basal Alvarezsauroid Theropod from the Early Late Jurassic of Xinjiang, China". Science, 327(5965): 571-4. DOI: 10.1126/science.1182143
• Qin Z, Liao CC, Benton MJ and Rayfield EJ (2023) "Functional space analyses reveal the function and evolution of the most bizarre theropod manual unguals".
Communications Biology, 6(181).
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04552-4.
