INVESTIGADORES
APESTEGUIA Sebastian
artículos
Título:
The teeth of the unenlagiine theropod Buitreraptor from the Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina, and the unusual dentition of the Gondwanan dromaeosaurids
Autor/es:
GIANECHINI, FEDERICO A.; PETER J. MAKOVICKY; APESTEGUIA, S.
Revista:
ACTA PALAEONTOLOGICA POLONICA
Editorial:
INST PALEOBIOLOGII PAN
Referencias:
Lugar: Varsovia; Año: 2011 vol. 56 p. 279 - 290
ISSN:
0567-7920
Resumen:
The Unenlagiinae is a clade of Gondwanan dromaeosaurid theropods mainly known from incomplete skeletal material.
The group includes two recently discovered theropods, Buitreraptor and Austroraptor, from which cranial remains are
available with in situ maxillary and dentary teeth, thus allowing the study of tooth morphology. Among the derived traits
that diagnose the dentition of unenlagiines are: (i) high tooth count, (ii) small size of individual teeth when compared with
skull height, (iii) absence of denticles and carinae, and (iv) presence of longitudinal grooves on the tooth crown. This suite
of dental characteristics, shared between Buitreraptor and Austroraptor, can be considered as diagnostic of the
Unenlagiinae or, at least, a more exclusive clade within the group. The teeth of Buitreraptor exhibit a remarkable
labiolingual compression, whereas Austroraptor possesses more conical teeth, probably respective autapomorphic features.
On one hand, these dental morphologies differ from those observed in most Laurasian dromaeosaurids and, for instance,
could be considered as further proof of the purported vicariant evolution of the lineage on the southern continents.
On the other hand, the morphological similarities (e.g., absence of denticles) between the teeth of unenlagiines and other
theropod lineages, including Mesozoic birds and ornithomimosaurs, can be considered as the result of parallel trends related
to dental reduction.