Dzharaonyx (meaning "Dzharakuduk claw", named after the type locality) is a genus of alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. The type species is Dzharaonyx eski; eski being an Uzbek word for "old".[1]
| Dzharaonyx Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Alvarezsauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Parvicursorinae |
| Genus: | †Dzharaonyx Averianov & Sues, 2022 |
| Species: | †D. eski |
| Binomial name | |
| †Dzharaonyx eski Averianov & Sues, 2022 | |
Description
Dzharaonyx is known from a series of disassociated but well-preserved postcranial material. The form of the humerus is intermediate between that of Patagonykus and Mononykus.[1]
Classification
Phylogenetic analysis places Dzharaonyx in a polytomy including other Asian members of Parvicursorinae. This makes it the oldest parvicursorine known to date.[1]
Paleoenvironment
Dzharaonyx lived in the Bissekty Formation, which has been intensively studied in recent years. It represents a brackish environment.[3] It coexisted with larger theropods including the dromaeosaurid Itemirus, the tyrannosauroid Timurlengia, and the troodontid Urbacodon. The hadrosaur Levnesovia, ankylosaurs, and the sauropod Dzharatitanis represented the herbivores in this ecosystem.
