Re: Shuvuuia

["Gera Mirantsev" <geramirantsev@mail.ru>]

   Hi dear list members!

   I think that this skull is a juvenile Shuvuuia as it has short preorbital 
region and large orbits. 
   There are at least 27 alvarezsaurid specimens from Mongolia. Among them 
there are more than 20 specimens (Chiappe et al., 1998)collected by CAE/MAE. 
Among them more than 10 specimens are from Ukhaa Tolgod locality (Norell, 1997).
 - AMNH 6524 (?Shuvuuia sp.): fragmentary pelvis and forelimbs; Bayn Dzak 
locality, Djadokhta Formation (Novacek, 1996).
 - IGM 100/99 (Shuvuuia deserti): braincase, cervicals, sacrum, 19 caudals, 
pelvis, femur, fibula, distal tarsal, metatarsus; Tugrugeen Shireh locality, 
Djadokhta Formation (Chiappe et al., 1998; Perle et al., 1993; Suzuki et al., 
2001). 
 - IGM 100/975 [holotype] (S. deserti): cervicals, sacrum, 20 caudals, manus, 
pelvis, metatarsus; Ukhaa Tolgod locality, ?Djadokhta Formation (Chiappe et 
al., 1998, 2002; Perle et al., 1993; Suzuki et al., 2001).
 - IGM 100/977 (S. deserti): skull, cervicals, dorsals,  scapulae, coracoid, 
humerus, manus; Ukhaa Tolgod locality, ?Djadokhta Formation (Chiappe et al., 
1998, 2002; Perle et al., 1993; Suzuki et al., 2001).
 - IGM 100/1001 (S. deserti): skull; Ukhaa Tolgod locality, ?Djadokhta 
Formation (Chiappe et al., 1998, 2002; Perle et al., 1993; Suzuki et al., 2001).
 - ?IGM specimen: skull, ?Djadokhta Formation (AMNH website). 
   One alvarezsaurid specimen was collected by an expedition of the Hayashibara 
Museum of Natural Sciences-Mongolian Paleontological Center (Suzuki et al., 
2001).
 - MPD 100/120 (S. deserti): a partial skeleton preserving a portion of the 
skull including nearly complete mandibular rami; most cervical, dorsal, and 
caudal vertebrae; portions of scapula, coracoid, and ilium; fragments of 
forelimb elements and a manus; distal ends of femora; and most of the remaining 
hindlimb bones; Tugrugeen Shireh locality, Djadokhta Formation. 
   Mononykus holotype was collected by the Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological 
Expedition in 1987 (Perle et al., 1993).
 - IGM 107/6 [holotype] (M. olecranus): portion of right maxilla, posterior 
part of skull, most precaudal vertebrae, forelimbs & hindlimbs, portions of 
ilium and pubis; Bugin Tsav locality, Nemegt Formation (=?Beds of Bugin Tsav).
   PIN specimens. Among them Parvicursor, two Shuvuuia specimens (one with 
nearly complete posterior part of skull, another with complete manus) and 
?Parvicursor sp. (nearly complete skull and skeleton, 
http://www.paleo.ru/institute/#28042004). All these specimens are from Barun 
Goyot Formation (Khulsan and Khermeen Tsav localities). I've seen some of these 
specimens.
 - PIN 4487/25 [holotype] (P. remotus): fragments of dorsal, sacral and caudal 
regions of vertebral column, partial pelvis, right hind limb, except for the 
first and third digit, separate elements of left hind limb; Khermeen Tsav 
locality, Barun Goyot Formation (Karkhu and Rautian, 1996; personal comm.). 
   The last specimen I known is ?Mononykus, collected by ?Nomadic Expeditions 
(www.vertpaleo.org/bulletin/178.pdf).

References:
  Chiappe L.M., Norell M.A., Clark J.M., 1998. The skull of a relative of the 
stem-group bird Mononykus; Nature. V. 392. P. 275-278.
  Chiappe L.M., Norell M.A., Clark J.M., 2002. The Cretaceous, Short-Armed 
Alvarezsauridae: Mononykus and Its Kin; P. 87-120 in Chiappe L.M., Witmer L.M., 
(eds.) Mesozoic Birds - Above the Heads of Dinosaurs; University of California 
Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, London. P. xii-520.
  Karkhu A.A., and Rautian A.S., 1996. A new family of Maniraptora (Dinosauria: 
Saurischia) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. Paleont. J. 30, 583-592.
  Norell M.A., 1997. Ukhaa Tolgod; P. 769-770 in Currie P.J., Padian K. (eds.) 
Encyclopedia of dinosaurs; Academic Press. P.869.
  Novacek M.J., 1996. Dinosaurs of the Flaming Cliffs. Doubleday/Anchor Books, 
New York.
  Perle A., Norell M.A., Chiappe L.M., Clark J.M., 1993a. Flightless bird from 
the Cretaceous of Mongolia; Nature. V. 362. P.623-626.
  Suzuki S., Chiappe L.M., Dyke G.J., Watabe M., Barsbold R. and Tsogtbaatar 
K., 2001. A new specimen of Shuvuuia deserti from the Late Cretaceous Djadokhta 
Formation of Mongol Contributions in Science (Los Angeles) 494. P. 1-18 
    
P.S. Could someone send me any alvarezsaurid paper (e.g. North & South American 
alvarezsaurid papers) which is NOT mentioned above (in my references)?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Gera
email: geramirantsev@mail.ru