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| Kank australis Motta, Rolando, Rozadilla, Agnolín, Egli, Herrera, Chimento, Coco, Tsuihiji, Manabe, Pol & Novas, 2026 A reconstruction by Gabriel Díaz Yantén |
ABSTRACT
Unenlagiids constitute a group of paravian theropods up to now represented in Gondwanan landmasses. They are particularly diverse in northern Patagonia, where at least seven species were discovered in Upper Cretaceous beds. In southern Patagonia, by contrast, the record is restricted to a few isolated remains of indeterminate taxa from Argentina and Chile. The aim of the present contribution is to describe an unenlagiid, Kank australis gen. et sp. nov. from the Maastrichtian beds of southern Santa Cruz, southern Patagonia, Argentina. Kank australis is represented by vertebrae, isolated pedal phalanges, and shed teeth. The holotype individual has a unique combination of characters, including a highly pneumatized cervical vertebra with well-developed parapophysis and carotid processes. Further, a pedal phalanx II-2 resembles those of troodontids due the reduction of the distal condyles, and differs from other known unenlagiids. The apomorphic condition of the few available elements suggests that Kank australis was probably distinct from its kin and reinforces the hypothesis that Unenlagiidae was a morphologically disparate clade.
SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY
DINOSAURIA OWEN, 1842
SAURICHIA SEELEY, 1888
THEROPODA MARSH, 1881
PARAVES SERENO, 1997
UNENLAGIIDAE (Bonaparte, 1999)
KANK AUSTRALIS gen. et sp. nov.
Diagnosis—Medium-sized unenlagiid (phalanges similar in size to Neuquenraptor argentinus estimated in ∼27 kg; Motta, 2023) showing the following combination of characters (autapomorphies marked by an asterisk): (1) dentary teeth having mesial carinae restricted to the apical third of the crown (shared with Austroraptor); (2) labiolingually compressed maxillary teeth “8” in cross-section (shared with Buitreraptor); (3) dentary teeth having a crenulate mesial carina restricted to its apical third; (4) cervicodorsal vertebra having three pneumatic foramina on its ventral surface*; (5) cervicodorsal vertebra having epipophyseal fossa*; and (6) phalanx 2-II showing reduced distal condyles and collateral pits located very close to the anterodorsal corner of the condyles (shared with troodontids).
Etymology—“Kank,” in reference to the “elder Rhea,” who created the constellation Choiols (Southern Cross constellation) in the Aonikenk mythology, and “australis,” which means “from south” in Latin, in reference to the southern latitude where this dinosaur was found.
Matías J. Motta, Alexis M. Aranciaga Rolando, Sebastián Rozadilla, Federico L. Agnolín, Federico Brissón Egli, Gerardo P. Álvarez Herrera, Nicolás R. Chimento, Gastón Lo Coco, Takanobu Tsuihiji, Makoto Manabe, Diego Pol and Fernando E. Novas. 2026. New unenlagiid from the Chorrillo Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian), SW Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e2656456. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2026.2656456 [28 May 2026]
