Bannykus

half claw

• ban · Mandarin · half
• onykus · Greek · claw

The name combines the Mandarin word "ban" (half) with the Greek "onykus" (claw). It refers to the animal's intermediate hand: the first finger had a stout claw, but it was not as reduced or specialised as in later alvarezsaurids. Bannykus was a small alvarezsauroid theropod that falls between earlier forms such as Haplocheirus and later, more specialised alvarezsaurids.

Named by

Xu et al.

Year named

2018

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stages

Aptian – Albian

Found in

Bayan Gobi Formation, Inner Mongolia, China

Valid genus; the type species is Bannykus wengi. It is an alvarezsauroid theropod. The stage range is approximate.