Ornithomimoides

bird-mimic-like

• ornithos · Greek · bird
• mimos · Greek · mimic
• -oides · Greek · resembling / like

The name combines the Greek words "ornithos" (bird) and "mimos" (mimic) — the same roots used for the ornithomimosaur family Ornithomimidae — with the Greek suffix "-oides," meaning "resembling" or "like." In full it means "resembling Ornithomimus" or "bird-mimic-like," reflecting the perceived similarity of the fragmentary material to ornithomimosaurs. The name was applied to Indian theropod material thought to show affinities with the bird-mimic dinosaurs.

Named by

von Huene and Matley

Year named

1933

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Lameta Formation, India

Ornithomimoides is generally regarded as a nomen dubium. It was described by von Huene and Matley (1933) from very fragmentary vertebral material found in the Lameta Formation of India. The material is too incomplete to confidently assign it to any specific theropod group, and its ornithomimosaur affinities have been questioned; some researchers consider the material may belong to an abelisaurid or other theropod. Because the holotype is non-diagnostic, the genus cannot be reliably distinguished and is not considered a valid taxon.