Stygivenator
STIJ-ee-ve-NAY-tor /ˌstɪdʒiːvəˈneɪtər/
Synonym of Tyrannosaurus
Styx hunter
- Styx (Stygi-) · Greek · the river Styx of the Greek underworld
- venator · Latin · hunter
The name combines the Greek river Styx, a river of the underworld, with the Latin word for "hunter". It alludes to the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, where the fossil was found. Olshevsky coined it in 1995 as a new genus name for a small tyrannosaurid specimen (type species Stygivenator molnari) that had previously been called Aublysodon molnari.
- Named by
- Olshevsky
- Year named
- 1995
- Period
- Late Cretaceous
- Stage
- Maastrichtian
- Found in
- Hell Creek Formation, Montana, USA
Based on a small, juvenile tyrannosaurid specimen. It is generally regarded as a junior synonym, usually of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus. Some researchers instead place it in Nanotyrannus, so the senior synonym depends on how that debate is resolved. The species name molnari honours paleontologist Ralph Molnar.