Xixianykus

Xixia claw

• Xixia · Chinese (place name) · Xixia County, Henan, China
• onykhos / -nykus · Greek · claw

The name combines Xixia County, the part of Henan Province, China, where the fossil was found, with a Greek word for "claw". The "-nykus" ending is borrowed from the related alvarezsaurid Mononykus ("one claw"). Xixianykus was a small, long-legged alvarezsaurid, so the name roughly means "Xixia claw". The species name, X. zhangi, honours Zhang Qiyi.

Named by

Xu et al.

Year named

2010

Period

Late Cretaceous

Found in

Majiacun Formation, Xixia County, Henan Province, China

A valid genus of small alvarezsaurid theropod. It is known from a partial skeleton with very long hind limbs, which suggests it was a fast runner. The type species is X. zhangi. I am less sure of the honoree's name and of the exact stage of the Majiacun Formation, so I left the stages blank.