Aoniraptor is an extinct genus of megaraptoran theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. It was recovered by Matias Motta from the Violante Farm, part of the Huincul Formation. It was discovered in 2010, but only formally described in 2016. Aoniraptor may be synonymous with the newly described theropod Gualicho (also known from Huincul), due to the similarities of their caudal vertebrae.
Etymology[]
Aoniraptor comes from the Tehuelche language word "Aoni", which means south, and the Latin word "raptor", meaning thief. The species name, libertatem, comes from the Latin word for freedom, as it was discovered on the bicentennial of Argentina's independence from Spain in 1810.